Thanks to today’s pop culture, when I think of Charleston, South Carolina I visualize bustling restaurants with affluent socialites, adorned in colorful pastels, seersucker suits and stylish loafers, and topped off with a cocktail in hand. It’s easy to see Charleston through the lens held up by pop culture today; the vapid and staunch portrayal of the old money aesthetic. And its certainly fun to enjoy this aspect of Charleston by strolling the endless high end stores on King Street and enjoying some of the five star restaurants in the city. But there is also an extensive history to Charleston. Shaped by part as a major port to the slave and tobacco trade, its hard to ignore the magnitude the affect its history has had on Charleston. As you wander historic passageways and city streets and observe Charleston’s many unique intricacies, you get a sense of the events that molded Charleston into the captivating place it is today. Strolling the Colonial Caribbean aesthetics and brightly colored historic homes framed by tall palmetto trees you’ll quickly recognize that Charleston has a truly unique feeling. affiliate sentence.
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What to Do in Charleston, South Carolina
Stroll King Street’s Historic Downtown Shopping District in Charleston
More than 300 years old, King Street is a historically and architecturally significant street in downtown Charleston, as “Charles Towne” and “King Street” was named after King Charles II of England. Until the mid 1700s, King Street served as the primary road leading in and out of the city.
Some of the best shopping in the country can be done on King Street. Perfect for walking and browsing the extensive shops and boutiques, King Street has wide pedestrian walkways and beautiful Palm Tree lined streets, against vibrant and colorful storefronts, maintaining Charleston’s Bahamian vibes. Buzzing with an eclectic mix of fashion, art, antiques, home décor, and extraordinary food, King Street is one the most vibrant and distinctive downtowns in America.
U.S. News and World Report named King Street one of the country’s “Top 10 Shopping Streets.” Anchored in the middle by the upscale Shops at Belmond Charleston Place, the iconic King Street is something to be seen and experienced if you’re in Charleston.
Explore The Charleston Market
Designated a National Historic Landmark, The Charleston Market is an incredible shopping experience, facing and beginning on Meeting Street and continues through a series of market sheds stretching for four city blocks. Established in the 1790s, and initially known as the Centre Market, it was the center for farmers to sell beef and produce. Today, the vendors sell souvenirs, shoes, gifts, jewelry, clothing, trinkets, art, paintings, food and even the unique Gullah sweetgrass baskets. I was amazed how extensive it was, I recommend checking out this unique shopping experience.
Visit Rainbow Row in Charleston, South Carolina
The series of 13 pastel painted Georgian historic homes is aptly nicknamed “Rainbow Row.” Charleston’s most iconic sights, you must stop and take photos in front of these brightly colored historic. These homes were first built around 1749. The ground floors were used as store fronts and the merchants lived upstairs. After the Civil War, the area grew to be run down, and when Dorothy Porcher Legge purchased a section of the homes in 1931, she decided to paint the homes their distinctive colors in an attempt to spruce up the area. Over time, other residents began to carry out the colorful trend for their homes as well. Today, city ordinances are in place to forever keep the pastel colors intact.
Walk Around Waterfront Park and See the Pineapple Fountain
Just a few blocks from Rainbow Row is Waterfront Park, an eight-acre park along one-half mile of the Cooper River. A beautiful tree lined path, equipped with little squares of benches for people to sit and gather together outside makes this a perfect place to sit and enjoy the waterfront views. The popular Pineapple Fountain anchors this park at Vendue Range and Concord Street. The pineapple was selected as the focal point of this fountain, as the pineapple has a deep meaning in Charleston history.
Fun Fact: Charleston and the Pineapple: Charleston was a very rich, popular port city, and as trading routes began to open between the U.S. and other countries, the people of Charleston began to experience new goods, including pineapples. However, the exotic fruit was difficult to transport and was expensive, and so it became a symbol of wealth, luxury and hospitality. Many sailors, upon returning home from journeys abroad would place a pineapple in front of their homes to alert the community that they had arrived back home from sea, welcoming them over to entertain. As you walk through the streets of Charleston, you’ll find local artwork of pineapples, companies using them in their branding, and other artistic depictions of pineapples throughout the city.
Take a Walking Tour in Charleston, South Carolina
There are a number of historic tours in Charleston, South Carolina. We did a tour through Viator, called the Historic Charleston Guided Sightseeing Walking Tour. It was two hours and took us around and into some historic locations around Charleston. Our tour guide pointed out unique details in the architecture and explained the history and purpose behind them. I also read reviews that spoke highly of the Hidden Alleyways and Historic Sights tour. If you’re interested in learning about the historical context of Charleston, you should dedicate some time to one of these guided walking tours.
Visit the Angel Oak Tree in South Carolina
If you’re able to take about a 25 minute drive from Charleston, south to Johns Island stop and see the Angel Oak Tree. At 200-300 years old, it is considered to be the oldest tree East of the Mississippi River. This tree is just spectacular, and its on the way to the Charleston Tea Garden if you’re also headed in that direction!
Take a Trolley Ride at the Charleston Tea Garden
This tea farm has a long standing history in South Carolina. The Charleston Tea Garden‘s history begins in 1888 when Dr. Charles Shepard founded the Pinehurst Tea Plantation in Summerville, South Carolina and created award winning tea until he died in 1915. After his passing, the Pinehurst Tea Plantation closed and Dr. Shepard’s tea plants grew wild for the next forty five years. In 1963 the land where Charleston Tea Garden stands now was purchased and the tea bushes were moved to the 127 acre farm located on Wadmalaw Island in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. In 2003 a partnership with the Bigelow family was made and now, the Charleston Tea Garden is owned by the Bigelow Tea Company.
Visiting the Charleston Tea Garden is a fun little afternoon outing. Be sure to sign up for the Trolley Tour of the farm, you’ll see the farm and get the history of the tea farm and learn about the tea making process. Be sure to check out the gift shop, along with cute gifts, souvenirs, you can sample a large variety of Bigelow’s hot and cold teas. Further in the gift shop, you’ll find the factory tour where you can watch the tea leaves go through their processing.
Best Places to Eat and Drink in Charleston, South Carolina
The food in Charleston is top notch and you should certainly spend some time mapping out your food picks and making reservations ahead of time if reservations are offered. Charleston is known for fish specifically, oysters and she-crab soup and if you’re a fan of this cuisine you should be sure you can snag some. Chubby Fish is a top rated restaurant with a unique concept, however it doesn’t take reservations, so you should make sure to get in line early. If fish isn’t your food of choice Southbound, a live-fire kitchen is a fantastic option. I also didn’t try it personally, but both of these restaurants came up a lot in my planning and I thought they deserved honorable mentions!.
The Vendue
The Vendue is an art hotel, equipped with a rooftop bar and restaurant with fantastic views of both the harbor and city skyline. The Vendue is perfect place to enjoy a beautiful afternoon or evening with exceptional food and drinks.
High Cotton Charleston Restaurant
We went to High Cotton for brunch although the dinner menu also looks delicious. Added bonus, this is the restaurant in the movie The Notebook when Noah peers into the restaurant and sees Ali for the first time. My dad got the chicken and waffles and I think that was my favorite of the brunch items we ordered. The she-crab soup was the item I most enjoyed here. The inside was beautiful and was a pure depiction of southern elegance.
The Mercado and Sorelle
The Mercado was the perfect place to grab a cappuccino, some authentic Italian pastries, paninis, or Sicilian-style pizza. We came here probably three times we enjoyed the coffee and pastries so much. I really wanted to try a pizza too, it looked delicious, we were able to see them making them as we enjoyed our coffees. In my family, per the Italian tradition, we make our own seven layer cookies every Christmas with a family recipe. We got some here, and it was hard to admit, but they were even better than ours. This place was a favorite of ours and if we are ever back in Charleston this will be one of the first spots we return to. Sorrelle is the main restaurant on the second floor above The Mercado, and I can’t imagine it’s anything short of perfection, judging everything we sampled downstairs. The building is also historic, with documents tracing back to its first construction around 1804.
Miller’s All Day
I loved this little diner-like spot. We came to Miller’s All Day for breakfast, and as the name suggests, they serve it all day. I suggest coming early if you can, there is a line that stacks up outside. I got the signature fried chicken biscuit sandwich which was awesome, but everything really does look amazing here. I tried my dad’s grits, they were delicious. This was the perfect little place to stop and eat a delicious meal, I’d love to go back and sample some more items.
I hope you found this post helpful. Photos and videos of this trip are already posted on my personal Instagram @amandacorrao so please follow, as well as @amanda_meets_world_ for more! If you liked this post, please comment below!
