ROAD TRIP: Top 5 Things to Do in Charleston

I always find an excuse for a road trip to Charleston when I visit my family in South Carolina. There are few places I love more than this seaside city that has a history as savory as the soul food.

Here are five reasons to fall in love with Charleston:

Historic Homes

Bridges and steeples fill the Charleston skyline. The colonial streets are lined with ghost-filled mansions wrapped in layers of porches. If those mansions could talk, they would tell tales of pirates, earthquakes and great battles.

Many of those historic homes are open to the public for tours including the 1772 Heyward-Washington House. It is named after owner Thomas Heyward, Jr., who signed the Declaration of Independence, and George Washington who briefly rented the home in 1791. The house is famous for its collection of Charleston-made furniture including the stunning Holmes Bookcase, which is considered to be the finest example of American-made colonial furniture. Other notable homes to visit include the Nathaniel Russell House Museum and Joseph Manigault House.

Savory Soul Food

There is a line outside Jestine’s Kitchen for a reason – the fried chicken is legendary. The meat and three restaurant serves up Southern favorites like mac and cheese, banana pudding and collards. Treat yourself to the pumpkin ravioli at Sermet’s Downtown – a delectable Mediterranean bistro, conveniently located in the King Street shopping district. Don’t forget to make dinner reservations at the white-table cloth Peninsula Grill, located across from the City Market, for a juicy steak or oysters. Be sure to save a little room for their famous coconut cake.

Cooper River Bridge

The icon of the Charleston skyline is the Cooper River Bridge, North America’s longest cable-stayed bridge. It opened in July 2005 to replace the aging bridge. It’s a must for any trip to the city. Be sure to walk the bridge’s 2.7-mile pedestrian and bike trail for great views of the harbor.

Rainbow Row

Stroll over to the most photographed place in Charleston—Rainbow Row, thirteen pastel-colored houses along East Bay Street. Continue walking to the Battery, the iconic defensive seawall turned promenade lined with stately antebellum mansions. The Battery offers a view of Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired in 1861, and the USS Yorktown, a WWII battleship turned museum located at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum.

Morris Island Lighthouse

There’s no shortage of beaches in Charleston. My favorite is laid-back Folly Beach. Walk to the end of the beach for a scenic view of the historic 1876 Morris Island Lighthouse, which now stands several hundred yards offshore due to erosion. To reach the lighthouse, take Center Street until it ends then turn left on the E. Ashley Avenue until it reaches a dead end. Park on the side of the road and walk down the path to the beach.

Other beach options include the swanky Isle of Palms or Sullivan’s Island, which is filled with colorful houses with quirky names.

This guide is an excerpt from the story I wrote and photographed for Birmingham Magazine.