Plantations, museums, formal gardens, churches, and military sites tell Charleston's story of bygone days. Take a trolley to Waterfront Park or walk the Historic District from the Visitor Center. Majestic colonial and antebellum homes and churches are set along tree-lined, brick-paved streets. Honeysuckle and jasmine scent the air, and at night, wrought-iron lamps illuminate these landmarks. Topical walking tours focus on the Civil War, beaches, even ghosts.
Are you shoppers? Then head for the Old City Market shops. There you may overhear gullah, a lilting, African-American dialect, spoken. In a bazaar-like atmosphere, handmade sweetgrass baskets and other local crafts are sold.
Upscale modern landmarks include an outpost of Saks Fifth Avenue and the posh Charleston Place Hotel. The annual Spoleto Festival USA, which takes place in late spring, showcases today's most creative music, dance, theater, and visual artists. Piccolo Spoleto, held simultaneously, presents local and regional arts informally in parks, churches, and even on the beach.
Charleston Museum, the oldest in America, provides visitors with a context for the surrounding landmarks. Some precede America's founding by 100 years; others remind us of the war that nearly divided a nation.
The American Military Museum contains uniforms and artifacts dating from the Revolutionary War. Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant is the world's largest naval and maritime museum. There four historic vessels-including the aircraft carrier Yorktown-are berthed, and visitors can board them.
Built on a man-made island, Fort Sumter is where the Civil War began. Initially occupied by Union forces, this fortress was bombarded by Confederate troops until the Yankee general surrendered-and it became a powerful symbol of Southern resistance. To get to Fort Sumter National Monument, take a scenic boat ride from Patriots Point or the Municipal Marina.
Head north from Charleston to view some of the Old South's most lush and lovely settings. On the National Register of HistoricPlaces, Magnolia Plantation (accessible by car or boat ride from the city marina) portrays Early American life in an ancestral home. Surrounded by 50 acres of lawn and gardens, the Plantation includes one of the largest collections of azaleas and camellias anywhere, a topiary garden, biblical garden, and even a tropical garden.
Nearby Middleton Place, a restored plantation begun in 1741, encompasses America's oldest landscaped gardens. Graceful and symmetrical terraced hillsides slope down to the banks of the Ashley River. On the grounds, visitors can see demonstrations of early crafts.
If you stay for lunch in the restaurant, don't pass up the chance to taste a scrumptious Lowcountry dish: Frogmore stew (made with shrimp, hot sausage, potatoes, and corn), she-crab soup, and oyster pie are among the savory local dishes.
