Top Eats!

When we get to go on vacation I spend quite a LONG time researching places to eat, I mean that is the most important thing right?!! So today for you I have listed out of favorite places in Savannah and Charleston!! In no order by the way!

* The Old Pink House, Savannah!

I mean we loved this place because the food was out of this world but also because this building was built in the 1700s! The Declaration of Independence was read aloud from the steps of this home. In the basement is the coolest bar complete with piano player and we loved everything about it! To learn more click HERE

 
* Hominy Grill, Charleston
You guys first off 2 words- Charleston Nasty! Yup that my friends is this glorious biscuit I had for lunch one day! Everything about this place was so homey and so good! Get there early the wait is NO JOKE
Click HERE to see more

*167 Raw, Charleston
No, not just because I have seen this place on TV did we love it but because it was fresh, fast and delish! The Lobster Roll was great and the Oysters super fresh!! Check it out HERE

* Hall's Chophouse, Charleston
If you want a purely amazing steak set in an old style steakhouse staple this is the place for you! This is quite the Charleston staple and we really enjoyed our meal and the wine selection here! Make sure you have a reservation thats for sure! Click HERE to explore the menu!

* Husk, Charleston
First of all look how stunning this location is! Second a place named by Bon Appetit as restaurant of the year and a highly awarded in house chef..... Yes, Yes, and Yes! This place is TOP notch... add it to your list! HERE to learn more!

Patriots Point

Do you guys watch the show on TNT The Last Ship? We love it and Matt loves the main character Tom Chandler. In fact we were talking about how if Matt could be a TV character he thinks he would want to be him before leaving on our vacation! Why does this matter? Well, I had NO idea that in the harbor of Charleston was Patriots Point.... but I am so glad we toured it! In the harbor sits a Destroyer USS Laffey and the Battleship USS Yorktown and Matt was able to for a brief moment have his time as Captain Tom Chandler.

 If you are going to Charleston I highly recommend you take the time to give this naval museum the respect it deserves! We are so glad we did! HERE is the site to learn more about visits!

 For all my Bravo friends.... yes that is THE Ravenel Bridge of our crazy Southern Charm star!

 Something that was also neat to see while touring the ships is how all the volunteers were Veterans. Some of them even served on one of these ships. And the Destroyer was actually hit during a war and people lost their lives.... so yes, these ships did see combat.

 When you finally get close you see how immense these ships are, it really is breathtaking.

 After being inside them I can say 110% I would NEVER survive..... the closed in space, the heat.... just everything is the stuff my nightmares are made of. And yes, much of the ship is now interactive which was fun for us!

 Inside the Yorktown there are rows of aircrafts, it blew my mind how BIG a ship can be to house aircraft inside and on top. I know I know, this is normal common sense but seeing it first hand is another thing all together!

 YOU GUYS...... do you see it!!!!!! From the top of the battleship we saw Dolphins! It literally made my day!

 The Yorktown also houses the National Medal of Honor museum, which was so humbling to see. And look at this, the youngest recipient was ONLY 12 years old and this was his battle drum. I mean, can you imagine?

 Patriots Point was a highlight of the trip for us both, with the exception of THE HEAT and humidity. It was unreal!
And of course we had to make one last stop before heading out..... The symbol of Charleston the Pineapple fountain! What IS the story of the Pineapple......

The legend stems back to the colonial days when Charleston was much more of a shipping city. When a sea captain returned home from a long voyage he would have precious, exotic souvenirs of his voyage. The captain would spear a pineapple on his fence post to let his friends and neighbors know that he had returned safely. The pineapple earned its symbolic meaning because friends would come over for dinner that night to drink and hear the captains adventure tales of piracy, scurvy, and encounters with new lands.

Who knew your favorite fruit had a real adventure tale behind it?

Stay tuned tomorrow I am going to post YOUR very own WHERE to eat in Savannah and Charleston guide! I hope you are still enjoying these vacation posts as much I am loving the memories!

Charleston

 Hey Guys! Happy Monday, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend..... we had a nice one! I will have some movie reviews for you guys later this week but I am still on vacation posts today.. I know, yes there are a few more!
What I noticed about Charleston is that it seems to be 1 part Colonial, 1 Part Spanish and 1 Part Modern and all of those parts make for one incredibly beautiful city full of rich history. I LOVED how every street was lined in vintage gas lamps and I learned while there that the city MUST keep those lamps. Any place in Charleston over 75 years old MUST remain exactly the same on the outside as it was over 75 years ago. An expensive law that keeps this city the popular destination it is today!

 While Matt was off golfing on the STUNNING Kiawah Island which ranks as the #6 Golf course in the US I set off to explore the city. My first stop was the Slave Museum, which is really where and how this city and our nation got its start. Charleston was the largest port for bringing in slaves and selling them, they estimate that over 300,000 people were bought and sold here right here at this location.

This building which housed the halls where REAL people were sold is now a museum. I can barely let my mind wander to picture what it was like back then for the people inside these walls. The artifacts and diagrams on the wall depicts what life was like back in the 1700s-1800s and you really need to see it for yourself. 

 Next I followed in the steps of the slaves to the Museum of the Aiken-Rhett house. This house was once the governors mansion and was built in 1820. Not all slaves worked on Plantations this home had a slave house and was literally frozen in time. I took the audio tour which was so interesting, I wish Matt could of toured this with me. Below I am inside one of the slave rooms which sadly for that time was quite nice.

 What I LOVED about this home was that instead of restoring this mansion, they let it be as it was... dilapidated and all. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time and I HIGHLY recommend this tour if you are going to be in Charleston! You can learn more about the home and tour HERE

 The picture above is the outside of the carriage house that housed the buggy, horses as well as additional slave quarters on the second level. Below is what remains of the kitchen, imagine the slaves in here cooking for the big house.

 This was another room in the kitchen that most likely housed the pantry items and the cooler box as well as the hearth used to cook items in addition to the "stove". Back then the kitchen was always a separate house that way in case of a fire the big house would be spared.

 This is the main parlor room of the mansion and a painting of the former governors wife. It's incredible isn't it?

 This was the former ballroom where all of Charleston High Society came to socialize. I loved this tour and have so may more pictures that show off this incredible piece of history.

This building my friends is the OLDEST building in the United States, the first Powder magazine. This was built in 1713 and it is original. You know how it goes you need a building to hold all your explosives and magically this building never blew up. 

 Next up is this incredible space which has lived lives as an insane asylum and the first prison in Charleston.  I have a sad story about this place..... We were scheduled to take a night time ghost tour inside here but I had a migraine and we decided it was best to skip it. The next day when we went by here and saw what we missed I was devastated to say the least! Woah is me!

 Another highlight of our trip was this dungeon, also the first "jail" of Charleston. Inside this exact room is where pirates were jailed and for a brief time period Blackbeard himself was here as well as many other notable pirates! I mean gosh if these walls could talk!? And they do not even know how many people died down here but they are assuming hundreds!

I LOVE that Charleston really lets you immerse yourself into the past, you don't have to imagine what it was like... only step inside! 

Boone Hall Plantation

Our last stop in Savannah on our way to Charleston was The Pirate's House! It is now a restaurant but this building was built in 1733 and I knew I just had to be there if only for a moment. I mean ya, I am obsessed with Black Sails so seeing a place where the REAL Black Beard use to store his rum... I mean, wow! Just imagine what all happened inside these walls!

 Our first stop in Charleston was Boone Hall Plantation most likely the most famous plantation still standing today for many reasons:
1. It is in mint condition, the family stills owns this and in fact when they are in town they stay in this home
2. The slave homes are original and still standing, most plantations had them torn down but here you really can go inside history. Horrible history but still
3. Many many movies have been filmed here including a little film called THE NOTEBOOK!!!!

 The grounds are breathtaking and what you can't see behind Matt and I's smiles is that we are literally about to have a heat stroke! NO JOKE

 On the grounds you can take 6 tours and we toured the Main house, slave quarters and then took a buggy ride around the grounds to see the fields.

 We couldn't take pictures inside sadly but it was beautiful, you could see and we learned how much this home has changed since the original property was build in 1743!!!! You can learn about this plantation by clicking HERE

 This is inside one of the 8 standing slave homes and I can only imagine the love and heartache that filled these walls.

 The slave homes were made of brick which was unusual but in the early 1700s this plantation made bricks so it all makes sense. Then this plantation grew indigo, cotton and crops through out its life span. And today it is still a working farm with over 100 crops all year round.

 The buggy ride was so nice and we saw the pond where Noah and Ali took the boat ride in the rain! swoon!

 On the grounds where a ton of horses and you guys I got to pet a baby pony and you know it... my day was MADE!!! Right after this picture the pony bit Matt and I couldn't have laughed harder you would of thought Matts arm was ripped off! LOL!!!!!!!!

 After we left the plantation we had lunch at Raw 167 where the cast of Bravo's Souther Charm eats from time to time and we loved i!t! Then we went by the theater where Noah and Ali had their first date!! I love the Notebook!!!!!!!

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Zero George

 I wanted to start off the first of MANY vacation posts by talking about my MOST favorite thing from the trip and that was the Zero George. Zero George was where we stayed in Charleston and it literally took my breath away. The Zero George is located in a series of buildings including an old carriage house that dates back to 1803! And now in 2016 is the must luxurious place Matt and I have stayed to date!

I have to jump ahead to one of my favorite features..... The in house Chef Vinson Petrillo from Top Chef Masters! I mean, I die! Literally the building you check into houses the kitchen so I just watched mouth agape as such a culinary master was working dinner service!

My second favorite features..... uh how about the fact that every afternoon at 5pm you get complimentary wine and cheese boards??!!! I wish someone would bring me that everyday at 5pm FROM the kitchen of a TOP CHEF MASTER!  Are you seeing why this place was my heaven on earth???

This boutique hotel is small only houses around 16 rooms I believe and each room.... or at least our room really felt like I was just staying in a room at a friends.... well.... a friend who lives in a mansion and has turn down service?! (wink wink)

 Oh ya, when we arrived we were greeted by a bottle of Champagne JUST because, just because the Zero George lets no detail go to waste!

 This is one of the outdoor private sitting areas! Another feature I loved was the European Breakfast each morning complete with our own barista! There was bagel and lox, Quiche, Fruit and they bring in each morning the FAMOUS Charleston Callie's Hot Biscuits which were TOO die for and yes, I had 2 every morning!

 Matt was embarrassed about all my pictures taking but look at this place.... how could I not?

 Oh ya, to compliment your stay you get to tool around Charleston in these awesome Zero George bikes! Wish I could have fit it into my suitcase to take home!

 Behind this door is reception, the kitchen, the bar, restaurant and common rooms.....

 I know, right?? For ALL the details on staying here and what they offer make sure you check out the website..... click HERE and yes, before you go having a heart attack this is a special occasion place. If ya catch my drift!

 This is one of the common rooms and Matt and I felt wayyyyy too "common" to sit around in here! hehe!

 Our room was amazing complete with our own Espresso machine and cooler drawer stocked with complimentary drinks! And the toiletries in the shower (full size might I add) were so amazing I am literally ordering some for the house! Malin + Goetz, have you heard of them??

It was hard leaving this place, I felt so special while I was there and I loved every minute and every detail!

 Til' Next Time Zero George!!!!!!