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Charleston, SC: know before you go
If you know anything about South Carolina you know that Charleston is the top-visited place in the state by locals and visitors from all over the world. It was voted the best city in the US for eight years straight and even won the best city in the world title from Travel + Leisure magazine. If you have a chance to visit the southeast in the United States you have to check out Charleston. Here are some tips you should know before visiting:
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1. Charleston is more than a summer beach destination
While Charleston has incredible beaches, it also has a rich history that dates back to the early 1700s. Downtown Charleston has food tours, walking tours, horse-drawn carriages, and more.
You have to visit “Rainbow Row” where streets of beautiful colonial houses are maintained in perfect condition on the Charleston waterfront. These homes are owned by the Charleston elite who pride themselves on keeping Charlestons history alive by keeping them in pristine condition.
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2. Charleston offers world-class cuisine
From traditional southern dishes like Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit to fresh and local seafood, Charleston has attracted world-renowned chefs to its downtown food scene. The Ordinary offers the highest quality seafood in town, while Chez Nous is a French restaurant with a handwritten menu and only six options that change daily. The quickest way to connect with Charleston’s culture is through its food.
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3. Charleston is haunted, and you should take a ghost tour
Even if you aren’t a believer, by taking a local ghost tour at the Old Charleston Jail, or a walking tour at night you are able to connect with Charleston’s dark history. Charleston was the hub for the slave trade, and all of it took place at the heart of downtown at what is now the Charleston Market. Or, visit multiple graveyards where soldiers were laid to rest during the civil war.
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4. Charleston has many plantations worth visiting
Charleston is home to several plantations that are still producing crops today! The Boone Hall plantation and gardens and the McLeod plantation are the perfect places to learn more about what life in the south was like for the slaves who built the plantation and did the backbreaking work of farming cotton. The landscape is a perfect representation of the Lowcountry with the massive oak trees covered in Spanish moss as you drive onto the property.
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5. Try Southern food
New to the south? Check out what its cuisine is all about. It’s not just fried food, it’s baked into southern culture. From Black-owned businesses that make the best ‘soul food’ at Berthas Kitchen. Or eat at a restaurant where the shrimping boat is docked in the back yard at the Wreck of Richard and Charlene with a picturesque view of Lowcountry marsh on Shem Creek where boats buzz by.
Of course, we can’t forget the best shrimp and grits there are at Poogans Porch. The cuisine in Charleston has a story to tell. From slaves reconnecting with their culture through to survive imprisonment, to living off the sea through catching local fish and shrimp
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Last Updated 14 October 2021
