Lowcountry Love: Charleston's food scene

With winter behind us, it’s time to venture out and enjoy exploring a new destination. Which makes the first week of April the perfect opportunity for a spring getaway to Charleston. There, you can take in the Volvo Car Open—the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America—and savor all the charm and flavor this southern city has to offer.

If meals are a key part of your travel itineraries, you’re going to love spending time eating your way through Charleston’s piping hot food scene. In fact, you may need to eat more than three meals a day to cover it all.

For a night to remember, plan ahead and get a dinner reservation at Husk, located in a 19th-century mansion downtown. Chef Sean Brock has earned ardent fans for his devotion to Southern cuisines and ingredients, and earned accolades for honoring Lowcountry traditions in such a deliciously fresh manner.

Seafood tops most visitors’ culinary to-do lists in Charleston, where you can find everything from down-home crab shacks to chic oyster bars. Two of the more modern options include which does a mean fried chicken as well as fried fish and freshly shucked oysters—best enjoyed with a crisp beverage on the patio—and The Ordinary, which has turned a 1920s bank into a lively seafood hall and oyster bar worthy of its far-reaching raves.

For dinner on Daniel Island, where the Volvo Car Open takes place, check out Sermet’s Courtyardwhich serves Mediterranean dishes from well-known local chef Sermet Aslan, in the dining room or in the courtyard beneath magnificent oak trees.

Brunch is a great way to taste the best of Charleston, with plenty of options on tap, from healthy eats (and a bloody mary) at downtown’s Basic Kitchen to soul food staples across town. For live entertainment, head to the Mills House Hotel, home of the Lowcountry Blues Brunch with Shrimp City Slim.

If you prefer to grab and go but not skimp on flavor, hit up Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit for a mouth-watering breakfast or snack. The shop is open late night (10 p.m.– 2 a.m.) on Friday and Saturday, and they ship boxes of those can’t-have-just-one biscuits nationwide.