https://koa.com/campgrounds/mount-pleasant-charleston/
For our 5th wedding anniversary we took an extended weekend trip to one of our favorite places, Charleston SC, opting to stay right outside the city at the KOA in MT Pleasant. We snagged a site near the General Store, a spot you would typically find noisy, but perhaps the time of year we went (late March) it was unbelievably quiet and relaxing all weekend. Our site was a pull through with a perfect size patio, picnic table, fire pit, and 4 chairs. Each evening we’d receive an automated text from staff letting us know the store was closing soon that if we needed anything to let them know, they would deliver it to our site (which of course we took advantage of to get firewood-what’s a weekend in the RV without S’mores?!). We were too early in the year for the pool to be open, but there were options to rent a bike, boat, or aquacycle if we wanted.
Being that I was 8.5mo pregnant on our anniversary this year, my main goals were: sleeping in, good food, and walking as much as possible! Sleeping in was so easy as the KOA was very quiet (again it might have been the time of year) so check that goal successful! The campground also has a 1.5mi Nature trail that was beautiful to walk; Most of it was in the shade, the path was clear and easy to walk, AND there’s an occupied Eagle’s nest close to the end!
We’ve done the guided historical tours of Charleston before, and enjoyed a Haunted Carriage Tour with Old South Carriage Company this trip, but in all honesty the best part was probably the self-guided dessert tour my husband planned out. He knows the way to a pregnant ladies heart!
Our first stop was Sugar Bake Shop on Cannon St; the plan was to find the best Cookies in Charleston, but when you walk in and see and smell all the delicious cupcakes there’s no resisting! They have an adorable patio beside the store and two small tables set up on the sidewalk; between the perfect 72 degrees outside and the birds chirping, it was quintessential Charleston.
We picked a large chocolate chip cookie and a blueberry vanilla cupcake to split. Hands down the most moist and flavorful cupcake we’ve ever had, we’re adding this spot to the “must visit” on the next trip. The cookie was soft and equally delicious, but we may have tainted our taste buds with the cupcake first!
Our next planned destination was Bubbies Cookies and Treats (also pulls up as King St Cookies); we had tried to visit Thursday evening but didn’t realize they closed at 6pm, we were NOT making that mistake again!
On the way we passed Insomnia Cookies, not stopping in since we have one in Raleigh and Wilmington, and we already know we’re a fan!
Shortly after Insomnia Cookies you’ll find Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts, you’ll find you need to hit those one early since once they sell out they’re done! We were able to snag a vanilla glazed doughnut and it did not disappoint- Not the best dessert of the day, but tasty treat nonetheless! They also carried specialty coffees and lattes, as well as cute doughnut themed shirts/cups/stickers you could buy.
At last we made our way to Bubbies, and this is where we had regrets. We totally should have made this our first stop, ordering every single kind of cookie available! There had to be at least 50 varieties displayed from your basic sugar cookie to a twix stuffed chocolate chip, and additional options to add ice cream or icing in the middle. On Google this store has a 4 star review, but I would have given it 6 if possible. The staff helping us was upbeat and friendly, the wait was not long, and the price per cookie was reasonable, honestly it was cheap for the quality. They carry milkshakes, bagels, muffins, pastries, coffee, AND a milk machine! Their website say they’ll deliver anywhere in the nation very soon, so I’m staying up to date with their FB page and WILL be ordering myself a dozen or so as soon as it’s available. https://www.bubbiescookiesandtreats.com/
A rainstorm appeared to be on the horizon, and it was probably time for some “solid” food, so we wandered the streets for a bit before stopping at Mac’s place on E Bay St. Here we ordered the Irish Nachos-YUM! Atmosphere was fun, ALL the sports games you could ever watch were on the TV’s, and the staff was attentive. Not on our dessert tour, but they def deserve a shout out!
Our final dessert destination was Kaminsky’s deli on Market street; we’ve passed it a couple times and the selections have looked appetizing….but the experience was far below our expectations. Upon entering we were told they were doing bar service only, no problem, we can order and they would bring it to us. However, there were 3 other employees behind the counter chatting about what time they got off, a clock-in malfunction, and why another worker was running late, meanwhile the line behind us was stacking pretty deep. We ordered a cookie sundae and sat down, but were overwhelmed by the [maybe] manager to loudly interview someone, correct another employee for many minutes, then voice his frustration over the hiccups of the past week. All while the same one guy was taking orders, and the other 3 employees were still just standing. As someone who has worked in restaurants a good part of life this seemed like normal Tuesday afternoon shenanigans, but this was at 4:30pm on a Saturday when downtown Charleston was BUSY. The Sundae was mediocre, perhaps over shadowed with the lackluster environment…or our expectations were way too high. Either way we can check this off the list and mark as a “no need to return”.
At this point on Saturday we had our fill of sugar, however I would be doing a disservice to the area without mentioning our lunch spot the day before, and the desserts we had there! Saltwater Cowboys-GOOO! We enjoyed the trash can nachos with brisket and Drew got a “Sandbar” beverage- he said it was tasty AND it was really cool looking with the floater that genuinely looked like a patch of sand! Then we shared the blueberry cobbler cheesecake-oooh my goodness it was delicious!
Overall Charleston has a ton to offer, and if you’ve never done a historical/architectural tour before please do so! We’ve been a couple times and enjoy wandering around the quiet side streets and finding new local food places to try out. However, if you are looking for something different try creating your own dessert tour-then let us know where you went and what you loved! (But make sure Bubbies is on your list!)
Haulin the Herd 