Charleston, South Carolina

The South's most elegant old port city: Rainbow Row, church steeples and Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began, plus oak-lined plantation avenues and Lowcountry cuisine — perennially voted one of America's best cities.

Charleston lies on the southeastern coast of South Carolina, with its historic district at the tip of a peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper rivers. Founded in 1670, it was once one of the wealthiest ports in North America, and it was here that the first shots of the American Civil War were fired. The old city preserves a wealth of 18th- and 19th-century Georgian and Federal architecture and church steeples — hence its nickname, the "Holy City" — and its Lowcountry cooking (shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, fried green tomatoes) has made it a food destination. The climate is hot and humid: Mar–May, when azaleas and wisteria bloom, is the loveliest time, and Oct–Nov is cool and pleasant; Jun–Sep is muggy with frequent thunderstorms, and Aug–Oct calls for watching out for hurricanes. The city breaks down into several areas: walking the historic peninsula — Rainbow Row, the Battery and White Point Garden, Waterfront Park, the City Market, King Street, churches and historic houses, the Old Exchange and the Old Slave Mart; the harbor — the ferry to Fort Sumter, Patriots Point and its aircraft carrier, the International African American Museum and the aquarium; the Ashley River plantation corridor — Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Middleton Place, Drayton Hall, McLeod Plantation, and Boone Hall in Mount Pleasant; and the sea islands — Sullivan's Island, Folly Beach and the Morris Island Lighthouse, the Angel Oak on Johns Island and the tea plantation on Wadmalaw. Understanding local history means confronting slavery and Gullah culture, and most plantations and museums offer dedicated interpretation. Getting there: Charleston International Airport is about 20 minutes' drive from the historic district; the old city is best explored on foot, by bike or on a carriage tour, and the free DASH trolley covers downtown; plantations and beaches require a car or a tour. Allow 3–4 days, and be sure to book popular restaurants ahead.

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