Charleston, South Carolina is a fun city for a long weekend! It’s a city filled with history and great eats. I’m excited to tell you all about my trip and give you some recommendations about things to do in Charleston for your future trip. Take a look at my top five suggestions.
St. Michael’s Church
1. Walk the city. (Take a historical walking tour by Bulldog Tours.)
Downtown Charleston is very walkable, especially if the weather is perfect. There is much to see and walking around will help you take it all in. Around every corner is something that will catch your eye. You’ll see colorful buildings, interesting businesses, historic plaques and more. While we did do a lot of walking by ourselves (a lot of walking from restaurant to restaurant!), we also enjoyed a historic downtown walking tour by Bulldog Tours. The guide was very knowledgeable about the city’s history and showed us his favorite spots. Charleston also has downtown carriage tours like Old South Carriage Tours and nighttime ghost tours. Charleston Footprints is another recommended walking tour. If you’d like to make your own tour, here are some places to check out:
- Battery Park / White Point Gardens: This waterfront area gives you great views of the water, waterfront mansions and historic sites like Fort Sumter and Castle Pickney.
- Rainbow Row: On East Bay Street, you’ll find the well-known, pastel row of houses. You can’t miss them. Just look for the tourists taking pictures across the street!
- St. Michael’s Episcopal Church: Oldest surviving religious structure in Charleston, it’s one of the most well-known and visited churches in the city.
- Four Corners of Law: You should stop by the intersection of Broad and Meeting streets to observe this unique sight. On the four corners you’ll see St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Charleston City Hall, Charleston County Courthouse, and the United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse. These buildings represent the law institutions of federal, state, local and religion.
- King Street: This is a long street filled with antique shops, bookstores, restaurants, and gift shops. Part of the street includes many chain restaurants and stores.
Rainbow Row
Palmettos near Battery Park
2. Visit a Plantation. (Visit Middleton Place.)
Charleston’s economy was built on plantations and many were made into historic sites. Many have been restored or enhanced so that they are a beautiful sight to see. Some may have historic homes on the land to show you how people lived. We visited Middleton Place, which is 30 minutes outside of downtown Charleston. The gardens are immaculate at Middleton Place and we saw many varieties of colorful flowers. We toured the Middleton House with an official guide and did a self-guided walking tour around the plantation where we saw the stables and what used to be rice fields. If you’d like to visit a plantation, I’ve read that Magnolia Plantation is also a favorite.
3. Visit Angel Oak Tree.
About 30 minutes outside of downtown Charleston stands the majestic 400-500 year old Angel Oak Tree. This tree is enormous! It’s 65 feet tall, its longest branch is 187 feet, and its circumference is 28 feet. On a Monday, the tree only had a few visitors and everyone walked around quietly admiring it.
4. Visit Fort Sumter.
On the Charleston bay, you’ll take a 30 minute ferry ride out to Fort Sumter. The ferry ride was a fun part of this experience because we were able to see the Charleston skyline, a great view of the Ravenel Bridge and sailboats. At Fort Sumter, you’ll see, hear and learn about what the fort endured during the Civil War. Plaques around the fort tell you its story and guides are available to give you more information. A small museum exhibit on top of Battery Huger, a structure built inside the fort in 1898, gives you a timeline of the fort’s history.
5. Visit a beach.
One thing we didn’t do (because of time and distance), was visit one of Charleston’s beaches. I’m sure this is a must-do when the weather is warmer! In my research, I saw that Folly Beach was a favorite spot, but you also have the options of Sullivan’s Island, Kiawah Island, Isle of Palms, and Seabrook Island.
Blue Bicycle Books
If you have time, or have particular interest, here are some other activities you may enjoy in Charleston.
- Charleston Museum: We got multiple recommendations from people in Charleston to visit this history museum.
- Mac & Murphy: This cute stationary store has a good selection of cards, notebooks, and other trinkets.
- Blue Bicycle Books: This new and used books store is on King Street. I liked their section with books about Charleston. A great Charleston souvenir would be a cookbook by one of Charleston’s chefs. Try: Heritage by Sean Brock, Callie’s Biscuits and Southern Traditions by Carrie Morey, or The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen by Matt and Ted Lee.
- Lulu Burgess: Located on King Street, this gift shop has unique Charleston gifts along with fun knick-knacks.
- Charleston City Market: We visited this market expecting something like San Francisco’s Ferry Building but it turned out to be a market filled with souvenirs. A quick walk-through took about 10 minutes.
- South Carolina Aquarium: Another recommended spot, the aquarium is along the waterfront and by Fort Sumter’s ferry.
- Candlefish: We didn’t make it here but Candlefish is a popular candle and gift shop.
Mac & Murphy
So there you have it. If I missed a sight or attraction you loved, be sure to leave me a comment below!
We were given complimentary passes to Middleton Place, Fort Sumter and the Bulldog Tour by the Charleston Visitors and Convention Bureau. Reviews were not required and my recommendation is my own opinion. I thought the three experiences enhanced our trip greatly!
Stay tuned for my recommendations for restaurants and a travel guide to help you plan your trip!
You might also like
