There are many things that you can do while visiting Charleston, SC. The 12 things that I have included to do in Charleston are things that I have actually done and enjoyed doing.
I have been to Charleston, SC a couple of times. Both of those times were with my oldest daughter Maddie. She is a photographer and the name of her photography business is Madison Braun Photography.
If you need an excellent photographer, make sure to give her a call and check out her work on her website. I digress but I had to give her some pub. Maddie loves Charleston and has been there many times. So, she was the perfect person to show me what Charleston has to offer.
In this blog post, I not only share 12 things to do while in Charleston but at the end I also give you some other suggestions of things to do while visiting the city.
Some links in the post are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you use them at no additional expense to you.
Things to See or Do
1. King Street
King Street is one of the major streets that goes through Charleston. Along the street there are palm trees, light posts, and all kinds of historical buildings and churches.
The street itself is broken into three different sections. Lower King St. is the Antique District and has been voted the best place to antique shop in the U.S.
Middle King St. is the Fashion District. You will find boutique shops along with national brand stores along this part of the street. This section of the street has been named one of the 10 best shopping districts in the nation.
Upper King Street is the Design and Dining District. Here you will find some of the best interior design and home furnishing stores in the nation. You will also find some of Charleston’s best restaurants.
There are numerous events that happen along the street throughout the year, such as Charleston Fashion Week, Southeastern Wildlife Festival, and Piccolo Spoleto Festival.
They also have a Farmer’s Market in Marion Square every Saturday.Needless to say, there is a little bit of something for everyone along this street.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed the upbeat vibe of the street. I also loved the architecture of many of the older buildings.
Tips
If you want to enjoy a quieter King Street experience go in the morning. It is much less busy at that time. Even if you go just before stores start to open, it is going to be much less busy.
There are quite a number of parking garages in the King Street area. You can find parking along streets nearby but depending on what time of day that you are there it can be difficult to find a spot.
If you are staying at a hotel in the downtown area of Charleston, then it is easy to walk to King Street.
2. The Battery
The Battery is a defensive seawall and promenade. It is named for a civil-war artillery battery at the site, which stretches along the lower shores of the Charleston Peninsula where the Cooper River and Ashley River empty into the harbor.
At the southern tip of the Battery, you will have a great view of the harbor and of Fort Sumter. Along the Battery, you can also visit White Point Garden Park, Rainbow Row, and Waterfront Park.
U.S. News and World Report has the Battery rated as the number one thing to do in Charleston.
My Thoughts
This mile stretch of Charleston has so much to see and enjoy. It is probably my favorite part of the city. It is definitely worth your time to visit.
Tips
You can start your journey to explore the Battery at Waterfront Park or you can drive down to White Point Garden Park. There is parking around White Point Garden and along E Battery Street.
It is less than a mile from Waterfront Park to White Point Garden Park. So, you can’t go wrong with either of your starting points.
3. Waterfront Park
Waterfront Park is over 8 acres and is less than a mile north of the Battery. It is also a short walk from the Charleston City Market.
At the north end of the park there is a splash fountain that is idle to cool off during the summer heat . A little ways down from the splash fountain is the famous Pineapple Fountain. It is one of the most photographed places in the city.
In the park, you can sit down on benches under the trees to cool down. If you want to take in the views of the harbor, you can sit down on one of the benches to enjoy the view. There are also oversized swings in the park to sit in.
As you enjoy the view of the harbor, you can see the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and the Cooper River Bridge.
The park is also a great place to visit during the evenings. The fountains are lit up and you have great night time views of the harbor area.
My Thoughts
What I love about this park is the fact that it is located right on the water. I love being able to sit down and enjoy a nice water view. Plus, the mature oak trees throughout the park are beautiful to see.
Tips
The park is close to the downtown area. So, it is easy to park in one of the parking garages or along the street and then walk to the park.
It is easy to walk from other attractions in the downtown area to the park. The park is a great option to walk to if you need to get off your feet for a while.
The park is a great place to visit after you eat dinner. It is a short walk from one of the many great restaurants in the downtown area.
This would be a great place to bring the kids to cool off during a hot day. They have two different fountains to choose from to cool down in.
4. Charleston City Market
If you like to shop or just browse, then the Charleston City Market is going to be a place for you. The market is one of the oldest city markets in the U.S. dating back to the 1800s.
There are over 300 different vendors in the market. You can find just about anything that you want. You can find clothes, art, Christmas decorations, food, and Gullah baskets just to name a few of the things.
The market is open every day of the year except Christmas. It is so long that you have to cross the street a couple of times going from one section of the market to the next.
If you want to buy something that is made in Charleston, the stand will have a “Certified Authentic Handmade in Charleston” tile on the stand.
My Thoughts
I am really not a shopper but it was cool to see all of the different vendors as you go through the market. There is a lot of energy as you walk the market.
Tips
Charleston City Market is located in the downtown area so you can park in the parking garages or along the street. I was able to find some parking along the street this past visit. It took me a while to find it.
As with other things that I have mentioned, if you want to miss the major crowds go early in the morning. If you wait during the major part of the day, you will be moving slowly through the market because of the crowds.
If you are looking for a souvenir to take home with you the market is the perfect place to find something since there is so much to choose from in the market.
5. Horse Drawn Carriage Ride
If you want to learn more about the city of Charleston and be entertained at the same time, then doing a horse drawn carriage ride is a great option.
The first time I went to Charleston, Maddie and her husband Ben, bought me a ticket for a horse drawn carriage ride.
On the tour, the driver took us through a part of Charleston and shared about the history of the area and certain homes and buildings along the route. The tour that we took was an hour long.
There are a number of different companies that do the tours in Charleston. We did the tour with the Palmetto Carriage Works.
My Thoughts
I love history so a tour like this was something that I really enjoyed. The guy that did the tour was really informative and funny at the same time.
Tips
No matter which company you go with, they are all located in the downtown area of the city. You can park along the street or in one of the parking garages and easily walk to the one that you are using.
Most of the carriage companies offer tours in the evenings, also. This can help you beat the heat if you are going during the summer months.
Companies do offer private tours if you want to be alone with that special someone. You will pay a premium for the experience. Hey, you only live once.
There are various routes that the different companies can take in the city. It is done by a lottery system before they go out on a tour. So, you could take a carriage ride a number of times before you go the same route twice.
6. Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens
If you ever watched the movie “The Notebook”, “Days of Our Lives” or saw the mini series from the 1980s “North and South” with Patrick Swayze, then you have seen Boone Plantation.
The Boone Plantation is a 731 acre plantation that was originally established in 1681. Once you enter the plantation and you go down the drive to the house. You are greeted with the Avenue of Oaks.
Originally, there were 88 oaks that lined the drive. They are big, majestic, and are covered with spanish moss. The canopy of the trees cover the drive in a beautiful canopy.
On the property, there is a house that isn’t original to the property but was built in the 1930s. They offer a tour of the bottom floor of the house. It was informative and interesting.
There is a garden that you can walk through and has some rose bushes that are over a 100 years old.
There are 9 original slave quarters that you can go into. Each one of the quarters has a video presentation along with some plaques that you can read pertaining to slave life. They also have history talks given at the one end of the slave quarters.
At the other end of the slave quarters is a place to sit down and listen to a presentation talking about slavery and Gullah culture.
You can also go on a guided wagon tour of the whole plantation. The wagon tour wasn’t running when we went since a tropical storm had hit the day before.
There was also a dock area by the marsh where you could get some nice pictures of the water that bordered the plantation.
There is a butterfly pavilion on the grounds. Unfortunately, there was only one butterfly in the pavilion when we were there. They also offer stable tours.
If you get a little hungry, they also have a small cafe to grab a bite to eat. They have seating inside and outside of the cafe.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed the plantation very much. There was plenty to do. You could also go at your own pace. It was very sobering to think about the history of the plantation during slavery. All of the presentations were well done and were very informative.
Tips
Depending on what time of year that you are visiting, you may want to go early in the morning to try to beat the heat. It can get very hot and muggy during the summer months and early fall.
You can bring in your own water bottle if you want to make sure that you are getting plenty of liquids.
All of the things that I have mentioned that you can see and do are included with the price of admission.
If you don’t usually carry cash, I would bring a few dollars with you, since the people that give tours of the house do take tips.
They do have special things that go on at the plantation throughout the year. So, you will want to check their website before you visit.
Lastly, parking is free.
7. Angel Oak Tree
If you like to see impressive trees or are a person who loves to hug trees. You are going to need some long arms to get them around this tree. Then make sure to make a stop at Angel Oak Tree.
Angel Oak is located 12 miles north of Charleston on Johns Island. The tree is thought to be the largest oak tree alive east of the Mississippi.
Angel Oak is 65 feet high and is thought to be between 300 and 400 years old. The trunk has a circumference of 25.5 feet and is thought to shade an area of around 17,000 feet.
You can get a souvenier at the tree since they have a gift shop onsite.
My Thoughts
I don’t like to hug trees but I do love to look at trees that are majestic. The Angel Oak Tree is truly that. It is hard to believe that a tree can grow that big. It is well worth the time to make a quick stop.
Tips
There are hours to visit the tree. You will want to go to the website to see exactly when you can see the tree. The tree is open to the public every day except on holidays.
There is parking down by the tree along the dirt road that leads back to the tree. It wasn’t terribly hard to find a spot when we visited.
If you have young kids, you will want to make sure to keep an eye on them. There are some rules that need to be followed while visiting the tree and they are posted all around.
8. Harbor Tour
If you want to get a different view of Charleston then a boat tour is a good way to do that. There are a number of different boat tour companies that you can choose. There are also numerous types of tours each company offers.
Maddie and I took a tour with the Charleston Harbor Tour. The name of the tour was the Historic Charleston Harbor Tour.
The boat had seating on the top deck that was outside and on the lower deck it was inside. The boat passed many different points of interest like the Battery, Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Fort Sumter and USS Yorktown.
The captain narrated giving different facts about different sites along the way. The tour lasted 90 minutes.
There were restrooms and a small snack bar on the boat. You could buy beer and wine at the snack bar.
My Thoughts
Since there was history involved with the tour, I enjoyed it. It was also nice to see the different parts of the city from the water.
The boat turned around under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. We had gone over the bridge numerous times but seeing the bridge from the water was pretty cool.
The only complaint with the tour was the fact that there were a few long stretches where there was no narration going on.
Tips
I know that with the tour company that we used, they offer packages of different activities. For example, you can book a boat tour and a horse drawn carriage tour cheaper together versus booking them separately.
If it is a hot day and you want to feel the wind in your hair, then being on the top deck is a great place to be.
There is a parking garage that is close to where the boat launches. If you were parked in the downtown area on the street or in a garage, it isn’t that far of a walk to the boat tour launch.
9. White Point Garden
White Point Garden is a 6 acre park located at the tip of the Charleston Peninsula right across from the Battery.
The park was originally used during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars for fortification. There are numerous Civil War cannons with cannonballs located in the park.
White Point Garden has a big gazebo located in the center of the park. You will also find numerous statues and monuments throughout the park.
There are numerous paths that enter the park. Plus, the large mature oaks trees in the park supply lots of shade. The park also has numerous benches to sit down and relax.
My Thoughts
The one thing that I love about the parks in Charleston including White Point Garden is the mature oak trees throughout them. The trees in White Point Garden supply a ton of shade.
I liked the monuments, statues, gazebo, and cannons in the park, also. It was a great place to sit down after walking the Battery.
Tips
There is parking along Battery Street and there is parking around the park. I was there a couple different times and it wasn’t too difficult to find a parking place. This was during the week so it would be a different story during the weekend.
The park is a great place to bring some food and have a picnic or sit on one of the benches and eat.
If you start at Waterfront Park and walk the Battery to White Point Park, which is less than a mile, White Point Park makes for a great resting place before you head back to the downtown area.
10. Isle of Palms
The Isle of Palms is a great place to visit if you want to have a beach day after visiting Charleston. Isle of Palms is located 16 miles east of Charleston and has 7 miles of beach.
It is a great place to sunbathe, swim, windsurf, or to go sailing. There are 50 different access points to go to the beach.
The beach is well maintained and it is plenty wide to throw frisbee or do any other activities.
My Thoughts
Maddie and I went to the Isle of Palms both times we were in Charleston together. We didn’t spend a day there.
We visited for a while walking the beach, enjoying the view, and feeling the nice ocean breeze. The sun was out but my guns weren’t out.
Isle of Palms is a nice change of pace from Charleston. It is worth putting on your list of things to do no matter if you spend a day or just an hour or two there.
Tips
There is all kinds of parking as you travel down the street that runs parallel to the beach. The parking is free. You want to make sure that you are parked correctly if you don’t want to get a ticket.
There is municipal parking near the bars and restaurants. You can expect to pay when parking in those lots.
If you are looking to rent a home at the beach, there are plenty of homes in Isle of Palms to select from.
Maddie and I went to the Isle of Palms after breakfast the first time and right before dinner the second time. There weren’t that many people on the beach at those times of day.
If golfing is more your thing, you can go to the Wild Dunes Resort and play either of the two Tom Fazio designed golf courses. You don’t have to be a guest at the resort to play them.
11. Rainbow Row
One of the more iconic things to see in Charleston is Rainbow Row. Rainbow Row consists of 13 pastel colored homes located on the Battery’s East Bay Street.
The homes were built back in the 1700s and were neglected for many years. In the 1930s Dorthy and Judge Lionel Leggs bought six of the homes.
They painted the homes a pastel pink. Other homeowners painted their homes a pastel color to create Rainbow Row.
My Thoughts
The homes are kind of cool to see. Besides their color, there isn’t anything special about the homes on Rainbow Row. They have a lot of cache which makes them popular for most people who come to Charleston.
Tips
Rainbow Row is located near the downtown area. It is an easy walk from Charleston City Market, King St, and other attractions in the downtown area.
You can see Rainbow Row easily on a walk from Waterfront Park to the Battery. The homes are just a few blocks from Waterfront Park.
There will be numerous people around the homes during the middle of the day. So, you will have to be patient if you are trying to get that special shot.
12. Fort Moultrie National Historic Park
Fort Moultrie is located on Sullivan’s Island. The fort was built in 1776 and it helped keep Charleston safe from the British.during the Revolutionary War.
Fort Moultrie was also used during the Civil War. The army occupied and used the fort all the way up to 1947.
The fort has a visitors center that shows a short film and there is a small museum covering Moultrie’s History. You can tour the fort for a small fee.
My Thoughts
Since I am into history, I liked seeing Fort Moultrie. We were there on a beautiful day. It was nice seeing the fort. It has great views of the harbor that you can enjoy while you explore the fort.
Tips
The parking lot for the fort is at the visitor’s center. There is plenty of parking. You will have to cross the street to get to the fort.
The visitor’s center is worth checking out. You can take as much time as you want as you explore the fort.
Fort Moultrie isn’t as popular as Fort Sumter. So, the crowds that you have to deal with aren’t as bad. Plus, you can drive to the fort unlike Fort Sumter.
Other Things to Do
Charleston has so much to see and do. So far I have shared 12 different activities that you can do. Here are a few more things to enjoy.
Fort Sumter Admission and Self Guided Tour– You take a 30 minute ferry ride out to the fort. Once there, you will take an hour-long self guided tour. There are park rangers on site that will share stories.
Historic Charleston Guided Walking Tour– The tour goes through much of the historic district of the city. You will learn about the history of the city on this two hour tour.
Charleston City Sightseeing Bus Tour– This bus tour lasts 1.5 hours and takes you by many of the historical and iconic places in the city. It is a great way to beat the summer heat since the bus is air conditioned.
Charleston Marsh Eco Boat Cruise with Stop at Morris Lighthouse– The 2.5 tour takes you through the Lowcountry tidal creeks and marshes around Charleston. You will stop at Morris Island for an hour.
Downtown Charleston Food Tour– On this 2.5 tour, you will learn about the history of the city while tasting food from 4 different restaurants in the downtown area.
Charleston Harbor Luxury Dinner Cruise with Live Music– You will enjoy a 3 course meal while taking a 2.5 cruise in the harbor.
City Bus Tour with Charleston Museum Admission– The bus tour is a 90 minute narrated tour of some of the hot spots in the city like Rainbow Row. You also get admission into the Charleston Museum.
French Quarter Historic Charleston Walk– This tour takes you all throughout the French Quarter. There are a total of 10 stops that you will make along the way.
Magnolia Plantation Admission and Tour with Transportation from Charleston– You will be picked up from downtown Charleston and be driven to the plantation with a narrated tour.
Final Thoughts
Charleston is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the country. It is easy to see why with all that you can see and do. There is a little something for everyone when you are in the city.
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