We woke up early in Summerville so we could take the scenic route to Charleston. Lucky for us, our hotel had a free breakfast including eggs, biscuits, waffles and coffee. After grabbing a quick bite, we took Route 61 to Charleston in order to catch a glimpse of some of the historic plantations along the way. Route 61 looks kind of like an old country road which really gave us that southern feel.

We checked in early to our hotel, which happens to be right on the water by a marina. After snapping a few pictures, we started our walk to church for Palm Sunday.

We went to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist which is a breathtaking building inside and out. The cool thing about this church, is they do offer brief tours after Saturday & Sunday masses if you want to learn more about the history of this beautiful Cathedral.

Next on the agenda was a walking tour of historic Charleston by Free Tours By Foot. Our tour guide, Diana, was super passionate about the history of the city which made the tour both educational and fun. We started near St. Phillip’s Church where we learned about the early history of the city, the historty of St. Phillip’s, & the five great fires of Charleston.

Next up on our tour was the French Huguenot Church, which is the only one in the western hemisphere.

We found the Old Exchange Building extremely interesting, since we learned it was one of the top three colonial buildings in the United States and are looking forward to checking out the inside. Rainbow Row was probably one of our favorite stops of the tour. It was interesting learning how just one person painting their house a pastel color to brighten up the street inspired the rest of the neighbors to do so as well.

The tour ended along the water at Waterfront Park. From there we were able to see Fort Sumter and the Pineapple fountain. We also learned that pineapples were stuck on the posts of merchant’s fences as a sign to their friends that they were finally home and wanted to receive guests which is how pineapples came to be known as a symbol of hospitality and welcome.

With the tour ending around 3, we opted for a late lunch at The Craftsmen Tap House. Their delicious food paired with local craft brews really hit the spot after all of the walking we did.

Our original plan was to go on a daytime harbor tour. However, with Monday’s weather calling for rain, we opted for a sunset cruise on the Pride instead. While going on a harbor cruise with a set course and tour guide would have been fun, after our busy day sightseeing, sailing around Charleston at sunset was the perfect option for us.

After our sunset cruise, we decided to grab a bite to eat before catching a shuttle back to our hotel. Since we weren’t looking for a large meal, we decided it would be a perfect chance to try out Minero, one of the suggestions we got from food blogger Jarrod from The Dixie Dish. The food was delicious and margaritas and tacos were the pefect end to our first day in Charleston.

Be sure to check back tomorrow to see how we made out touring historic homes & buildings while we eat our way through Charleston’s best restaurants. Plus keep up with us all week as we post live to instagram! Follow us @TheDailySoiree or search #SoireeGoesSouth.