In This Post: From dolphin spotting at Shem Creek Park to a lovely stay at Hotel Indigo, it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the second stop of my road trip – Mount Pleasant, SC. Keep reading to explore with me and find things to do in this sunny Charleston suburb.
**This post may contain affiliate links (which means I make a small commission when you shop from them) and gifted items because we all have to pay our bills, and I’d rather keep creating awesome content for you than get a real job. All opinions are my own.**
The Look: Gal Meets Glam Daphne Dress (more sizes here and here) | Castañer Wedge Espadrilles
After a lovely 2 days exploring Richmond, Virginia and staying at the historic Linden Row Inn, I could not wait to head to our second road trip stop: Mount Pleasant, SC. Mount Pleasant is a large suburb of Charleston and since Charleston has gradually become the top prospect on my list of potential cities to move to, I was giddy to start making my way closer to it!
We spent our last morning at Linden Row Inn capturing a few final photos of the property before grabbing donuts and getting on the road (why does packing up the car always take so so long, lol?). It wasn’t a very exciting drive, but all of our stomachs dropped a bit as we drove over the big, kind of scary bridge that leads into Charleston and its surrounding areas. Right on the other side of it was our hotel for the next two nights, Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant.
Where to Stay in Mount Pleasant, SC
With decor that perfectly merges my love for gem things, jewel tones, and beachy vibes, I could have stayed at Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant forever because this is exactly the kind of atmosphere and style I hope to infuse into my home one day. We were greeted by the friendliest man at the front desk who had relocated from Pittsburgh! What are the chances?! He told me that he has a medical condition called Snowshovelitis and that his doctor said he had to move South. I think I have that too, haha!
The general Hotel Indigo Instagram bio says, “We’re boutique hotels embracing the neighborhoods we’re in” and I just love that! One of the reasons I love boutique hotels is because the experience of the location carries over even after you’re back in your room for the night. Since Hotel Indigos are part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), I found comfort in knowing that I was getting a boutique hotel experience from a trusted brand. I was also surprised that the hotel is pet-friendly (for a $50 fee) because would never be able to tell with how spotlessly clean the entire place is.
The impressive decor and thoughtful details slipped into our room, too. One of my very favorite things (maybe it’s odd that I loved this so much?) was the digital clock sleekly embedded into the bathroom mirror! That way, you never have to worry about checking your phone with you’re curling your hair and you don’t have to yell, “hey, what time is it?!” hoping someone in your family will answer you back. So cool. With classy eye-catching artwork, pink velvet headboards and a royal blue dresser that I desperately wanted to take home, I could certainly tell the hotel was reflecting off the hip, oceanside atmosphere of the Mount Plesant area and I am all about that vibe!
Where to Work Out:
The next morning, I was determined to check out the local boutique fitness studio scene because I need great places to work out no matter what area I move to! I used my ClassPass account to book a class at Barre Evolution (if you don’t want to commit to a studio, ClassPass makes it so much cheaper to attend classes at a variety of different spots each month – even when you’re traveling!). The instructor, Annette, was just the sweetest person ever with a delightful Southern touch to her voice. It’s always funny when instructors are so very nice but they somehow get you to work so very hard in their classes. My thighs and bum were very sore for DAYS after! Nevertheless, I would absolutely go back. The studio was modern, clean, and I loved the adjustments and encouragement given out during class. After class, I stopped right next door into Blend Juice Bar to grab smoothies for me and my sister. They were so good and fulfilling!
Once we got ourselves together, I photographed a room that was almost identical to ours because it was too dark when we got in the night before for me to do it upon arrival. After we brought in all our stuff (we overpacked wayyyy too much), there was just no way I could take photos that would do the beauty of the room’s setup justice – lol! Next, we took a trip to Summerville – a suburb of Charleston that I’m really interested in moving to and knew I wanted to take a look at while we were there. You’ll see and “Exploring Summerville, South Carolina” post in the next few days!
Restaurants to Eat at in Mount Pleasant, SC:
After our afternoon in Summerville, we weren’t ready to call it a day quite just yet (and by “we” I really mean me because I’m sure my sister would have been completely content with going back to hang out at the room to sleep). Looking for an activity that would cool us down a bit, we headed over to Shem Creek Park. Aside from the nearby waterfront dining and lots of spots to pick from for drinks, there’s a huge boardwalk that you can walk down to get closer to the water. We didn’t eat at any of the Shem Creek restaurants, but with excellent reviews and excellent views, I’d say you probably can’t go wrong trying any one of them!
Gems people recommended: Grace & Grit, Vickery’s Bar & Grill
Where to Spot Dolphins!
When someone told me you could often catch dolphins swimming around Shem Creek, I tried to contain my excitement because I absolutely love dolphins. Just a few minutes after making it to the end of the pier, we were able to spot a few swimming around. Every time we thought they had swum away, they would pop back up moments later! Getting a photo was quite a challenge, and this is the best I could do, but it was still such a sweet memory of the trip to have had.
Where to Get Ice Cream:
Wrapped up in excitement, we ended up spending a lot more time dolphin spotting than anticipated, which is why we skipped the dining part of the pier. I had really wanted to stop into Up The Creek. I’ve heard it’s a great place for local coffee, delicious ice cream, and a boutique shopping experience – which as you know, are like 3 of my favorite things in life. Based on the reviews, I’d make an effort to check this place out if you’re in Mount Plesant.
Other Stuff:
Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant has a wonderful resort-style pool area couldn’t wait to relax in. They even had live music! When we returned from Shem Creek, the plan was to order pizza and shoot a quick campaign photo that I had to get done for a brand. Well after the pizza was ordered and we were all ready, I did another glance over at the campaign guidelines only to read that it said pizza couldn’t be used in the shot. Whoops. Whatever, we were still going to have pizza by the pool!… Until it starting down pouring. So, back up to our room we went, pizza in hand, to call it a night.
The next morning, despite not being packed and knowing checkout was at 11, I was determined that I had to do some relaxing in the luxurious palm tree-lined oasis area while staying there! I went for a quick run on a fancy treadmill in their top-notch health and fitness center, grabbed a cup of coffee, and spent 45 glorious minutes soaking up the sun in an in-pool lounge chair. Running out of time, I frantically packed up my overflowing suitcase and loaded everything in the car before we headed off to do what I had been anticipating the most about the trip – explore downtown Charleston!
