Garden City, SC to Charleston, SC is 86 miles and takes about 2 hours via US 17 Business, with a fuel budget near $13 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within South Carolina, connecting two points in the Southeast region. Expect a mix of highway and surface roads, making it a straightforward trip. With only a 2-hour estimated drive time, this route is easily manageable for a single day, offering a convenient way to get from point A to point B.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Midpoint
42.9 miles from Garden City, SC
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 1h 1m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
North Fraser Street
56 mi
1h 14m
US 17 Business
24.5 mi
35m
North Highway 17
2.4 mi
3m
East Bay Street
0.8 mi
1m
Meeting Street
0.7 mi
1m
Morrison Drive
0.5 mi
1m
Calhoun Street
0.3 mi
<1m
Garden Lake Drive
0.2 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
North Fraser Street
— 56 mi, about 1h 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Garden City, SC and Charleston, SC.
1
Start on Hidden Lakes Drive
268 ft·17 sec·Hidden Lakes Drive
2
Turn left onto Garden Lake Drive
0.2 mi·56 sec·Garden Lake Drive
3
At end of road, turn right onto US 17 Business
25 mi·35 min·US 17 Business
4
Turn left onto US 17
56 mi·1 hr 14 min·North Fraser Street
Use the straight lane.
5
Continue on US 17
2.4 mi·3 min·North Highway 17
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi·43 sec
Toward Morrison Drive, East Bay StreetUse the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Turn left onto US 52 Bus
0.5 mi·1 min·Morrison Drive
8
Turn straight onto East Bay Street
0.8 mi·1 min·East Bay Street
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
9
Turn right onto Calhoun Street
0.3 mi·42 sec·Calhoun Street
10
Turn left onto S-10-107
0.7 mi·1 min·Meeting Street
Use the left lane.
11
Turn left onto Broad Street
40 ft·1 sec·Broad Street
12
Arrive at destination
Broad Street
Trip Plan
Given the short 2-hour drive, you have a lot of flexibility with when you depart. Leaving in the morning allows you to arrive in Charleston with plenty of daylight for any afternoon plans. The estimated fuel cost of $13 suggests you won't need to make many stops for gas, but it's always wise to fill up before you leave Garden City. Since the drive is so short, you can easily complete it in one day without feeling rushed. Keep an eye on local traffic patterns as you enter the Charleston area, especially if you're traveling during peak commute times.
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
You may only need one short stretch break if traffic stays light.
The halfway point lands around 42.9 miles from Garden City, SC, or about 1h 1m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 56 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 19 miles or 28m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 42.9 miles or 1h 1m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 1h 40m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Charleston, SC than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Garden City, SC so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Garden City, SC
This is one driving day of about 85.9 miles and 2h.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 19 miles from Garden City, SC.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
The longest stretch is on North Fraser Street for about 56 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 9
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 85.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|Garden Lake Drive
Turn left onto Garden Lake Drive
Navigation decision point
5
0.3 mi into trip|~1m in|US 17 Business
At end of road, turn right onto US 17 Business
Navigation decision point
5
24.8 mi into trip|~37m in|US 17 / North Fraser Street
Turn left onto US 17 / North Fraser Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
7
83.3 mi into trip|~1h 54m in
Take the exit toward Morrison Drive, East Bay Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Morrison Drive, East Bay Street
6
85.1 mi into trip|~1h 58m in|S-10-107 / Meeting Street
Turn left onto S-10-107 / Meeting Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$13.20 one way
$26.39 round trip
$3.90/gal25.4 MPG avg30 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.28
$14.46
$28.92
premium
$4.64
$15.69
$31.37
diesel
$5.40
$18.27
$36.54
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$13
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$38–$63
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 30.1 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $9 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
25.8
0
$9.02
$4.12
Efficient EV
21.5
0
$7.52
$3.44
EV Truck/SUV
34.4
0
$12.03
$5.50
Gas CO2
30 kg
EV CO2
10 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Forecast as of Apr 25, 2026
Origin
Garden City, SC
Afternoon
in Garden City on Saturday
Local time
12:57 PM
EDT
Current temp
63°F
Mostly Clear
SW 9 mph0% chanceLive forecast
Destination
Charleston, SC
Afternoon
in Charleston on Saturday
Local time
12:57 PM
EDT
Current temp
64°F
Mostly Clear
SW 5 to 8 mph1% chanceLive forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
1 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
2h on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
National Historical Park
Two forts stand at the entrance of Charleston Harbor. Patriots inside a palmetto log fort, later named Fort Moultrie, defeated the Royal Navy in 1776. As Charleston blazed a path towards secession to...
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This route features a 31% highway share, meaning you'll spend a good portion of the drive on faster roads. The longest continuous stretch on a single road is 56 miles on North Fraser Street. Expect the transition from highway to surface roads to occur as you approach your destination. You’ll notice the landscape change from more open cruising to a more developed environment with increased traffic as you get closer to Charleston.
31% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 56 mi on North Fraser Street.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Garden Lake Drive.
Driving Effort4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 2h drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Garden Lake Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (US 17 Business): Navigation decision point; at 24.8 miles (US 17 / North Fraser Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Charleston is the largest and oldest city in the state of South Carolina in the United States of America. Its historic downtown is on a peninsula formed by two rivers, the Ashley and the Cooper, flowing into the Atlantic, and protected from the open ocean by surrounding islands. Charleston was captured in the American Civil War without much property damage, so the historic part of town has buildings that are hundreds of years old. The current downtown skyline, with practically no tall buildings due to the city's height restriction ordinance, is dominated by church steeples and the stunning Arthur Ravenel cable-stay bridge over the Cooper River. The city is a major port on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and a popular destination for domestic and international tourists.
Top landmarks
•Fort Sumter — fort in Charleston, South Carolina
•College of Charleston — liberal arts college in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
•Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church — church in Charleston, South Carolina
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 56 miles on North Fraser Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Garden Lake Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (US 17 Business): Navigation decision point; at 24.8 miles (US 17 / North Fraser Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Charleston, SC before heading back.
