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Itinerary for a Charleston Overview

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Posted by Your Guide on May 10, 2006 5:17 PM

On the day of your arrival, you will probably fly into the Charleston airport. After your arrival, head straight for the historic downtown area. To get your group in the spirit of all that is historic Charleston, introduce yourselves to the city by taking a horse-drawn carriage ride through the South of Broad and North of Broad neighborhoods. After your ride, you should go on-foot to visit the City Market, the Battery and White Point Gardens. If time permits, spend the rest of your day touring old homes such as the Nathaniel Russell House or the Heyward-Washington House. Check into your hotel and enjoy a nice dinner in the historic district.

Spend the second day of your trip exploring the old plantations in West Ashley. Some popular plantations to visit are Middleton Place, Drayton Hall or Magnolia Gardens. Try to have lunch at the restaurant in the Inn at Middleton Place for a culinary treat. Take your time strolling through the well-landscaped gardens and then return to the historic district for dinner that evening. See if you are lucky enough to catch a performance at the historic Dock Street Theater to finish your night.

If you are lucky enough to have the time, spend Day Three shopping around on Lower King Street where you can find wonderful antiques, browse through unique specialty shops as well as national name brand stores and original handmade jewelry stores. Choose from one of the delicious restaurants for lunch and head back to Broad Street to spend the afternoon looking through the historic churches and their graveyards. You may be surprised by some of the famous tombstones of famous politicians, generals and soldiers.

Spend Day Four at Aquarium Wharf enjoying all that the area has to offer. Aquarium Wharf overlooks the Charleston Harbor and houses an aquarium, IMAX Theater, Fort Sumter tours, cruises, and dining and shopping choices. You may want to start out at the South Carolina Aquarium which is the largest aquarium in the state. Then take the ferry to visit the Fort Sumter National Monument which is the site of the first shots fired in the Civil War. The Maritime Center on the Wharf offers boat tours for you see more of Charleston’s waterfront and animal life.

Visit Patriot’s Point Naval and Maritime Museum to see Naval ships, aircraft carriers and other military artifacts on Day Five. From here, head to Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island to see a famous battle site from the Revolutionary War. While in the area, drive through the Old Village neighborhood to see one of the country’s first established neighborhoods where several historic houses are still standing.

If Day Six falls on a weekend, you should take time to see the U.S.S. Hunley on display at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center. The tours are only offered on weekends since engineers are still working on the Hunley during the week. The Hunley is famous for attacking the U.S.S. Housatonic during the Civil War and becoming the first submarine in world history to sink another ship. Remarkably, on the way back from its mission, the Hunley mysteriously disappeared. It was found and raised from the sea in 2000 where it is still being studied.



Next Page: Walking and Guided Tours of Charleston

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