Spend a long weekend in Charleston, South Carolina, with Kids
Have you ever spent a long weekend in Charleston?
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A few years back, pre-covid. We took our FIRST real trip in our (then owned) Forest River Wildwood FSX 179dbk to Charleston, South Carolina. The trip itself had ups and downs, but that’s a story for another day. This is how we spent a long weekend in Charleston, South Carolina with our kids.
Where to stay
Since we were traveling for the long weekend and staying in our travel trailer, we could not stay within the city limits of Charleston. But knew we wanted to be close to both the city and Folly Beach, where an old friend lived. It was decided that the Mt Pleasant/Charleston KOA was where we were going to stay. In addition to the KOA, here are a few other popular Charleston RV parks to look into.
How we spent the long weekend in Charleston
We decided to spend one day with our friends on Folly Beach, another day exploring Charleston and our final day at the campground with friends who drove in to meet us. At the time of our trip, our girls were 4 and 8. Knowing their limits for walking and focused educational experiences were vital.
Day 1 – Folly Beach
Folly Beach is SO FUN for families. There is a beautiful beach to spend the day and enjoy – and, IT’S DOG FRIENDLY! (at least in April, it is!) When we got to Folly, we were STARVING! My friend took us to a local favorite hangout, Loggerhead’s beach grill for rooftop dining and simple family-friendly food. The day was then spent at the beach before heading over to Avondale Wine and Cheese for dinner and homemade ice cream!
Day 2 – Charleston
I always like to plan out SOME educational aspects of a vacation. It can be simple like a museum, walking tour, or trolley ride. OR it can be more elaborate, like an all-day boat adventure or swimming with manatees. I decided to land somewhere in the middle. With kids ages 4 and 8, I wanted something fun, interactive, and relatable to their current interests, which happened to be PIRATES. In our “Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls” book, we had read about the female pirate, Anne Bonny, so it made sense to choose the Charleston Pirate Tour. It was SO fun! We all took a guided tour around the park talked about Charleston’s pirate history. The kids all got to have pirate gear to keep, have a pirate fight, scavenger hunt, and more! It was perfect!
We then headed over to the Charleston City Market, a famous indoor/outdoor market with many vendors, artistry, and more.
Day 3 – Campground Day
Our 3rd and final day in South Carolina were spent meeting my Friend Marie and her family IRL for the 1st time. We planned this trip knowing it was less about Charleston and more about connecting with friends, new and old. The day was spent grilling and swimming at the pool. And ending our evening at the famous Jestine’s Kitchen (which closed its doors after 24yrs due to the pandemic 😢) and delicious ice cream at off track. The night ended with tears from the kids, lots of hugs, and promises to get together sooner than later – which we have been lucky enough to do a few times despite everything.
Charleston and the surrounding beaches are a WONDERFUL vacation and RV camping spot for families. It has lots of educational ed-ventures, history, shopping, food options are endless, and so much more. Leave them in the comments below if you’ve been to Charleston and have some fun spots to visit!
