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Indulge in the Sweet Taste of Charleston

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If you’re visiting Charleston for more than a few hours there’s a very good chance you’re doing a lot of walking. You’ve probably walked King Street,
Market Street, Meeting Street and the Battery. You may have even walked
the beach, a park and a plantation. All that walking gives you the perfect
excuse to indulge in some delectable desserts and sweet treats. We’ve compiled
a few favorites and would love to hear which of these you sample while
in town (maybe all of them!). Share your favorite Charleston treats with
us at Facebook.com/travelermag.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAt Peninsula Grill, just go ahead and order dessert first. The Ultimate Coconut Cake created by Pastry Chef Claire Chapman is 12 layers of decadence you won’t want to miss while dining in Charleston. The cake – standing 5 inches tall and weighing in at 12 pounds – is infused with coconut and fresh vanilla. Unlike more traditional coconut cakes, the pound cake center is covered with icing and topped with toasted coconut.

Bobby Flay called the cake his “all-time favorite dessert” and Martha Stewart showcased the recipe on “The Martha Stewart Show.” National magazines and newspapers have heralded the cake as “a little slice of heaven” (The New York Times) and “one of the South’s grand desserts” (Southern Living).

Sweet Ceces YogurtThe possibilities are endless when you have numerous yogurt flavors and almost 50 toppings. Sweet CeCe’s Frozen Yogurt & Treats offers several Charleston-inspired yogurt flavors: Charleston Chocolate, East Bay Vanilla, Market Strawberry, Rainbow Row Torte, Red Velvet Sash Sorbet (a tribute to Old South Carriage Co. down the street), Spoleto Pistachio, Lowcountry Peanut Butter, Plantation Coffee and Colonial Cheesecake. Yogurt options also include vegan, gluten-free, no sugar, fat free and low-fat.

Unlike other frozen yogurt shops, Sweet CeCe’s has a toppings silo – a circular area of the shop with 24 9-foot clear tubes filled with every topping imaginable. Much of the fruit and toppings are sourced locally.

Kaminskys wholecakewhiteAsk any Charleston local about a sweet place for dessert and Kaminsky’s is sure to come up in the conversation. Serving up sweets on Market Street since 1992, Kaminsky’s has a dessert case filled with the gooey goodness of Tollhouse Pie, New York-style cheese cake or a Mountain of Chocolate, three layers of chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache filling, iced with chocolate butter cream and drizzled with chocolate ganache.

Kaminsky’s also offers dessert martinis, hot toddies and specialty coffees, including its Charleston Steamers, an original combination of flavored syrups with steamed milk and topped with whipped cream, or Charleston Jukers, a chilled drink of iced espresso for the serious caffeine fix. Milkshakes with four scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and flavors like Oreo and Heath Bar are also on the menu.

Cupcake_chocolate raspberryForget the cupcakes of birthday parties past, these little gems are melt-in-your-mouth moist creations topped with a sweet icing mountain. At Cupcake, these specialty desserts are baked fresh daily with all-natural ingredients like real vanilla beans, sweet cream butter, fresh fruit and rich chocolate.

Choose from nine standard flavors, including red velvet, chocolate and vanilla, or go adventurous and try a cupcake concoction like salted caramel chocolate, bourbon pecan pie, carrot, lemon blueberry, banana pudding and pumpkin.

DSC_0071Being a tourist is tiring. Rest your tired toes and refuel with a coffee from Black Tap Coffee. Enjoy a simple cup of coffee or have a latte, espresso, cappuccino, mocha, tea, iced coffee or hot cocoa. If you ask nicely, the barista might even whip up some latte art from the frothy milk.

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Charleston FAQ's

Choosing a hotel and where to stay in Charleston all depends on your budget and goals. Do you want to stay Downtown, at the beach or in the outer areas such as North Charleston where you have to drive to get everywhere? For more help on deciding: https://travelerofcharleston.com/articles/hotels/

Charleston has 3 main public beaches which are: Folly, Isle of Palms and Sullivans. Each beach has it’s own atmosphere. The most common beach that people visit is Folly Beach and then Isle of Palms followed by Sullivans Island. For more info on Charleston’s beaches visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/

Charleston, SC is full of historical things to do. Everything from museums, to public sites and free landmark sites such as Rainbow Row and the Battery can be seen. For more info on Charleston’s top historical sites visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/places-to-learn-about-charleston-sc-history/

There are many things that will keep the kids and family entertained and educated in Charleston. There are historic sites such as Fort Sumter, a Children’s Museum, Aquarium and the USS Yorktown…a WWII era aircraft carrier you can tour. For more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-family-fun-activities/

There’s so many  things you could do in Charleston it can be overwhelming. We recommend that first time visitors, checkout the ultimate first-time visitor guide here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-first-time-visitors-guide/

Spring in Charleston, SC is an amazing time of year to visit. The flowers are blooming and the weather is mild and sunny. For more info, check-out our spring guide to Charleston here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-springtime-in-charleston/

Summer in Charleston is a great time to visit. There’s plenty of things to keep you busy and visiting the beach will probably….or should be on your short-list. Also water-based activities and tours are popular. Checkout this summer guide to Charleston for more info: 

Our 10 Favorite Summer Activities in Charleston

Fall is one of the best times to visit. The weather cools down a bit and the skies are typically blue and clear. In addition there are many great events, festivals and the large crowds of summer have gone back to school or work. For more info on visiting in the fall, checkout this article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-12-things-to-do-fall/

There are so many great things to do that it’s difficult to narrow the list down. This article does a great job with figuring out the must do things to do in Charleston

7 Can’t Miss Reasons to Visit Charleston, SC Now

The consensus is a minimum of 3-days is needed to settle in and experience Charleston. For instance, many people take 2 days exploring downtown and another day visiting sites outside of downtown such as the plantations, Angel Oak Tree or beaches. Checkout this page for a list of tours and attractions: 

Charleston’s Top Tours & Attractions | Things to do

Downtown Charleston was made for walking and for sure one of the best way to soak up and experience the history first-hand. This article goes over getting around Charleston with and without a car as well: 

Getting Around Charleston, SC

We’re of course partial to Charleston, but here’s the truth. There are many similarities however there are some differences in our opinion: 

  • Both cities are historic and beautiful. 
  • Both cities are extremely walkable. Savannah, with it’s park-like squares maybe more walkable than Charleston. 
  • Charleston has a more established and food scene with many more options. 
  • Charleston has better hotels and shopping.
  • Both cities have equally good tours.
  • Charleston has better beach options. Savannah has Tybee which is great, however it’s 1 beach vibe versus Charleston which has 3 beaches with different vibes. Checkout this Charleston beach guide article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/
  • In Savannah you can walk with alcoholic beverages on the street. This is not allowed in Charleston. This can be good or bad depending on your stance. 
  • Savannah is more affordable.
  • TourPass offers all-inclusive passes in both cities: https://tourpass.com

There are always great and world-class events happening in Charleston. For a calendar of events and things to do in Charleston, checkout our online calendar of events: https://travelerofcharleston.com/events/

Of course there are free money-saving coupons that you can use. Visit the coupons page for a bunch of ways to save: https://travelerofcharleston.com/coupon/

Charleston has some fantastic can’t miss tours such as Fort Sumter, carriage, ghost, harbor, historic and culinary tours. For a full list with more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/attractions/

Checkout the Charleston Relocation Guide page which will guide you during your move: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-sc-relocation-guide/

Additional Places to Explore

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