Have you ever been to Charleston?

I've lived in Charleston, South Carolina since August of 2011.  There's a lot to offer here, but I haven't really seen its potential until last night.

My family is down here visiting and we've been researching things to do on our vacation weekend.  I thought I knew everything to do since I've lived down here for more than two years!  I've found things last night that I didn't even know existed.  About 30 miles south of the city is a tea plantation. I love tea, and so does my family.  It looks beautiful!  The Firefly Vodka distillery is in that same area as well, and while I was out with a migraine, my family went without me :(  But there are plantations upon plantations to see, gardens, historical sites, gorgeous churches and cemeteries, and tons of restaurants.  I found two local places that offer an evening of painting and drinking!  Of course, I can't afford to experience all of these things, but I CAN afford to research the costly ones, and many of the sites are free (see: a small Fort Sumter museum at the tour launch site, 2nd Sunday, The Battery, plenty of art galleries like The George Gallery, and of course, the Angel Oak tree).

Tonight, we're going to a murder mystery hosted by the Footlight Players (there's also another troupe called the Black Fedora Comedy Mystery Theatre).  I'll definitely have a review of that, and hopefully some pictures!  Tomorrow is an open day, but I'm going to take them to brunch at my favorite place for chicken & waffles, The Early Bird Diner.  That's Plan A, because they get VERY crowded VERY fast and only have a limited amount of seating.  It's the most popular place in Charleston for brunch, and rightly so, because their food is amazing (and chicken & waffles is a staple of southern cuisine!).  Plan B is to go to The Blue Rose Cafe, another one of my favorite places.  The Blue Rose Cafe is very different from The Early Bird, though, because it's an Irish restaurant.  While The Early Bird serves mainly soulfood and southern/American food (see: country fried steak, meatloaf, and shrimp & grits), The Blue Rose takes food up a notch and offers items like Irish Chicken Curry and Seafood Gorgonzola, and for dessert, my go-to sweet treat is the Buttermilk Pie.

Of course, I might try to hit both of those restaurants today and tomorrow!