Craig Conover on the 1 Thing First-time Visitors to Charleston Shouldn’t Miss

Craig Conover’s first big solo trip didn’t go exactly as he expected. The reality TV star and entrepreneur recently jetted off to Switzerland for his first-ever solo international getaway, thinking he’d live out his own version of “The Holiday.” Instead, he discovered the freedom that only comes from exploring a new place totally on your own. 

“As I was on this journey in this beautiful place, I didn’t realize you could have private memories of adventure. I love spending time with people, and I’ve just always believed that memories didn’t count unless they’re with someone, and I was able to work on that,” Conover told Travel + Leisure. “I had to let go of everything that I thought would happen or expected out of it, and it took a couple of days, and then you just hit this level of solitude, which was the reason to go—you can’t know something until you experience it. And it was really neat. It was kind of a bell curve where I was really getting used to being alone.” 

It’s a feeling any solo traveler can relate to. After those first few days, Conover says his perspective shifted. During his trip to the Swiss alpine village Wengen, he went snowboarding and snowshoeing, climbed a mountain, and even took a yoga class—something he has always wanted to do but says he was nervous to try. With that first solo international trip checked off and new travel memories made on his own, he’s ready to explore more of the world: “I consider myself a very spontaneous person, but it opened the door to another level of freedom, that I don’t have to worry if someone else is going to come on the trip or not.”

So what’s next on Conover’s list? He has big travel plans for 2026. “I’m doing a different bucket-list item every month: I’m going to do something philanthropic-related and an adventure.” Seeing the salmon run in Alaska, running a half marathon in Amsterdam, going hiking in Utah, and going to South America to learn to climb are all on the list. “I’m single, and I’m 37 years old. I’m like ‘Why not?’Just put it on the calendar and go.” Also on the travel wish list? A safari is at the top, followed by trips to Japan, Australia, and Hawaii. 

Of course, as a castmate on Bravo’s Southern Charm, Conover is often out and about in Charleston, South Carolina, when he’s not traveling. And he’s certainly made his mark in the Holy City, with a Sewing Down South store and By the Way, a restaurant and bar created in partnership with fellow Southern Charm castmate Austen Kroll and Uptown Hospitality Group. So what’s Conover’s ideal day in Charleston look like? It starts out in Mount Pleasant—a town just over the bridge from the Charleston peninsula—with coffee at Second State, lunch at Square Onion, and then a stop at Sewing Down South downtown followed by a golf cart ride around Charleston’s top sights. Then, it’s back to Mount Pleasant for happy hour on Shem Creek (he recommends Red’s) before ending the night at Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan’s Island. 

When people visit Charleston, Conover recommends spending one day seeing the popular sights downtown: “Do the one day downtown, and do it all.” “Go down and walk the side streets,” Conover recommends, also noting that his alma mater, The College of Charleston, is beautiful and worth a visit. He also suggests getting off the tourist track, heading out to Shem Creek or to Kiawah Island. “The drive to Kiawah is beautiful, with all the Spanish moss and the live oaks. It is fun to rent a car and just drive around.”