Stu Pennebaker is an eater, reader + outfit repeater who is new to town and here to share a newcomer guide on how to make Charleston feel like home.

I love meeting new people but I have the unfortunate tendency to occasionally make things a little awkward. So, when I moved to Charleston (3 weeks ago!), I was excited to meet new people but determined to keep embarrassing moments to a minimum.

Here are some easy things I’ve been doing to make Charleston feel like home:

Find + go to your happy place(s)

It’s hard to be grumpy at the beach or while playing with dogs. Going for a walk on Sullivan’s or heading to happy hour at dog-friendly Edmund’s Oast is a fun way to meet people who you can be 99% certain will be in a good mood.

Ball on a budget

Try all the free things. Get your library card and go to a reading, try an art walk, drool over the gorgeous houses on the Battery, visit the Halsey, people-watch at the Market, or wander around the farmers market. It’s always such a good feeling to meet someone new in an unexpected place.

New kid on the block

We only get to be new for a finite amount of time, so be sure to tell everybody. When the nice bartender says she likes your earrings, tell her you’re new in town and just got them from a cute store called The Skinny Dip downtown. When you get lost walking to dinner, tell the friendly tour guide you ask for directions that you’re new here. People love having opinions, and if you tell them you’re new, you’ll get to hear all of their feelings about the best oyster bars, bookstores and beaches. And if you’re feeling extra brave, you can say, “Wow, I’ve never heard of that place! Could you show me sometime?”

Endorphins make you happy

Elle Woods is right about a lot of things, especially this. Lots of workout studios in Charleston offer a free first class. Barre3 on King Street has fun, fast workouts + a friendly, welcoming vibe. If sweating isn’t your thing, try a chill class by the most hilarious yogi I know.

Talk to strangers online

Your parents were wrong – it’s okay to talk to strangers on the internet. BumbleBFF and Meet Up are two great resources for meeting new people who share the same interests as you, from creative writing to tennis. It felt a little weird to try making friends on the Internet until I re-watched You’ve Got Mail. Now I’m just waiting to swipe right on the Tom Hanks to my Meg Ryan.

(Coffee) Bar crawl

Is Mercantile and Mash perfect for your sign? | Photo via @mercantileandmash

Coffee shops are a great place to hang solo. Set up shop at Muddy Waters for a cup of joe + a bagel or head to Mercantile and Mash for a latte + plenty of elbow room if you have work to do. Kudu has board games to play, and Fast and French offers hot chocolate with vanilla ice cream for non-coffee drinkers.

Get in a rut

I know, you crazy party animal – between all of your new Bumble BFFs, fun workout classes + happy hours, a routine sounds like the last thing you want to fall into. But, this has been my favorite way to put names to familiar faces. I go to the same coffee shop for a pick-me-up every Monday morning, my favorite dive bar for a PBR on Thursday evenings, and the friendliest grocery store on Sunday nights to pick up a few bottles of “Two-Buck-Chuck” + chat with our local wine guy.

Lose the headphones

Walking around Charleston with headphones in is so much fun. But, having headphones in makes it clear you’re not interested in chatting. When I see someone wearing headphones, I assume they’re in the middle of a Brene Brown Ted Talk or listening to that new Harry Styles song – two very important endeavors I would never dare interrupt. Taking the airpods out every once in awhile is your ears’ way of saying, “Hello, I’m here and I would love to listen to you compliment me on my shoes and tell me the best place for ice cream.”

It takes a minimum of 21 days for anything new to even begin to feel normal, so don’t sweat it if you don’t make nineteen new friends in your first week. You’re so cute and I know you’re going to meet lots of fun, new people. That’s what my mom said to me the other day, so I thought you might like that pep talk, too.

If none of these tips pan out for you, let me know. I’ll play scrabble with you at Kudu any day of the week.