I have spent the MLK long weekend in Charleston three times now and each trip has been entirely different. There is simply so much to do! On my most recent trip, I really enjoyed exploring off King Street and getting to spend more time at local spots that my friends love now that they live there. Here is the breakdown of my long weekend in Charleston expenses.
Note: All of my numbers include tax and a 20% tip! Transparency!!
Saturday
I flew in on Saturday morning on a direct flight from Nashville and landed around 12 pm EST. I was in Charleston for 3 days, 2 nights and flew out at 7 pm on Monday (MLK day). Southwest was having a sale in September, so I bought these flights for $136.87 round trip.
My friend picked me up from the airport and we drove to Island Cabana for lunch where I spent $19.84 on lunch and an additional $4 because my friends and I split a bucket of IPAs.
Four of my friends live in Charleston and two of us were in town visiting so we had to get a reservation for dinner since it was restaurant week in Charleston. We went to Rutledge Cab and got fun cocktails although they didn’t necessarily go with our fried chicken sandwiches. The chicken sandwich was unique with a great house sauce and smoked ham. My total was $36.52.
After dinner, we went to the Cocktail Club for fabulous specialty drinks. It was a quaint space with exposed walls, dim lighting, and fancy furniture. I spent $17 on an expresso martini here.
Once we were ready to dance, we went to Uptown Social. This bar had a $10 cover but relatively affordable (compared to Nashville) drinks. I paid $7 for a beer, and $9.40 for a mixed drink.
Sunday
On Sunday morning we all woke up slightly hungover and joined Emma’s dad who was so kind to treat us to Brunch. His favorite brunch spot is Toast All Day, and it has become a tradition to go every time we are in town.
It was an incredibly beautiful day and happened to be Second Sunday, so we wandered King Street to look at the vendors. There were a ton of great local artists, but I didn’t buy anything because their art was too Charleston centered and wouldn’t fit right in my Nashville apartment.
I had never been to the Downtown Charleston Market either, so we walked through that before grabbing a cup of coffee at Daily. I bought a vanilla latte for $8.33. We sat outside in the sunshine on their fun patio for a while before meeting up with the rest of our friends.
The boys wanted to watch NFL games in the afternoon, so we began at Charleston Sports Pub where I bought loaded tator tots for $20.16. They were incredible but I wish I had split them with my friend instead of both of us buying them.
When we were ready for a change of scenery, we headed to Low Tide Brewery for some drinks. I ordered two beers for a total of $15.32. My friends and I were envious of the oyster roast private event at the bar and came up with the idea to have our own backyard clam bake and pasta. We went to the grocery store to buy wine, pasta, clams, cookies, and firewood. When we split the cost, we each paid $12. I had an absolute blast hanging by the fire while my friends were grilling, it felt like home.
Monday
On my last day, my friend and I went to Poogan’s Porch for brunch where I ordered an omelet and we shared the crab rangoon dip. It was such a fantastic southern meal. I paid $25.
We walked across the Pit Street Bridge in Mount Pleasant, sat out on a bench, and just chatted in the sunshine. It was perfect.
Then, Emma took me to her favorite homemade candle store, Oyster Candle Company in Mount Pleasant. The scents were incredible, so I bought the Kiawah Candle that reminded me of my summer internship at Kiawah Island Golf Resort sophomore year. My candle cost $27.56.
We finished the day off with a restaurant week deal at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Cantina 76! I got three tacos, chips and guac and a margarita for $24.87.
I flew back to Nashville Monday night and ate dinner when I got home. The whole weekend visiting my college best friends in Charleston cost me $373.87, the price of a flight in peak season!
Want to read more about things to do in Charleston? Check out my post about our girls long weekend in Charleston trip last year!
