If you are not paying attention as you head south on Highway 17 into Mount Pleasant and Charleston, South Carolina, you might somehow miss Jack's Cosmic Dogs. But step on the brake, because this unobtrusive, yellow beach shack dishes up some of the best hot dogs you have ever had and is likely to be hopping at most hours of the day. Step inside amongst the funky retro signs and you will quickly have a hard time making a decision between favorites like the Cosmic Dog- with blue cheese slaw and sweet potato mustard and the Neutron Dog with mango peppa ketchup and jalapeno slaw.

Save room for their classic frozen custard, and your love of Jack's Cosmic Dogs will be truly solidified. For an extra dose of recommendation, check out the celebrity pictures on Jack's Cosmic Dogs website! You will see that Bill Clinton and The Food Channel's Alton Brown agree that this restaurant is special.

Plus, grab some homemade sweet potato mustard to take home as a lowcountry souvenir. It will fit right into the sweetgrass baskets you can buy on the side of Highway 17. These grass baskets have been a staple on this stretch of highway leading from Mount Pleasant to Charleston for years, and feature traditional West African techniques.

Despite the massive development Mount Pleasant has seen in recent years, Jack's Cosmic Dogs keeps a firm foothold amongst the basket weavers, helping to make Mount Pleasant more of a must-see destination than simply a brief stopping point between Myrtle Beach and Charleston.

If you want to explore Mount Pleasant a bit more, check out Shem Creek and The Old Village, where you will find beautiful homes, lively shops, busy shrimp boats, coastal breezes and plenty of lowcountry flavor.

If you are dying to see the ocean, cross the Intracoastal waterway onto Sullivan's Island. You may have to wait for the bridge to open as sailboats drift by, but this island just south of Isle of Palms, is the place to take off your shoes and feel the sand in your toes.