Charleston, SC Road Trips

Charles Towne, as it was first called, was established in 1670 by Anthony Ashley Cooper on the west bank of the Ashley River, Charles Towne Landing, a few miles northwest of the present downtown. By 1680, the settlement had grown and moved to its present peninsular location. Around 1690, the English colonists erected a fortification wall around the small settlement to aid in its defense. The wall sheltered the area, in the present French Quarter, from Cumberland St. south to Water St., from Meeting St. east to East Bay St. The wall was destroyed around 1720. Cobblestone lanes and one building remain from this colonial English Walled Town: the Powder Magazine, where the town's supply of gunpowder was stored. Remnants of the colonial wall were found beneath the Old Exchange Building. Luckily, Charleston was re-captured in the Civil War without much property damaged, and it was the first city in the U.S. to pass a historical preservation ordinance. Thus, much of the beautiful architecture, from early Colonial, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, and Italianate to Victorian, remains for future generations to see and enjoy. Charleston is also known as the Holy City due to the numerous church steeples, which dot the city's low-rise skyline, and the fact that it was one of the few places in the original 13 colonies to provide religious tolerance to the French Huguenots and to Jews. Charleston is in general a laid-back, but sophisticated, city and has an old-South feel, just like its neighbor, Savannah. Most people in Charleston are helpful when approached in a polite manner.

A good place to start a tour of Charleston is the Visitor Center, not far from the terminus of I-26 northwest of downtown. At the Visitor Center, a traveler can find maps and guides, tour a small museum dedicated to the history of Charleston, book sightseeing tours, and view an introductory film to Charleston ($2). All the free DASH shuttle routes serve the visitor center, so it's also a handy place to park your car and start exploring downtown. Charleston's primary attraction to visitors is its historical setting and landmarks. A list of some sites to visit includes: 1 Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting St (across the street from the Visitor Center). Open daily. Start with this museum to learn about Charleston's history. Adults $10. 2 Fort Sumter, 1214 Middle St (Sullivan's Island, 30-min ferry). 9AM-5PM. The island site of the start of the Civil War, now a National Monument. One must board a ferry for an additional fee at either Liberty Square in downtown or Patriot's Point in Mt. Pleasant. The ferry ride is about 30 minutes. Fort Sumter is in ruins, but there are markers telling you where things used to be, as well as a museum. (updated May 2018) 3 French Quarter. Between S. Market and Tradd, Meeting and the waterfront, where the English colonial Walled Town once stood. Known for its art galleries, St. Philips Church, French Huguenot Church, and historic architecture. 4 The Market. An old shopping district at the foot of Market St. where vendors still sell wares. Contrary to popular legend, the Market was never a slave exchange.

Carriage tours. Several groups operate horse-drawn carriage tours of the historical sites in the city. Most of these tours leave from stands on Market street, next to the Market itself. While reservations are not required for these tours, they are run on a first-come-first-served basis, so plan to wait during peak tourist season. Luckily, most of the tour services assign a departure time, rather than making customers wait in line, so tourists waiting for a carriage can take the opportunity to visit the Market shops. Discount coupons are available in free tourist maps and guides. Walking tours. Equally fun walking tours include guided history tours and scary ghost tours through the streets of Charleston. Because the historic downtown is relatively compact, self-guided walking tours can be found in many guidebooks. An interesting DIY walk is to do the Charleston Museum Mile along the Meeting Street corridor, which includes historic sites, historic places of worship, and related points of interest; a brochure can be found at the Visitor Center. Baseball can be seen at Riley Park where the Charleston Riverdogs, an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, play ball. Soccer fans may want to take in a Charleston Battery match at the Patriots Point Soccer Complex in Mount Pleasant. College sports fans have three options in the area. While most of the state's attention is drawn to the much more prominent programs in Clemson and Columbia, Charleston-area schools do provide a less expensive NCAA Division I experience.

Charleston is considered a great restaurant town in the Southeast U.S., especially for seafood. 1 Moe's Crosstown Tavern, 714 Rutledge Ave, ☏ +1 843-641-0469. Good bar food and great venue to watch your favorite sports team. Also offers a Sunday brunch. 2 The Mustard Seed, 1036 Chuck Dawley (Mount Pleasant), ☏ +1 843-849-0050. Has homemade bread and chips. $8–22. 3 Shuang Xi, McCall Center, 5070 International Blvd (North Charleston), ☏ +1 843-747-6147. Excellent freshly cooked Chinese food. Eat in or take out. 4 39 Rue de Jean, 39 John St, ☏ +1 843-722-8881. Refined French cafe in Upper King. Lunch and dinner served daily. Coast Bar & Grill, 39 John St, ☏ +1 843-722-8838. Good seafood in Upper King. Dinner nightly. 0. 5 Cru Café, 18 Pinckney St, ☏ +1 843-534-2434. Lunch and dinner, Tu-Sa. Small cafe in the Market Area serving upscale comfort food. 6 FIG, 232 Meeting St, ☏ +1 843-805-5900. Dinner served M-Sa after 6PM. Local contemporary bistro in the Market area. 7 Gaulart & Maliclet Fast & French, 98 Broad St (near King St.), ☏ +1 843-577-9797. Closed Sundays. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and take out). 8 Hank's Seafood Restaurant, 10 Hayne St (and Church St.), ☏ +1 843-723-3474. Good seafood in the Market area. Dinner nightly. 9 Hyman's Seafood Restaurant, 215 Meeting St, ☏ +1 843-723-6000. Excellent seafood, casual atmosphere, reasonable prices, very popular, near the Charleston Place. Lunch and dinner daily. 10 Virginia's on King, 412 King St. (at Hutson St.), ☏ +1 843-735-5800. Upscale lowcountry Southern cuisine.

Bars are not difficult to find in Charleston. Charleston has two favorite liquors of choice: FireFly Sweet Tea Vodka (produced from locally grown tea) and Grand Marnier (a French orange liquor). All downtown bars and clubs have to close by 2 AM and Charleston has an enforced open container law. 1 Blind Tiger, 36-38 Broad St, ☏ +1 843-577-0088. An old speakeasy from the Prohibition era that is a local favorite. 2 Burns Alley, 354 King St, ☏ +1 843-723-6735. Another local favorite, tucked amongst all the college bars on King Street. 3 Henry's House, 54 N Market St, ☏ +1 843-723-4363. Has a lively 40s crowd. 4 Rooftop, 19 Vendue Range (in the Vendue Inn). Atop the Vendue Inn; an excellent place to enjoy a drink outdoors. 5 The Gin Joint, 182 East Bay St, ☏ +1 843-577-6111. Pre-Prohibition style drinks made with top-shelf liquor and house-made mixers.

Charleston is serviced by many local hotels and virtually all of the major U.S. hotel chains. Expect to pay a premium for a room on Charleston's downtown peninsula, especially in the historic hotels. A vehicle is not needed - nor recommended - to explore the historic downtown. If a vehicle is accessible during the trip, one may want to hop across the rivers to West Ashley or Mount Pleasant where hotels are less expensive. Both West Ashley and Mount Pleasant are less than a five- to ten-minute drive to the downtown peninsula. Also less expensive are hotels in North Charleston, which is convenient for Charleston Airport, the Coliseum, and the Convention Center. 1 James Island County Park and Campground, 871 Riverland Drive, ☏ +1 843-795-7275, +1 843-795-4386. This park has over 600 acres, walking and biking trails, a dog park with a lake, kayak and canoe rentals, a waterpark and a 124-site RV park that is first class. There are also lovely furnished cabins with nice views of the wetlands and an area for primitive camping. It is on James Island, but is approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) from downtown Charleston and approximately 7 miles from Folly Beach. 2 Creekside Lands Inn, 2545 Savannah Hwy (off Savannah Highway (US 17) in West Ashley), ☏ +1 843-763-8885. Rooms located along the peaceful Long Branch Creek, a tidal saltwater creek, teeming with shrimp and fish. Features include a private dock reaching into the creek, outdoor pool with barbecue grill, complimentary continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi for guests. Rooms start from $49.99.

1 Charleston International Airport (CHS IATA) (located about 12 miles northwest of historic downtown). The small 2-concourse terminal is functional, with dark decor absent of any antebellum charm (unlike the lovely Savannah Airport terminal). Taxis to downtown cost about $25; shuttles arranged by Airport Ground Transportation cost about $14/person to downtown. CARTA operates a local bus service, Bus 11, to downtown every 40-60 min during the day for $2 that takes about 1 hr. CARTA also operates an express bus, XP4, to downtown every hour during the day for $3.50 and takes about 20 min. Rental cars are available at the airport terminal; Interstate 526 connects the airport with Interstate 26, which in turn terminates just north of historic downtown at U.S. 17. Charleston is nearly at the midpoint of South Carolina's Atlantic coastline. It can be easily reached by car, from the north or south, via U.S. Highway 17, which cuts across the Charleston peninsula, or from the west, via I-26, which terminates just northwest of the historic downtown at U.S. 17. The outer beltway Interstate 526 forms a loop from U.S. 17 in Mount Pleasant to U.S. 17 in West Ashley, passing the Charleston International Airport. Travelers from I-95 can reach Charleston via I-26 (Exit 86 from I-95). Amtrak has a 2 train station 10 miles north of downtown. The Palmetto stops there on its way from New York City to Savannah, as does the Silver Meteor. Going south, the Silver has an early morning arrival (around 5AM), but the northbound departure is at 9:23PM.

Outside of downtown, which is best explored on foot, Charleston is a city that is best traveled by car. Several rental car services are available at the Charleston International Airport. Some area hotels also provide transportation to and from the airport. The public transportation system in Charleston consists primarily of a fleet of buses run by the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) and privately run taxi services. The bus system is not widely used by the upper-class residents of the city, and would be rated as fair by the standards of most larger urban areas. Bus Route 11 serves the Charleston International Airport and the downtown area. The most useful service for tourists CARTA offers are the three free shuttle lines (Routes 210, 211, 213), called DASH (Downtown Area SHuttles), which carry riders around downtown and can cut down on the amount of walking you need to do. Regular fares are $2, but downtown DASH services are free of charge. Taxis are generally safe and inexpensive in Charleston but are sometimes difficult to find unless they are prearranged by calling one of the taxi services in advance or you are in the downtown area, where it is easy to flag one down. If a taxi to the airport is required, it must generally be arranged in advance. Expect at least a half-hour wait for a taxi to arrive; if staying in a hotel, hotel staff can help arrange for a taxi. Another option is to take a shuttle van from the airport - this may be cheaper.