I recently traveled to Charleston, SC for our school’s Fall Break, and it was delightful! The historic city is so charming and fun, there are so many things you can do, but this is more of a list of casual things, none of the touristy stuff, per say. If you are only stopping briefly, as I did, here are some fun things to do in Charleston!

Restaurants: So we only had a few meals here, but they were all to die for. For breakfast I have to recommend Breizh Pan Crepes and Kitchen 208. Breizh is tucked away right off of the College of Charleston campus, and has the best crepes I’ve ever tasted. They had every sort of crepe you can imagine, and since it is a French place, it tastes really authentic! Kitchen 208 is more of your standard continental breakfast. Eggs, biscuits, fruit, home fries, the works—not to mention the seasonal Caramel Apple Mimosa, which I would recommend to anyone with taste buds. We sort of opted for “brunch” most days, so I can’t really recommend a lunch spot, (although they are everywhere!), but for dinner I would say go to The Mezz or Le Farfalle. La Farfalle is a really delicious Italian style restaurant, but with a really unique menu. It’s basically Italian with a hint of Charleston. Then there’s The Mezz which is a jazz bar and restaurant. The ambiance was so adorable with roses and candles at every table, brick walls, and live music. The food was incredible as well!

The Battery & Surrounding Neighborhood: The Battery is the name of the defensive sea wall that parallels a road on the edge of the city. Beautiful and colorful houses line the street, and the water lies on the opposing side making it a nice spot to take a stroll. If you’re lucky and you catch the sunset at the right moment, the whole street glows, and it is quite a scene. In addition, the surrounding neighborhood is gorgeous and all of the houses are so rustic and charming. The leaves are all changing and they have pumpkins on their front porches, and it’s all really nice!

King Street Shopping: I’ll confess I’m a bit of a shopping junkie, or as I prefer to call it, advocate of retail therapy. Therefore, Charleston is the stuff of dreams. King Street, the City Market and all the stores that lie within these areas are A—wait for it—MAZING. For real though, Charleston has the cutest boutiques and such trendy stores. They have literally everything you could want to buy, and even some stuff you didn’t know you needed, but do. The City Market has a lot of eclectic relics as well as artwork, hand woven baskets, and lots of other unique finds. It’s wonderful and when you get tired (as we sometimes take the expression “shop til we drop” too literally) there are countless little coffee shops and places to sit down and re-energize. It’s a glorious place.

All in all my weekend in Charleston was fabulous, and we didn’t even hit up the plantations, Fort Sumter, or try a ghost tour. This is the itinerary for a very “chill” 36 Hours in Charleston, which was perfect for my “break.”