Bachelorette Party Ideas: 24. Charleston

Today's bachelorette party idea comes from Ashley DeGroff (third from left) who went to Charleston, one of our favorite cities for her bachelorette party.

I went to Charleston with a group of seven girlfriends, mostly from New York City but also from Chicago and South Carolina. We chose Charleston because we wanted somewhere that would be warm enough for us to get some sun in early May, that was fairly inexpensive, and that was easy to get to from the East Coast. You can fly directly to Charleston from New York City pretty cheaply if you book early enough. The flight is only about an hour and a half, so it's easy to fly down after work or early in the morning and still get in a full day. The airport is close to downtown and really easy to get to. Our size was very manageable for the trip - I think most of the restaurants there are used to large groups, whether it's because of the college (University of Charleston) or families that vacation there. We had no problems getting dinner reservations or getting around!

I had been to Charleston many times before, but always with family. So I knew it had great restaurants and shopping and would have good weather in May. I wasn't so sure about nightlife, but figured we would make our own party if we had to! I think we were all surprised by how many other bachelorette parties we ran into while we were there!

We stayed at my parents' condo in Charleston, but there are tons of great places to stay. Charleston Place is a gorgeous hotel with a perfect location right in the middle of it all on King Street, or the Market Pavilion Hotel is a beautiful old hotel with a fantastic roof deck and a pool! There are also lots of adorable bed and breakfasts if you want to go that route. If you stay downtown, you can walk just about everywhere You can take rickshaw taxis too (often pedaled by very cute guys!) which are a great option.



We were really only in Charleston for one day and one night -- we wished we were there longer! We spent the day sunning poolside since the weather was absolutely gorgeous. My wedding was in early June and we were all looking to get a little sun and relaxation after a long New York winter! We had a little pre-bachelorette party at our place with cocktails and appetizers so I could open gifts before we went out. Then we jumped in a cab and headed to Fleet Landing for dinner. It was a fun, inexpensive restaurant with great food and a laid-back staff (who didn't mind rowdy groups of girls!) so it ended up being a great choice. Plus it was right downtown so we could walk to a number of bars afterward.

We weren't sure where to go out, so we asked the hostess at the restaurant, who gave us a couple of great recommendations. We ended up at Treo, a great bar downtown with an incredible live band. The crowd was young but not too college-y, and really fun. Lots of preppy cute guys who were more than happy to buy us drinks! It has two levels, so the band plays downstairs and there's a DJ upstairs, so there's a little bit of something for everyone. There is a back patio too for you to cool off after too much dancing! It seemed like most of the people there were locals since it was a little off the beaten path, but it was a great find.

I would absolutely recommend Charleston for a bachelorette weekend! It's convenient, affordable, and everyone there is just so nice. I'm going back for Labor Day weekend and my girlfriends are trying to plan a return trip!