Year after year, Charleston has been recognized in popular tourist magazines as one of the top 10 domestic travel destinations. It’s even been proclaimed by etiquette guru Marjabelle Young Stewart as the “most mannerly” city in America. We hope that will turn out to be your experience as well.
Here’s an overview of Charleston and the surrounding area. This chapter is arranged in the geographical order used throughout this book and offers some information that will help provide a peek at what’s here now to see and enjoy.
However varied the attractions of the Lowcountry and Greater Charleston may be, this is a place where people are drawn to, captured by, and never completely released from the clutches of history. In fact, it’s fair to say we focus more on history—a deeper, richer, more romantic history (and more of it)—than any other colonial city in America. At least, that’s the traditional and prevailing Charlestonian attitude.
Whether you’re a newcomer to the Lowcountry (and soon to be an Insider yourself) or just a visitor to this gentle land, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of history offered here and the seriousness with which Charlestonians deal with it in their daily lives.
Tourism and Charleston have a long working (if sometimes strained) relationship. Charleston and tourist management, on the other hand, are relatively recent and wary acquaintances. In other words, the sheer volume of visitors (especially during the past decade) has begun to seriously impact the fragile charm Charlestonians have stubbornly held onto for the past 200 years.
The quaint, genteel, quiet residential flavor of the 18th-century peninsular city (even with its 19th- and 20th-century scars) is by definition threatened by the economic, cultural, and environmental consequences of 4+ million tourists visiting annually. This collision of mores and economics has resulted in a very carefully planned and closely monitored tourism experience for today’s Charleston visitor. We, as the city’s guests (whether for a week or a lifetime), are very much the fortunate winners in this tug-of-war between then and now.
Because we truly care, and because it helps to preserve our city’s unique cultural identity, Charleston’s historic attractions are, for the greatest part, well organized, highly accessible, and intelligently interpreted. In short, there are delightful experiences in Charleston for visitors of all ages and all areas of interest.
Overview
In this chapter, we will begin by steering you to visitor centers and information outposts. Then we’ll take you on a written tour of the Lowcountry’s brightest and best attractions, beginning with the house museums, followed by plantations and gardens, forts, historic churches, and other museums. There is a lot to see and do here, and we hope this guide will help you plan well and miss nothing of interest to you. Unless otherwise noted, all addresses are in Charleston.
Upon first impression, visitors to Charleston are usually taken with the city’s architectural charm. Part of that fascination comes from the unspoken questions that leap to mind about Charleston’s early good times. People want to know more about how a city of such wealth and architectural sophistication did, in fact, evolve.
The next impulse many visitors have is to seek out some kind of tour to find answers to some of those questions. Understandably, people want a visual, geographic, or ethnic overview, a point of reference, some kind of perspective. But most of all, they want to hear the stories about Charleston when everything old was shiny and new, political independence was still a dream, and the name of Charles Towne was world famous as the brightest jewel in the British colonial crown.
That’s why the telling of Charleston’s story has literally become an industry. In fact, it’s so important that to become an officially licensed tour guide here, one must take a city-sponsored course (and pass very tough written and oral exams). Charlestonians, you see, care enormously that their story be told well. That’s simply because the real truth is interesting enough to make mere half-truths, downright lies (told by unscrupulous tour guides), and corny amateurism wholly unnecessary. It’s deceitful, unnecessary, and not at all Charlestonian.
Tours of the city are available in several forms. Most of the walking or riding (be that in a carriage, car, or van) tours depart from the Charleston Visitor Reception and Transportation Center on Meeting Street (simply referred to as the “visitor center” hereafter) or from the City Market area. You may also choose to meet a private guide at your inn or hotel and depart from there. Ask your hotel clerks or concierges to book your tour reservations—they have plenty of experience doing so.
Overview
Whichever tour mode you choose, you’ll have a wonderful adventure. There are many tours of Charleston offered these days—privately guided, walking, by bus or van, by carriage, and even by boat. All have merit. Included in this chapter are some of the tours currently available that we consider especially good and interesting. We’ve listed categories of tours alphabetically, so we’ll start with a little background information to help you explore Charleston’s rich African-American heritage.
For starters, know that Greater Charleston is a fabulous vacation destination. Over four million people come to the Lowcountry every year, and a majority of those visitors arrive in the form of families.
A quick glance through the Attractions chapter might give you the impression that Charleston primarily serves up nothing but history—forts, house museums, plantations, and historic sites. While this wouldn’t seem to be very kid-friendly, we’ve found that, almost without exception, Charleston’s major annual events and attractions have been designed (at least partially) with children in mind.
And don’t forget that children love to learn. Greater Charleston is a living, breathing, three-dimensional, full-color, interactive classroom for learning about America (which is really learning about ourselves). Here’s the best part: It’s a classroom with a beautiful ocean nearby, and that means beaches! Are we talkin’ fun, or what?
Let’s take stock. What have we got here? Interesting (new and old) places to go with really neat stuff to see; places where people used to live and work (and play) hundreds of years ago; ships of all types and all sizes that you can actually climb around on; and beaches close by with plenty of sand and sunburn to go around. We’ve got ball parks, game parks, and parks where you can swim. There are places to camp, rivers to explore, even new foods to taste. Ever eat a crawfish? We’ve got farms where you can pick your own strawberries and blueberries when the season is right. We’ve got something for every kid out there.
This chapter is dedicated to fun activities that children and parents can do together. Let’s get started.
Here are some day trip adventures into the very heart of the Lowcountry—great excuses to go afield in search of unusual fun and a deeper understanding of what makes this area unique.
The first is a day-long journey into a land of winding rivers offering a fascinating look at some of South Carolina’s early rice plantation history. The second will allow you to spend an afternoon discovering a real Lowcountry gem, Summerville, and all the strange twists of fate that have led to its various incarnations: railroad boomtown, international health resort haven, and azalea paradise (a title the community still proudly boasts). The third is a morning walk on the Lowcountry’s wild side—along Marrington Watchable Wildlife Trail near the town of Goose Creek in Berkeley County. A fourth day trip is a must for families with school-age children—Old Santee Canal State Park up in Moncks Corner. Children and parents alike enjoy the interactive adventures at the park, where the Lowcountry’s days of canal building and horse-drawn barges are revisited.