How to spend 3 food-filled days in Charleston, SC

For fashion designer Arlinda McIntosh (@funkingafter50), age is just a number. She shows her followers—who span ages from mid-twenties all the way up to 92 years old—that it’s never too late to try something new. A recent fete? Traveling to Charleston, SC, for the first time.

The perfect descriptor for a trip to The Palmetto State can be found at the bottom of the pool at the Travelers’ Choice Award–winning Ryder Hotel: “A good time state of mind.” Check in at the front desk, which doubles as a coffee bar, then head to your stylish room, outfitted in rattan furniture with pops of turquoise and coral. It’s a nod to Charleston’s coastal whereabouts without being too on the nose. Other notable amenities include electric car charging stations, Peloton bikes, and beach day bundles with a cooler, blanket, and games that you can check out during your stay.

Dinner is just around the corner at the Thoroughbred Club inside the Travelers’ Choice Award–winning Charleston Place. Take a moment to gawk at the ornate chandelier in the hotel lobby before finding a seat at the bar. The cocktail menu has an array of fun concoctions like the Pink Hummingbird and Peppery Peach Paloma, along with great mocktail options. Off the tapas menu, order the summer harvest salad, honey garlic wings, and crispy fried oysters.

Wake up with a hearty breakfast of shrimp and grits or biscuits and gravy at Millers All Day, a Travelers’ Choice Award winner, on historic King Street. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you spot the antique mill in the front window that for centuries “turned corn into the plated gold that makes Southerners smile.” The savory is balanced with an ever-changing sweets selection—think chocolate hazelnut banana bread, homemade pop tarts, and coconut cream pie.

After breakfast, make the 20-minute drive to McLeod Plantation. Established in 1851, the former plantation is now a part of the Charleston County Parks system. Travelers’ Choice Award–winning guides detail the daily life of those who once worked and lived there, along with the natural and cultural significance of the site, from the 600-year-old oak tree on-site to the emergence of Gullah culture.

Lunch is at Bertha’s Kitchen, a Travelers’ Choice Award–winning, take-out-style staple in Charleston for more than 40 years. Fried chicken, mac and cheese, red rice, stewed okra, cornbread—you can’t go wrong with any of it.

Spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the many shops along King Street before venturing to Travelers’ Choice Award winner Xiao Bao Biscuit for dinner. Order the som tom noodle salad with chicken fried in a black-bean breading, served alongside ​​spicy green papaya.

Enjoy a brunch buffet at The Palmetto Cafe, another Travelers’ Choice Award winner, and then walk to Joe Riley Waterfront Park, where you’ll find a pier, great views of the harbor, and an elaborate fountain designed to look like a pineapple. Nearby, snap a picture at Rainbow Row, an iconic stretch of pastel-hued Georgian row houses. When hunger strikes again, hit up Hannibal’s Soul Kitchen for huge portions and some of the best sweet tea around. Certain dishes, like the fried flounder, can also be made gluten-free.

Now, it’s time to get out of the city. Drive 30 minutes south to join up with the Charleston Marsh Eco Boat Cruise, a Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best winner. Set sail from Bowens Island and wade through salt marshes, estuaries, and even a few oyster beds while your naturalist captain provides expert commentary. Go ashore on the uninhabited Morris Island to search for seashells and sand dollars and photograph the Morris Island Lighthouse. On the way back, keep your eyes peeled for wildlife—it’s not uncommon to see bottlenose dolphins and sea turtles playing in the surf.

Travelers’ Choice Award–winning Hank's Seafood Restaurant, inside a beautifully restored, century-old warehouse, offers another taste of the salt life with just-caught fish, mouthwatering crab cakes, and seafood towers. It’s a fitting end for any trip to the Low Country.