Once upon a time there was a land near the Cooper River in South Carolina, where people wore seersucker and said hello to everyone as they walked down the street…. Wait, that’s Charleston, SC today; what it used to be was a trade area, a port, a Civil War battle area, and a cultural epicenter of the southeast. Chucktown (don’t buy the t-shirt) is still that today, and it’s history, beaches, architecture, food, and local art draw many tourists and visitors to it every year. As for history, the Morris Island lighthouse (and nature sanctuary), Ft. Sumpter, the Hunley submarine and the USS Yorktown can fill up a historic tour itinerary, but it’s worth taking in King Street and Meeting Street for more historical sites, like the Slave Market and Customs House, along with good restaurants, souvenier-type stuff and the kitschy old market; check out Tommy Condon’s watermark that shows the height of the flooding of Hurricane Hugo. As for other bars, the Blind Tiger and the Silver Dollar are great bets for a good time. Get all old South and visit the Citadel or the Confederate Museum, if you’re in the mood, but the Charles Towne Landing Historical Park works for every visitor. If you’re heading to the beach, Folly Beach on James Island is low-key and favored by the younger crowd, including class-cutting College of Charleston (CofC) and Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) students – check out Melvin’s Burgers. More expensive lodgings (and thus a quieter area of town) can be found at the Isle of Palms. Strolling aimlessly through Charleston results in checking out its beautiful architecture – Rainbow Row is a popular spot due to the multi-colored antebellum homes, and the Battery area shows how gorgeous million dollar beach-front property can be – check out the house with the stone pigs guarding the gate; that’d be the founder of supermarket chain Piggly Wiggly’s home. Nature-seekers can enjoy a leisurely promenade along the Charleston Waterfront Park, which affords great views of the Ravenell Bridge (or the Cooper River Bridge, but everyone in Charleston knows that name refers to the old rickety bridge that the Ravenell replaced in 2005). As for eats, Kickin’ Chicken and the renowned Cosmic Dog are surefire bets for fun, and locals go to Bowen’s Island for good seafood. There’s a great deal of art museums and antique stores in Charleston, but the Piccolo Spoleto festival is unmissable for art lovers. Enjoy the plough mud, friendly people, and un-ending array of live oaks with hanging moss – just avoid going during the peak of summer, unless you really like your summer heat level to be over 95 and humid; ya’ll have a good time!
Dual-written by Juror #14 (who once lived in Charleston) & Admin of TBJ:: Click here to see juror photos
Filed under: North America | Tagged: Battery, Blind Tiger, Charles Towne Landing, Charleston, Citadel, Civil War, College of Charleston, Confederate Museum, Cooper River, Cooper River Bridge, Cosmic Dowg, croakies, Customs House, Folly Beach, Folly Island, fresh fish, friendly folk, Ft. Sumpter, hanging moss, historic, Hunley, Hurricane Hugo, Isle of Palms, juror #14, Kickin Chicken, King Street, live oak, market, Meeting Street, Melvin's Burgers, Morris Island, Morris Island lighthouse, MUSC, National Park, park, Piccolo Spoleto, Piggly Wiggly, plough mud, Rainbow Row, Ravenell Bridge, SC, seersucker, Silver Dollar, Slave Market, South Carolina, Tommy Condon's, USS Yorktown, walking | Leave a Comment »
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