Charleston SC - Historic Battery, Charleston City Market, Best Restaurants

Charleston, South Carolina
Favorite Best Restaurants - Historic Area

Ft. Sumter, the scene of the opening engagement of the Civil War. After Sherman forced the evacuation of Charleston, the U.S. flag was again raised over the fort on on Apr. 14, 1865. Fort Sumter became a national monument in 1948.

Ancient moss-covered oaks near Charleston Battery

The Cooper River Bridge, also known as the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is North America's longest cable stay span, and features eight lanes of north-south traffic, including a bicycle /pedestrian lane.

Bonnie with a plate-sized Magnolia Blossom

Daughters of the Confederary building- Charleston Historic Area

White Point Gardens near the famous Battery. This large grassy area is shaded by massive moss-covered oaks and fringed with cannons, monuments, and historical statues. My friend Bonnie shows off a large Magnolia, and I'm standing near the monument. Charleston City Market/ Daughters of the Confederacy Museum. The City Market is a must to see. You'll find hundreds of vendors, Sweet Grass baskets, jewelry, art, candles, cookies and much more.(5) Memorial - USS Hobson and USS Wasp.

Shopping in Charleston
Be sure to visit the City Market in the heart of the Historic District. Here's where you'll find the famous handmade Sweetgrass Baskets (sewn with long leaf pine needles and strips of palmetto leaf) as well as a multitude of crafts, souvenirs, jewelry, art, etc. on display inside the covered Market area. You'll also find many small specialty shops and restaurants. Charleston Place is located on the first floor of the Charleston Hotel in the Historic District. If you like shopping in style, then the Shops at Charleston Place are for you. Even if you buy nothing in the many boutique shops, you'll love the polished marble floors, columns, grand staircases and mammoth chandelier. There's something here for everyone including your most discriminating Aunt Tillie!

More Good Shopping
Citadel Mall
Northwoods Mall
Millennium Music
Earth Fare - The Healthy Supermarket

You may wish to visit the Islands of Charleston. Kiawah, Isle of Palms, Seabrook, James Island and Johns Island are all an easy drive from Charleston.

Beautiful Fountain in Historic Charleston

The art of basket weaving was introduced to the Lowcountry in the 17th Century. Today, Sweet Grass basket making is centered in the Mt. Pleasant community. Basket stands along Hwy 17 North allow basket makers to compete with retail markets, establish a direct contact between themselves and their patrons and develop new shapes from traditional baskets forms and ordinary objects. Basket makers living east of the Cooper River can also be found downtown Charleston, along Market, Broad, and Meeting Streets. Charleston also has a lot of beautiful fountains to see while you're visiting Charleston!

Today's Charleston has so many things to do! Stop by the Visitors' Bureau first (linked under Charleston Local Information) or start walking. We've discovered that one one of the best ways to get acquainted with Charleston is on foot. It's not only good for your mind, it's good for your body. You can plot your own course with a map and a guide book. This is the best way to learn about the Confederate Homes and how the Civil War affected Charleston.

You could also join a guided group with Charleston Walks. Plan on about 3.5 miles to cover the Historic District. It's not strenuous, and you will be stopping often to view monuments, houses, historical markers, etc.

Charleston's Museum Mile is located along Meeting Street and runs from the Charleston Visitor Center to the Nathaniel Russell House. The Mile is easy to navigate on foot and with public transportation. You can use the DASH trolleys and CARTA buses to traverse the downtown area, travel to various sites and link with tourist buses at the Visitor Center. .

Take a Carriage Ride through Historic Charleston and the Battery, or get on the Gray Line!
Palmetto Carriage Tour - coupons on this site
Old South Carriage Company - coupons on this site
The Gray Line of Charleston offers a choice of guided mini-bus tours of the historic, charming city of Charleston, designed to give you a fun and informative look into the cityâ€™s well-preserved past.

Take a trip to Folly Beach!

Visit some of Charleston's best things to do:

South Carolina Aquarium at Charleston	Historic Charleston Foundation
Visit Fort Sumter and take a Harbor Tour	Cypress Gardens
H L Hunley (limited dates/times)	Spoleto Festival (5/28 - 6/13, 2010)
Middleton Plantation	Magnolia Plantation

Spring flowers in Charleston's Historica Area

St. Philip's Episcopal Church (1) is an historic Episcopal church. It is a National Historic Landmark, built in 1836. Between 1860 and 1865, St. Philip's steeple was targeted for shelling by the invading Union Army. One shell exploded in the churchyard during a Sunday service. St. Michael's Church (2) was built in 1751, and is the oldest church in Charleston today. It towers above other historic buildings along Broad Street in Charleston. George Washington once worshipped in this church and General Robert E. Lee worshipped in the same pew. (3) Beautiful marble steps. (4) Another shot of the Daughters of the Confederacy Museum

Charleston's Best restaurants:
You will not run out of good restaurants, no matter how many times you visit Charleston.
Here are some favorite restaurants, the ones we enjoy the most, in no particular order.
(Be sure to check the link to coupons following ths list!):

Charleston Crab House - Wonderful Southern Seafood	Tommy Condon's Restaurant and Pub - Historic Downtown
Peninsula Grill - Historic Downtown Area	Bubba Gump - Historic Downtown Area
East Bay Crab Shack - Historic Downtown Area	East Bay Crab Shack - Historic Downtown Area
Pavilion Bar & Grill - Rooftop dining!	Circa 1886 - 149 Wentworth St.
FIG - 232 Meeting Street, Downtown Area	Slightly North of Broad - Voted Best of the Year!
Hank's Seafood Restaurant - corner Hayne and Church	Cypress Lowcountry Grille - 185 E, Bay Street

Looking for Savings Coupons?
Savings locations and complete information available at Tourist Pack

The two black bolts that you see on the house above are earthquake bolts. Charleston suffered two major hurricanes in 1885 and an earthquake in 1886. During repairs, workmen inserted long iron rods through the houses and tightened them with bolts against the outside surfaces to bring the buildings back into alignment. The houses above are part of Charleston's famous Rainbow Row.

(1 and 2) Summer, 2009 fun in the free fountain (3 4 5) Old Charleston Cemetery

I'm Patricia Blackstock. My husband Wally Snider and I live in Myrtle Beach, SC, and we try to visit Charleston as often as we can, usually making it a day trip. It takes about an hour and a half to arrive to one of our favorite cities in the US. There are so many things to do in Charleston, and I hope that through this page, you will enjoy a few of our favorite places, as well as what we consider the best restaurants along with some photos of this beautiful old city of Charleston. If your plans also include a trip to Myrtle Beach, please visit the links at the bottom of this page.

Each of the pictures below will enlarge when you cleck them. Use your "back button" to return to this page.

Click the turtle above to see my photos of the Aquarium of SC in Charleston.

(1) St. Philips, (2) Wally at the Aquarium, 3. Beautiful View 4. Crepe Myrtle tree bark (5) Old cobblestone street

Patricia Blackstock | Create Your Badge

Bonnie by cannon near the Charleston Battery