Charleston

Overview

In Charleston, despite it being the largest city in South Carolina, with about 140,000 residents, the pace seems slower and with the horse-drawn carriages and dozens of churches, carefully tended gardens and 2,000 historic homes, you may feel you have stepped into a storybook. The two rivers that flank Charleston’s shores, the Ashley River to the west and Cooper River on the east of the peninsula have carried passengers seeking refuge from the French Hugenots in the late 1600s to the survivors of America’s Civil War. 

The pleasantly walkable neighbourhoods of Upper King, the Market area and the College of Charleston offer pre-Revolutionary era buildings and opulent homes as well as the Greek-Revival Charleston Museum which dates back to 1773 and showcases the entirety of Charleston’s long history through hundreds of thousands of fascinating artefacts. 

The Joe Riley Waterfront Park is the spot to reawaken your inner child by settling into one of the front porch swings overlooking Charleston Harbor. Water activities such as kayaking, paddle-boarding, sailing or coastal expeditions reveal panoramic views of Charleston Harbor. Locally sourced Southern cuisine with an influx of the many cultures over the decades who have made Charleston their home makes for memorable meals like Lowcountry boils and peanut butter pie. Bluegrass music swings at many an evening bar, where elegant people sip on lime fizzes and mint julips in this proud and majestic Southern belle of a city.