Filled with Southern charm and hospitality, intriguing history, breathtaking architecture and a mouthwatering culinary scene, Charleston is a gem of the South. Whatever travel style your family prefers, the destination will find plenty to keep you occupied.
© Charleston Area CVB, ExploreCharleston.com
History Galore
There’s no lacking a history lesson when you bring the kids to Charleston. This is particularly true when it comes to the multitude of historic homes open for tours. There’s Calhoun Mansion, the city’s largest private home and house museum; Drayton Hall, America’s oldest preserved plantation house still open to the public; the Aiken-Rhett House, Charleston’s most-intact antebellum urban complex; the Hayward-Washington House, home to a Declaration of Independence signer. Need we go on?
© Charleston Area CVB, ExploreCharleston.com
Beyond the multitude of ornate and perfectly furnished homes, there are also other (perhaps more exciting for younger travelers) sites worth a visit. Fort Sumter National Monument is located on an island in Charleston Harbor and requires a fun ferry ride to reach its entrance. The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon held American patriots prisoner during the Independence War.
Southern Shopping
No visit to the city would be complete without a trip to Charleston City Market, the cultural heart of Charleston since 1804. Beyond amazing food and drink, you’ll also find culturally significant handicrafts, such as sweetgrass baskets originally made to winnow rice on nearby plantations.
Photo: Charleston Area CVB, ExploreCharleston.com
If you need to get your luxury fix in Charleston’s downtown shopping district, the Belmond Charleston Place houses luxury boutiques on the first floor, ranging from Louis Vuitton to Gucci.
Southern Hospitality
If you’d like a (literal) taste of all that hospitality you’ve been hearing about, stop in to any of so many Charleston restaurants for a hearty helping of Lowcountry cuisine and classic Southern favorites.
One highly acclaimed downtown restaurant is Husk, from James Beard award-winner chef Sean Brock. Every ingredient is sourced from the South and the menu is filled with Southern classics new and old. Think cornmeal-dusted catfish with crispy Brussels sprouts and butter-roasted cauliflower; or heritage pork with Carolina gold rice, red peas, hominy and collard greens.
Speaking of Hominy, that’s another award-winning restaurant in the city — Hominy Grill. This is THE place for a Southern-style breakfast with the restaurant’s Charleston Nasty Biscuit (fried chicken on a biscuit covered in cheese and gravy), fried green tomatoes and shrimp and grits.
If you want something casual and don’t mind going a little out of your way, Roadside Seafood is waiting. The food truck-turned-restaurant is all about the, of course, seafood, with baskets of catfish, shrimp, oysters, clam strips, shark nuggets and frog legs. If your little travelers haven’t quite developed a taste for seafood yet, no worries — the Lil’ Skippers Menu offers kid-approved favorites, including chicken fingers.
Charleston Sailing in the Harbor. Photo: Charleston Area CVB, ExploreCharleston.com
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