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Top 10 best things to do in Charleston, South Carolina

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Cobblestones and Antebellum design houses will welcome you to the town in the Sout Carolina State in the United States of America. The city is very diverse, it started as a port city around 1670 and is known for many people who owned slaves, civil war, and now, beautiful beaches and rich history. Charleston is a city of many firsts- it is the first city to have a golf course in America, the first museum and public college in the country were established here. There are very many things to learn about Charleston, and here are ten of them! if there is one thing you must do in Charleston, it should be to take a horse-carriage tour!

1. The Battery

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If you love architecture and history, The Battery is the place for you. The Battery has the best Antebellum Homes. It is the area that joins and separates, at the Southern tip of the Charleston Peninsula the sea wall and park. It stretches from the Charleston Harbor to the Charleston Peninsula! The history of this place is very rich, it dates back to the days of the Civil War, and apart from the very rich history, the Battery boasts of very beautiful scenery, the Waterfront Park is a lovely place to visit, very popular with tourists. The Williams Music Pavilion is an important part of history for Charleston and was at some point used for music events and concerts. There is also the Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse as well as the Fort Sumpter and Castle Pickney. If you are ever in need of a holiday, a visit to the home of beautiful Antebellum homes!

2. Sullivan’s Island

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Sullivan’s Island is a place for lovers of nature and water. If you want to swim, take part in water sports, then Sullivan’s Island is the place for you! The island is not very big, but it is extremely beautiful and enchanting! There is a lot to do here; you can sunbathe, or have some food on Middle Street, enjoying some history at Fort Moultrie, rent a house at the Sullivan’s House Rentals and get a variety of property to choose from. The island is only three miles from Charleston and is at the entrance of Charleston Harbor.

3. Folly Beach

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Charleston is known for its very beautiful beaches and Folly Beach is one among them. One gets a lot of beach activities to do, from paddle boarding, fishing, swimming, cycling, flying kites, kayaking, enjoying some surfboarding, playing beach games, and just relaxing! The beach is only twenty miles from Charleston is also known as The Edge of America, and has an amazing pier! There also lots of restaurants as well as bars and shops at Folly’s Business district.

4. The Aiken-Rhett House Museum

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The Aiken-Rhett House was built in 1820 by John Robinson and in the 1830s and 1850s, was expanded by William Aiken, the Governor. The house has a very strong depiction of life in the South Carolina area of the USA; from the Antebellum style of housing to the slave-owner who owned the house who was also an industrialist and politician. The house was sold to the Charleston Museum after it has been with the original family for almost a century and a half. It opened its doors to the public in 1975, and most things including the slave quarters, the kitchen, and other amenities remain as they were in the 19th century!

5. Angel Oak Tree

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In John’s Island outside of Charleston is the most magnificent tree east of the Mississippi River, sometimes just known as ‘The Tree’. This oak tree is believed to be between 400-500 years old! The tree is now owned by Charleston City, but it has come a long way. In 1717, the land where the tree sits were given to a man named Abraham Weight, one of the richest folks around. The family maintained the land for several generations and somewhere along the line, Martha Angel and Justus Angel got ownership of the same land as part of a marriage deal.

The tree covers a lot of ground; it is 65 feet tall, covers an area of 160 feet in width, and in itself has a circumference of 25 feet. The tree has gone through a lot; natural and manmade calamities yet, it still stands tall, waiting for you to explore and enjoy its beauty! You might also be lucky enough to find exciting events there which take place once so often.

6. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens 

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Welcome to one of the world’s most beautiful gardens, and the oldest public tourist site in America. The Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston is also one of the most visited gardens in the USA. The garden dates back to 1676 when the Drayton Family founded it, but it opened its doors to the first visitors in 1870. The gardens offer you the best of nature in almost 400 acres, and is located near the Ashley River! There are flowers of all kinds and this explains why most people love holding their weddings there! There is an indoor Conservatory, the Carriage House with oaks, Plantation House Veranda with really beautiful views, Audubon Swamp there are rice farms in the expansive place, there is a souvenir shop inside the main house, one can get guided tours and see some animals, birds, and plants!  

7. Middleton Place

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Middleton Place has a lot of history attached to slavery. The Middleton Family was a family that is known to have owned more than 2, 800 slaves between 1738 and 1865. The Middleton Place is a vast property with gardens designed in the 17th Century European style – has pools, immaculately done terraces. There are tours including the Middleton Place House Museum, African-American Focus Tours, as well as the carriage Tour; there is a restaurant on the property as well.

8. The Charleston Museum

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The Charleston Museum was founded in 1773 and is also home to Heyward-Washington House, and Joseph Manigault House both constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries respectively. In this museum, you get to experience and learn about history; slavery, the Civil War, and other wars, Native Americans, natural and local history as well as decorative arts history. The museum is known as America’s oldest museum and is less than 15 miles from Charleston.  

9. H. L. Hunley Submarine Museum

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This museum is very interesting. Hunley was a submarine of the Confederate States of America; which served during the civil war between 1863 and 1864, whose crew died in what was believed to be asphyxiation. The submarine, named after its chief financier Horace Hunley, was built in Alabama and was transported to South Carolina in 1863. The submarine went down thrice and in of those instances killed Hunley after which it was named. It sank in 1864 killing its eight crew, after attacking and defeating Housatonic and was found in 1995. The submarine was put together, and the remains of the crew buried; the submarine is now at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center

10. The Nathaniel Russell House Museum

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A very rich southern trader, Nathaniel Russell constructed the home in the 19th Century around 1808. The place is very well known for the elaborate interiors, a lot of which has been restored over time. The spiral staircase is one of the most notable features in the house. Like most of the places in the area, the home has a history of slavery and the slave’s work in taking care of the property. There are tours of the house, which is located at 51 Meeting Street.