Markel Family Summer Vacation–Day Four

We had big plans for summer vacation day four, our first full day in Charleston, but our plans were a bit derailed due to a bedbug incident in our hotel, which was absolutely the worst part of our trip. After freaking out, and leaving the hotel to figure out what we were going to do, we went on our scheduled ferry ride to Fort Sumter. This was a very emotional morning for me, because it was both my first time seeing the ocean, and very humbling setting foot on a place that steeped in history. Both the boat ride (where Turkey and I saw a dolphin), and the fort itself were fantastic, and we had a great time.

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After going back to the hotel and switching rooms, which ate up more of our vacation time than I would have liked, we returned to downtown Charleston to walk around in the heat, and explore the Charleston Market.

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We also walked around to admire the many, many historic buildings. Since it was so hot, we also stopped to enjoy an Italian ice from one of the many street vendors that had a cart set up along the sidewalk!

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After our walk in the heat, we headed out to our one fancy dinner at Fleet Landing. This was one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever enjoyed, and definitely lived up to the hype. We had a table right next to the windows overlooking the water, and we saw a dolphin family playing fairly close to the shore. We also got to see a storm roll in over the harbor while we were dining, which was a fun experience.

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No further walking after dinner, because it was still raining, but we did drive around a bit so I could take pictures of Rainbow Row on East Bay, as well as the gorgeous houses on South Battery, and the beautiful White Point Garden.

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After I had my fill of photos for the day, we headed back to our (new) hotel room, and went for another swim in the pool. We also indulged in another vacation pleasure…watching cable TV in our hotel room!

Tasty Tuesday–Fleet Landing, Charleston, SC

We only went out for one meal while we were on vacation in Charleston, and I got to pick the restaurant. After much research, I chose Fleet Landing on the waterfront, and it was the perfect choice!

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Located in a former Naval building, the restaurant looks pretty much exactly like you would expect it to:

The interior decor is perfect:

And the outside is gorgeous! We even saw a dolphin family playing in the water while we were there!

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We really splurged on this meal. Ryan and I both got drinks…he had the Planter’s Punch, and I had an amazing basil lemonade:

We ordered an appetizer to share…hush puppies stuffed with lobster, shrimp, leeks, and corn, with a Creole tomato sauce. They were fantastic!

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Ryan and I each ordered soup. He tried the gumbo, which he said was great, and I had the famous Charleston specialty of she-crab soup. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve eaten, and I loved that it came with a small bottle of sherry to add to the soup. I’d walk back to Charleston to eat that again!

The biscuits, which were served with a honey butter, were also delicious.

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On to the entrĂ©es. The children ordered either the fried flounder or the fried shrimp, and they all loved their meals. Ryan had the crab cake, and he loved that, too.

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I may be biased, but I really think my meal was the best. Yellowfin tuna (cooked rare) with a lemon dill shallot butter, served with greens beans and garlic mashed potatoes. It was amazing…definitely the best seafood I’ve ever had!

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Fleet Landing was the perfect place for our midwestern family to enjoy a seafood dinner on the waterfront in Charleston…I just hope that someday, we might have a chance to go back!

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