Charleston: The Sights

Well…as you know, I didn’t visit Charleston for the sights. I mean, let’s be honest, I visit MOST places for the food. Not every city is Paris, you know? Only some offer the best of both worlds.

When asked what I was going to do in Charleston, I honestly didn’t know beyond eating meals. But even though sightseeing wasn’t “on the menu” per se, Charleston still had a lot to offer! Here’s what we did:

Charleston City Market

The long, multi-stalled city market is the city center. Don’t quote me on that, I’m bad at geography. However, it did feel like we kept landing there. Although Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit is housed here, this market is less a food hall (whomp, whomp) and more a place to buy local artisan goods and souvenirs. Personally, I found more to my taste at the farmer’s market than at the city market, but it’s a mainstay of Charleston AND you can get really good biscuits there.

Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter is very…fort-y. It’s historically notable because the first important battle to take place there signified the beginning of the Civil War. Having a historically-minded fiance, we of course made the boat trip out there and perused the museum and the view from the top. Was it my thing? Not really, but let’s be honest, Jen and I have visited our fair share of forts overseas too because it’s just a thing you do when you’re taking in the history of a place you’ve never visited before.

The Battery

With its random (but now on trend!) pineapple fountain, the Battery is a really pretty part of Charleston. We ended up at the Battery a couple times, one day taking an early morning run there along the water. I’m definitely partial to cities with waterfronts and Charleston is no exception. Charleston’s richest residents live along the Battery as well, some in the antebellum homes that line the promenade. It’s an ideal place for a jog or a run if you’re visiting Charleston because on one side, your view is the water, and on the other, a taste of Southern architecture.

Rainbow Row

A short walk from the battery is Rainbow Row, one of the most photographed spots in Charleston. Rainbow Row is made up of 13 houses painted different pastel colors. Wikipedia tells me there are a number of theories about why the houses are painted the colors they are, and these stories have to do with drunk sailors and slave shopping, so I didn’t really delve any deeper than that.

Farmers Market

Finding the Charleston farmers market was born out of a slow morning after a late night out. Our hotel was off Marion Square, a gorgeous green park, and while I was getting ready in the morning, Scott ran out to grab us some coffee. When he came back, he told me there was a great farmers market that I would love, and love it I did. Only in Charleston for a long weekend and a weekend spent dining out at that,

Charleston Tea Plantation

Since the word “plantation” makes me uneasy, I confirmed that the Charleston Tea Plantation was not actually a pre-Civil War plantation before we went. I don’t really like the idea of supporting plantation tourism or whatever you would call it. Apparently though, all throughout the world, the word for a tea farm is indeed “plantation,” so I guess I can get off my liberal high horse EVEN THOUGH I maintain using the word “plantation” is a bit loaded in a place like South Carolina. But I digress. The Charleston Tea Plantation is in fact a lovely place located on Wadmalaw Island. It is the only tea plantation in the United States in fact; I guess the oppressive heat of South Carolina is good for something after all. It reminded me of a less capitalist Hershey Park; we went on a free trolley tour and sampled some teas. Scott and I both love tea, and he stocked up on some good ones.

Firefly and Deep Water Vineyard

Wadmalaw is also home to the Firefly Distillery, which shares its space with Deep Water Vineyard. Yes — that Firefly — the sweet tea vodka that brings you straight back to those years right after college. We happened to be there during a wine festival, where we watched Lucille Ball impersonators stomp grapes. A moonshine tasting was had as well as a wine tasting. Basically, between the tea plantation and the distillery/vineyard, we spent most of the day on a liquid diet.

Free Tours by Foot

On our last morning before brunch, we met up with Free Tours by Foot, which was (as you might have guessed) an extremely affordable treat. Although we had already passed through some of the sights on the tour like the Battery, the City Market, and the fountain, we had a super knowledgable, super quippy guide giving us context and background. We learned about some of the distinct architecture of Charleston’s (MANY) churches, most notably the French Huguenot church, the Old Slave Mart, and the Dock Street Theater. And since it was Sunday morning, we got to watch extremely rich, extremely old Southerners (including a du Pont) in their native habitat, right outside of church, decked out in that sweet, sweet seersucker. Quite a contrast from Saturday night, when we couldn’t walk a block without slamming into yet another bachelorette party.

Have you been to Charleston? What were your favorite things to do and see?

-Staci