The last time I visited historic Charleston, South Carolina, I was about thirteen years old. It’s hard to believe that was over 55 years ago. So, while we were on Edisto Island recently, my family and I spent a day in Charleston. I have to admit that since that first visit, historic Charleston has not changed a lot. On the other hand, getting around the city is harder and requires some planning.
Charleston Visitor Center
Seeing all of Charleston in a day is absolutely impossible. There’s just too much to see and do. Start at the Charleston Visitor Center located on Broad Street. Charleston holds the title of the friendliest city in the south, and you’ll find that friendliness at the Visitor Center. Besides offering tourist information, maps, and brochures, staff members are ready to explain it all and make suggestions. Tickets for bus tours, carriage tours, and other tours of the city are available there. Furthermore, Charleston has three free public bus lines that leave from the center and can take you into three different areas of the city. All tour buses and city buses leave from the visitor center. Leave your car there and take the bus or walk. Make sure to pick up the map for the city bus routes while you’re in the center. The cost of parking is less than $20 for a full day, and you’ll be glad your car is safe while you’re free to explore without worrying about traffic or parking downtown.
Charleston’s history is varied. The city was founded in 1670, and the city shows evidence of the people who founded the city and who fought in the Revolutionary Way. Charleston is also the place where the Union Army at Fort Sumter was first fired upon, beginning the Civil War. The styles of architecture of the historical area downtown give witness to those historical movements and more.
Meeting Street and the Battery
We chose to see the city on foot. We left the car at the Welcome Center and caught the city bus on the John Street side of the Welcome Center. We exited the bus at the Meeting Street stop. From there, it was an easy walk south on Meeting Street to the Battery on the bay. The homes we passed are beautiful and incredibly well maintained. Make sure to look through the gates at the secluded gardens as you go. Most of the houses and churches along Meeting Street have historical markers that tell when each building was built and explain each building’s significance.
Walk across the Battery park and pass the Civil War cannons. Then, cross the street to reach the water’s edge. From that point on the peninsular, you can see Fort Sumter in the middle of the harbor. To the north, you can see the USS Yorktown on Patriot’s Point.
Rainbow Row
Follow the sidewalk along the harbor on East Bay Street headed north. The harbor will stay to your right. Along the way is an incredible display of mansions and historical sites.
After three or four blocks, you’ll pass Rainbow Row, a series of row houses painted pastel colors, on the left. Rainbow Row has an interesting history. The area fell in disrepair after the Civil War. The area was saved when Dorothy Porcher Legge bought three of the row houses to renovate around 1900. She used pink from the Caribbean for the exterior color of the three. As other people began to restore the section, they also used pastel colors. The rainbow-colored houses are the top photographed location in Charleston.
Waterfront Park
One block east of Bay Street (toward the water) is the Waterfront Park, which overlooks the Charleston Harbor and the Cooper River. With beautiful views of the harbor, the park is the perfect place to sit a while before moving on. Hundreds of benches, green space, and family swings are available to enjoy. At the north end of the park is the fountain topped with a Palmetto Tree sculpture, the South Carolina logo. Beyond the fountain is a splash pad for children.
The City Market and Sweetgrass Baskets
Return to East Bay Street and continue north past the Customs Building to the City Market. The market is located at the intersection of East Bay and Market Streets and is housed in a series of buildings. The market has unique shops and gifts, including jewelry, clothes, and other fun items. My attention was drawn to the handmade sweetgrass baskets. The skill of making the baskets has been handed down for generations, beginning with Africans from the Windward or Rice Coast of West Africa. Depending on the size of the basket and the complexity of the design, each basket takes 40-60 hours to create.
Deciding what to do
The opportunities available in Charleston are endless. Ideas for spending more time in Charleston include:
- Visit the beautiful gardens not far outside the city. Both Magnolia Plantation and Middleton Place Gardens are pristine, historic gardens. Magnolia Plantation also has an Audubon Swamp and attracts many different species of birds. Middleton Place Garden’s roots can be traced to 1741. It is one of the oldest gardens in America.
- Visit Mount Pleasant. You can fish off the pier, tour the USS Yorktown, or visit Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. You can also explore Boone Hall Plantation and learn about Gullah history.
- Take a pirate tour and hear about the ties pirates had to Charleston between 1670 and 1720. For example, Pirate Queen Anne Bonny is believed to have lived in Charleston from the time she was 10 years old until she became a pirate. It is believed that she died of old age in Charleston.
- Spend an evening taking a ghost tour that explores some of the historic haunted historic cemeteries and haunted streets.
- Explore Charleston’s award-winning museums.
- Take a walking food tour of Charleston’s famed southern cuisine.
