The history of Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the most diverse of any community in the United States. It covers hundreds of years beginning in 1670 through modern times. Charleston was the leading city in the South from the colonial era down to the Civil War. It grew wealthy through the export of rice and cotton, and it was home for many wealthy merchants and landowners.
The city was shattered during the Civil War, but became a major naval base in World War II. In recent decades, tourism and service industries have led the economy to a new level of prosperity.
Charleston is especially fun to visit with kids. The weather is almost always perfect, it’s easy to get around, and it’s incredibly welcoming to families. The beach is minutes from downtown so it’s a wonderful place to visit if you want a few days of relaxed beach time mixed in with a historical city vacation.
For starters, do yourself a favor and peruse the Explore Charleston website before visiting. There is so much to see in this area that it will behoove you to know what your options are and make sure you have enough time to see everything. When we got there, we went straight to the visitor’s center so we could pick up maps and get suggestions from the local employees. There have been lots of changes due to Covid 19 so it’s good to consult with the friendly staff at the center. They can give you alternate suggestions to any changes that have been made to tourist sites.
A definite must see is Fort Sumter National Monument at Charleston Harbor.
Jump on a ferry and get a tour of Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. The 30-minute boat ride from the Charleston peninsula brings you to the island fort, where there are giant cannons to check out, historic structures to discover, and a fortification to explore. This is a great way to contextualize the history of this grand city in a fun way. Who doesn’t love a ferry ride?!
The Charleston City Market is the ideal place to grab a quick snack or meal and some locally made souvenirs. It’s a bit different due to Covid 19 but you can still walk around and shop safely. This is also where you can see an array of sweetgrass baskets. With more than 50 resident Gullah artisans, the Charleston City Market is the very epicenter of sweetgrass basketry, one of the nation’s oldest and most beautiful handicrafts of African origin.
For more than 300 years, people in Charleston have been weaving baskets using locally-harvested bulrush, a strong yet supple marshgrass that thrives in the sandy soil of Lowcountry. Originally used as winnowing fans to separate the rice seed from its chaff, sweetgrass baskets are regarded among the nation’s most prized cultural souvenirs.
A Charleston must is a visit to Patriots Point. Across Charleston Harbor at the base of the Ravenel Bridge, kids can explore retired historic naval warships, including the U.S.S. Yorktown, a huge aircraft carrier that played a role in WWII and Vietnam and also recovered the Apollo 8 astronauts. Climb into fighter planes, take a tour to see what life on board was like in wartime, and experience a flight simulator.
One of the fun things to do when visiting Charleston is take a guided carriage tour. The vibe of the city meshes perfectly with a horse drawn carriage tour. Several companies offer guided tours of the historic downtown district. Most of the tours last around an hour and during the tour you will learn about the history, architecture, and people of Charleston. Kids and adults alike will love this unique way to see and learn about the city.
No trip to Charleston is complete without a walk down Rainbow Row, which refers to the row of pastel-colored historic homes located on East Bay Street, just along the Battery. As one of Charleston’s most iconic sites, you can visit this area any time and see people taking pictures of these stunning houses.
The barrier islands surrounding Charleston house some of the loveliest and cleanest beaches you’ll ever see, and they’re worth visiting any time of year. The closest public beaches are on the Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island, both about a 20-minute drive from downtown. Isle of Palms is an easy day trip, with clean public restrooms and changing facilities. Sullivan’s Island has a more relaxed vibe with small-town charm. And exclusive Kiawah Island, about 30 minutes away, also offers unspoiled beaches and luxury resort options.
The Grand Bohemian in downtown Charleston is an ideal hotel especially if you’re traveling with multiple generations like us. It opened in 2015 and, from the outside, is an inconspicuous boutique hotel in the heart of the historic district.
The inside is fabulous as it’s part of the Kessler Collection, which joined Marriott’s Autograph Collection in 2010. A pink chandelier hangs in the lobby as the welcome desk glows molten yellow. Fun and brilliant artwork overflows but don’t let that discourage you from bringing children as it’s very child friendly!
The rooms are super spacious, have comfortable beds and grey marble walk-in showers which was key for us as I had a leg injury and needed the extra space. We also got a connecting room with my parents which is always ideal when traveling with several families.
One of the best features of this hotel are the outdoor spaces! The rooftop restaurant Eleve, is gorgeous, and opens onto a cool rooftop deck where you can have your breakfast, lunch, or dinner and relax in fantastical, gargantuan, chairs!
If you have sitters, a sommelier-staffed wine tasting room is an exclusive perk to this hotel. They have multiple wine varietals available to sample through pay-by-the-pour technology. It’s fabulous and super unique! They also have a wine blending room which allows guests to experiment with their own creations for custom-labeled bottles to take home if you’ve always wanted to be Mondavi but don’t have a vineyard!
My tweens favorite part was the chandeliers hanging in the garden off the hotel’s dedicated art gallery. Who could ask for anything more?
Warm, charming, and packed with history, Charleston, South Carolina, regularly tops the lists of America’s most visit-worthy cities. Not only is it a stunning city architecturally, it also has grand parks, beautiful beaches, amazing food and a flourishing cultural scene.
