Disclaimer: Our stay in Charleston, WV was a collaboration with the CVB. All opinions are my own.

Earlier this month, we took a 14 hour road trip to Myrtle Beach. As I was planning out our trip, I knew that we should make a stop around the halfway point on the way there. We had no clue how Liam was going to handle the car ride (or the girls, for that matter!), plus we thought it would be fun to explore West Virginia.

I remember stopping in Charleston when I was younger during another road trip and I thought it would be the perfect destination for our first night on the road. From Grand Rapids, it’s a 7 hour drive.

The girls have a mighty goal of visiting EVERY state capitol building before they graduate from high school. I can’t promise that it will happen, but I’m doing my best to help them! So far we’ve been to Lansing, Madison, Springfield and now Charleston, plus they went to D.C. last summer.

As you approach the city, you feel like it’s a cute little city tucked into the mountains. The downtown area is so fun to browse and shop, we were happy our hotel was within walking distance to everything.

Our Hotel

We stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton, which was right on the river and within walking distance to almost everything. With a family of 6, it can be hard to find a decent sized hotel room. This one was beyond perfect, plus the whole staff at the hotel was so helpful and friendly.

Our suite had 2 queen sized beds, plus a living area with a small counter, fridge and sink. The pull out couch was perfect for the twins to sleep on. The girls kept calling it their “apartment”. There are plenty of food options in the vicinity and parking was super easy.

Five Things to Do in Charleston

Visit Ellen’s Homemade Ice Cream

225 Capitol Street – Website

Is there anything better than ice cream after a 7 hour road trip? I think not! I had to stare at the menu for 5 minutes just to make my choice. Coconut ice cream was the BEST choice, by the way. The atmosphere in Ellen’s was so cozy, they even had a little area set up for the little ones.

Aside from homemade treats, they also have a lunch menu and coffee. Ricky had a drool-worthy grilled cheese with a black bean burger added to it. I can imagine it’s quite the place to be in the summer!

Clay Center

The Discovery Center at the Clay Center was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Each room had a different hands-on experience for the kids. My only complaint is that we didn’t have more time there.

Since the girls had extra energy to burn up from the car ride, we let them loose for almost 3 hours. The music room was Maddie’s favorite, yet Olivia couldn’t get enough of the water area. Gabby could have spent the entire time in the My Town area.

I had so many photos, I had to make it into a slide show.

Pies & Pints

222 Capitol Street – Website

By the time dinner rolled around, we were SO ready for some pizza…and a drink for the adults. It can be hard to find a family friendly atmosphere when traveling, but Pies & Pints was perfect! Hands down, you HAVE to try the Pizza Skins. I might have to recreate this recipe at home…we gobbled it up.

I had to drool over the menu for like 10 minutes, until I finally decided on the Chicken Gouda, which had a bit of a kick with some chipotle crema. Ricky’s half of the pizza was Four Cheese, with sausage added.

The kids menu was perfect and portions were huge. Since we ate a bit later than normal, Liam decided it was his bedtime and Ricky had to walk him back to the hotel. Don’t worry, I brought him leftovers for later.

Shop downtown

The downtown area has so many cute shops to browse. Be sure to check the events calendar to find out when the annual FestivAll is. They close down the streets and the city turns into a work of art.

In the warmer months, the events calendar is always packed things to do. Check out this great list of free things to do!

Visit the state capitol

The next morning, we got up bright and early to visit the state capitol building. The flowers were just starting to bloom and it was such a beautiful area. The girls wanted to check out all of the surrounding statues, as well.

We could have spent at least 2 more days in Charleston…in fact, we ended up stopping back on the way home.

For more travel information for the area, be sure to take advantage of all of the information the Charleston CVB offers!  Here’s a great travel guide!

Have you been to Charleston? What places would you recommend?

Stay tuned for more of our Spring Break road trip!