The past is still alive in Charleston. Located about a 30-minute drive from the downtown streets of South Carolina’s largest city lies Johns Island, which is home to a very storied tree that is beloved by locals.
Called the Angel Oak, it is believed to be around 400 years old. It had already stood for tens of years when Charleston was founded in 1670. As it grew taller, the oak stood through the American Revolution, the founding of the state in 1788, the start of the Civil War at nearby Fort Sumter, and the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-20th century.
History is everywhere in Charleston. Walk down its streets lined by historic buildings and you will be stepping on the same cobblestones that multiple generations passed over. But with tradition also comes the modern. It is a city full of world-class cultural attractions, restaurants and hotels — golf courses, too. Here is how to experience the best Charleston has to offer.
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Where to experience the past
Downtown’s Marion Square is where you will find several monuments related to the Revolutionary War, including one commemorating the British’s 1780 seizure of the city. The wartime blockade prevented goods from entering or leaving Charleston and its harbour.
The city is also home to fabulous estates, like Middleton Place, a museum with one of the oldest landscaped gardens that was once home to Arthur Middleton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the Heyward-Washington House, the home of another signer, Thomas Heyward Jr., who also hosted President George Washington on a visit in 1791.
Central to Charleston’s story is its harbour, where visitors might still see a historic tall ship alongside modern navy vessels plying its waters. The mouth of the harbour is protected on either side by military forts, Moultrie in the north and Sumter in the south. It was the latter, built on an island to protect the city during the War of 1812, where the first shots that started the Civil War were fired in 1861. Both fortifications are open to visitors so you can learn more about their history. And while Fort Sumter might have played a more dramatic role, Fort Moultrie is where Edgar Alan Poe wrote his short story, “The Goldbug,” in the 1840s.
One of the best ways to experience the past is on a guided walking tour of its cobbled streets. Bulldog Tours is one option. Its insightful journeys take visitors through the city’s vibrant neighbourhoods and historic sites, with excursions specific to the Charleston’s military past and African-American history and heritage.
Go shopping for sweetgrass baskets at the Charleston City Market.
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What to see and do
One of the great southern cities, Charleston is home to several cultural institutions, including the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, which is located within the School of the Arts at the College of Charleston. The gallery features 3,200 square feet of exhibition space used to showcase works by established and emerging artists.
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After, head to downtown Charleston for a tour of Museum Mile, a collection of 27 sites that help tell the cultural — and historic — story of the city. Among the stops are the six museums (including The Charleston Museum and The Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry), five nationally significant historic houses, a Revolutionary War powder magazine and the Old Slave Mart Museum, as well as several public buildings and historic houses of worship (Charleston is known as The Holy City for welcoming all religious faiths).
Spend time exploring Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, which features several naval and maritime exhibits, including the USS Yorktown. The aircraft carrier was commissioned in 1943 and played a significant role during the Second World War. Patriot Point is also home to a destroyer and a submarine.
Continue the maritime theme at the South Carolina Aquarium, which is home to the two-story, 385,000-gallon Great Ocean Tank, full of sharks and other ocean creatures, and the touch tank with its hermit crabs and sea urchins. The aquarium also houses a 4-D movie theater and the Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery that helps rehabilitate sick and injured sea turtles so they can be released into the wild.
Golf fans will want to make the 50-minute drive southwest of Charleston to Kiawah Island. Designed by greens architect Pete Dye, its 18-hole Ocean Course played host to the 1991 Ryder Cup and both the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships. Kiawah is also home to Tom Fazio’s Osprey Point, Jack Nicklaus’ Turtle Point, Tom Fazio’s Osprey Point and the Oak Point course. For more great golf options in and around Charleston, visit SouthCarolinaGolf.ca.
Where to rest your head
Whether you prefer checking into a five-star hotel, a relaxing resort, inviting bed and breakfast or inn, or simply rent your own getaway home, Charleston is full of amazing options to pick from. Those who are in the Charleston area for golf will appreciate the course-adjacent rentals available through Kiawah Island Real Estate, or stay in a room or suite at Sanctuary, an oceanfront hotel with outdoor pools, fitness centre and spa.
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In Charleston, the unique offerings include Wentworth Mansion, a 21-room boutique stay located in a stately home built in the late 1800s and decked out in Italian crystal chandeliers and hand-carved marble fireplaces. Its amenities include the Circa 1886 Restaurant and the Spa at Wentworth Mansion. Another popular luxury boutique offering is Planters Inn, which features 64 rooms and suites in a mid-19th-century heritage building.
Other hotels in the city include the more than 435 rooms and suites Belmond Charleston Place downtown, where guests are welcomed by a bronze statue of galloping horses, The Lindy Renaissance Charleston Hotel with its private balconies and terraces, and the Zero George Street Hotel, which is in an 1804 building and features complimentary bikes for guests and a private courtyard.
Enjoy fresh seafood at The Darlin Oyster Bar.
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Where to whet your appetite
South Carolina is renowned for its rich agricultural ingredients and seafood, meaning Charleston is full of great farm- and boat-to-table restaurants. Basic Kitchen is known for using local ingredients, wild-caught seafood and sustainably raised meat in is seasonal menus, while FIG (it stands for Food is Good) and James Beard award winner Husk highlight only the best from the Lowcountry.
Be sure to also sample some of the Charleston area’s local libations — from wine and spirits to craft brews. Enjoy unique wine made from muscadine grapes grown on nearby Wadmalaw Island while Firefly Distillery in North Charleston makes more than 25 varieties of spirits, from bourbon to vodka. Beer lovers will enjoy the unique and flavourful suds created at local micro-breweries that include Holy City Brewing, Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company and Munkle Brewing Company.
