Charleston

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The Old South is Alive and Well in Charleston

An April 2003 trip to Charleston by chadk78

The beautiful, historic port city of Charleston is as close as you'll get to the Old South in modern times. I've been there many times and still haven't experienced all it has to offer.

  • 13 reviews

The Old South is Alive and Well in CharlestonBest of IgoUgo

Overview

The quintessential Southern city, Charleston is a treasure chest of historic sites and family activities. This city has survived wars, treacherous storms, and epidemics and is all the better for it. Fortunately for us, the city's residents had the good sense to get an early start on preserving its historic structures. As a result, just about the entire city is a historic district. In addition to its many historic sites and attractions, Charleston also has some of the best dining and shopping you will find.

Quick Tips:

The Visitors Center, housed in an old train depot, will provide you with all the information and discount coupons you could hope for. You will want to ask them about special discounts if you are planning to stay in the downtown area. You will not find a hotel under per night downtown!

Best Way To Get Around:

Charleston is not an easy city to get around in. There are many narrow, one-way streets, and parking is nearly impossible to find. I would advise parking at one of the city's parking garages and walking or taking a bus. Carriage tours may be rented at the City Market. They are a good way to get an overview of the city. Cost is about per person.

Andrew Pinckney InnBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "The Andrew Pinckney Inn"

This historic building is one of the newest hotels in downtown Charleston. Nicely decorated with antique furniture, the spacious rooms have hardwood floors. A continental breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace, which provides an impressive view of the city. Parking is provided across the street, and most downtown attractions are well within walking distance. This is one of the best hotel values I've found in downtown. Check the Charleston Visitors Center for discounts.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

Andrew Pinckney Inn
40 PINCKNEY STREET Charleston, South Carolina 29401
843-937-8800

Hyman's Seafood RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Hyman's Seafood"

This Charleston landmark, located in a historic downtown building, serves a large variety of fresh seafood. No trip to Charleston is complete without some fresh low-country seafood, and Hyman's does it best. The menu is so expansive, they have types of fish I've never heard of. The Flounder is very good. The Fried Green Tomatoes make a wonderful appetizer. This restaurant is very popular, so the wait is usually long. There is no waiting area inside the restaurant. I suggest putting in your name and checking out some of the nearby shops while you wait.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

Hyman's Seafood Restaurant
215 Meeting Street Charleston, South Carolina 29401
(843) 723-6000

Tommy Condon's Irish Pub & Seafood RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Tommy Condon's"

This is probably the best Irish pub I've been to. The atmosphere is great, and the shepherd's pie is superb. They often have live Irish music on weekends, which is loads of fun. For good food and fun, the price is very reasonable.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

Tommy Condon's Irish Pub & Seafood Restaurant
160 Church St Charleston, South Carolina 29401
+1 843 577 3818

Charleston City MarketBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Old City Market"

This market has an eclectic mix of just about anything and everything. A wide variety of souvenirs are offered here. Probably the best-known merchandise for sale at the market are the sweetgrass baskets, made on-site by local artisans, just as they have been doing for years. They have carried this gullah tradition down through the generations since their ancestors were slaves on local plantations. They are unique to this area; therefore, the price tags are not cheap. You will not find a basket for less than $30 (and that is for a very small one). There is also a variety of restaurants and shops in the more permanent buildings adjacent to the market. A Confederate museum containing artifacts and memorabilia from the War Between the States is also located on the Meeting Street end of the market.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

Charleston City Market
Meeting Street to East Bay Charleston, South Carolina

South Carolina AquariumBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

This aquarium is one of the newest attractions in Charleston. Located right on the harbor, it features several different areas which represent different regions of the state and the wildlife that lives in those regions. One thing I thought was really neat is that it doesn't just have fish; it has all types of animals who live in and around water. There is a recreation of an upcountry stream, a piedmont bog, a sandhills lake, a low-country marsh, and the ocean. The large aquarium, which represents the ocean, includes a large variety of colorful and unique fish. This is one of my favorite types of attractions--it is both fun and educational.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

South Carolina Aquarium
100 Aquarium Wharf Charleston, South Carolina 29413
(843) 720-1990

Charles Towne Landing Governor's House atBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Charles Towne Landing"

Charles Towne Landing, operated by the South Carolina State Park Service, is the site of the first English settlement in South Carolina in 1670. It features the Adventure (a replica of a 17th-century sailing vessel), a recreation of the original settlement, an archaeological site (the actual site of the original settlement), and a zoo (showcases animals which would have been found in South Carolina in 1670, such as bear, bison, bobcats, otters, alligators, etc.). A tram gives visitors a tour of the park and gives information on various points of interest. Fun for the whole family!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

Charles Towne Landing Governor's House at
1500 Olde Town Road. Charleston, South Carolina 29407
(843) 556-1072

Fort Sumter National MonumentBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Fort Sumter"

Fort Sumter is probably Charleston's best-known attraction. Events that took place here in April 1860 inaugurated what we South Carolinians know as "the war between the states". Fort Sumter sits on a man-made island (basically a big pile of rocks), so it is only accessible by boat. Tours leave from the South Carolina Aquarium or from Patriots Points. The boat trip out to the fort is very nice and provides a panoramic view of the harbor and the city. It gives a nice perspective on what invading armies from the harbor saw and why Charleston was so hard to overtake. Once you reach the fort itself, you have about 1 hour to tour the fort, check out the visitors center, or listen to a ranger-led talk. The visitors center has several exhibits and a gift shop.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

Fort Sumter National Monument
1214 Middle St Sullivan's Island, South Carolina 29482
+1 843 883 3123

Archealogical Discovery: The HunleyBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "H.L. Hunley Submarine"

The first submarine to ever sink an enemy ship has finally found a home at the old Charleston Naval Base after sitting at the bottom of the harbor for 140+ years. Built by Horace L. Hunley in New Orleans, the C.S.S. Hunley sank twice in Charleston Harbor during test runs, killing all of its crew (including Hunley). On its third time out, using a primitive type of torpedo (dynamite connected to a long spar), it sank the Housatonic (a Union warship, which was part of the Charleston Harbor blockade). Several artifacts from the Confederate submarine, as well as the submarine itself, are displayed. Tickets must be purchased in advance. They can be purchased online from the Hunley's official site. Your ticket will specify what time your reservations are for. Only a limited amount of people are allowed on each tour. During the tour, a historian will give you the Hunley's story and many details about research and preservation methods being used on the 19th-century craft. In order to keep the Hunley from decaying, it is kept in a tank filled with very cold water. Visitors observe the submarine by looking down into the tank from a platform above it. When we were there, they had re-enactors in Confederate uniforms standing guard by a memorial representing the brave men who met their death inside the Hunley. A scale model of the submarine allows you to get inside and sit down to see just how cramped those poor crew members must have been. When you approach Charleston Naval Base, you will tell the guard at the gate that you are there to see the Hunley. He will then point you in the right direction, and you follow the signs until you see the Warren Lasch Conservation Center.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

Archealogical Discovery: The Hunley
Charleston Harbor Charleston, South Carolina

Middleton PlaceBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Middleton Place Plantation"

This was the home of the Middletons, one of the low country's wealthiest and most important families of the 18th and 19th centuries. You may take a guided tour of the house and gardens. The gardens, once the site of rice fields, are magnificent in the springtime. The terraces behind the house lead all the way down to the Ashley River. Scenes from the Mel Gibson movie The Patriot were filmed here.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

Middleton Place
4300 Ashley River Road Charleston, South Carolina 29414
(843) 556-6020

The BatteryBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "The Battery/White Point Gardens"

For a spectacular view of Charleston Harbor, you must visit the Battery. Many stately old homes line the street here, and several are actually high-end bed-and-breakfasts. White Point Gardens is shaded by several large, ancient-looking live oak trees. Several pirates, including the infamous Stede Bonnett, were hanged here during colonial times. Cannons that protected the city from the British and Union armies are still in place. A statue honoring the Confederate defenders of Charleston stands proudly at the corner of White Point Gardens. You will see an abundance of squirrels here, often chase by dogs being walked by their owners. This area is a good spot for picnics. The shade of the giant oaks and the breeze from the harbor can feel like paradise on a nice day. The flowering plants found all along the sidewalks here are called oleanders. According to our guide on a carriage tour, the leaves of this plant are poisonous. During the Revolutionary War, local residents made a tea from the leaves, called Oleander Tea, and served it to British soldiers. During weekends and certain times of the day, it can be tough to find parking spaces here.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

The Battery
South of Broad Street Charleston, South Carolina

Drayton HallBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

This is the oldest plantation home still standing in the Charleston area. It is very unique in that it contains no furniture or family belongings. The guided tours here focus on the architecture of the house, which is used to tell the story of the Drayton family who called it home. A gift shop is on the grounds.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

Drayton Hall
3380 Ashley River Road Charleston, South Carolina 29414
(843) 769-2600

The Old Exchange and Provost DungeonBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

This 18th-century building is one of the most important in the history of South Carolina. It was the site of many significant events such as the South Carolina Continental Convention, in which colonists declared their independence from Britain, and the signing of the orders of secession in 1860. A large ballroom on the second floor with a big picture window is said to have been visited by George Washington in the 1790s. Many colonists were held prisoner by the British in the provost dungeon, which is, of course, located in the cellar. Guided tours are very informative and interesting.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by chadk78 on February 20, 2005

The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
122 E Bay Street Charleston, South Carolina 29401
(843) 727-2165

About the Writer

chadk78
chadk78
Blacksburg, South Carolina

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