Travel in Charleston - South Carolina

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Charleston is known for its Southern atmosphere and hospitality and its elegant charm. The streets of the Old City are paved with bricks on which horse-drawn carriages walk among preserved historical buildings full of majesty. Some of the best-preserved and most impressive estate houses in the entire U.S. are located in or near the city.

Charleston is located in South Carolina halfway between Washington D.C. and Miami on the Atlantic coast. It has over 230 sunny days.
It was established in 1670 by settlers who arrived from England but officially became a city only in 1783. In its early days, it subsisted mainly thanks to the pirates who came to it and traded their treasures, but later, in addition to being a vibrant trade city thanks to its large port (which is still considered one of the ten largest commercial ports in the U.S.), it grew and developed thanks to cotton, rice, and indigo crops. The demand for labor in agriculture led to the bringing of many slaves from Africa and later to the trade in them.

 

♥Recommended hotels in Charleston Recommended hotels in the city's historic center: The Charleston Place - A luxury historical 5-star hotel in the heart of the city with 434 rooms and suites. The hotel has two restaurants, a bar, and a spa. The hotel features two swimming pools, a jacuzzi, sauna, and fitness center. Free internet in the rooms. Hampton Inn Charleston-Historic District A 3-star hotel in a historical building with modern rooms in a central and convenient location belonging to the Hilton chain. The hotel has 170 rooms, a swimming pool, and a fitness center, and offers free breakfast and internet. Embassy Suites by Hilton Charleston Historic District A quality and central suite hotel with 153 suites, each with an equipped kitchen. Free breakfast and internet. The hotel has a swimming pool, fitness center, jacuzzi, courtyard with a garden, and a restaurant.   For car owners, it is possible to live in the northern suburbs of the city, about a fifteen-minute drive from its historical center. Highly recommended: Residence Inn by Marriott Charleston Airport A quality Marriott suite hotel with 150 spacious suites with an equipped kitchen suitable for 2-6 people. Free internet, parking, and breakfast. The hotel has a swimming pool, sports court, fitness center, and jacuzzi. North Charleston Marriott- A 3-star hotel. Features a restaurant, pool, bar, fitness center, free parking, and internet.

Book guided tours in Charleston from GetYourGuide.com:

South Carolina was the first to decide to separate from the union of the U.S. states due to the dispute with the northern states on the issue of slavery, and the signing of the separation document was in Charleston, which gave the signal for the start of the American Civil War led by Lincoln. At Fort Sumter, located on an island near Charleston Harbor, the first shot of the American Civil War was fired.

But it was not only first in the war: in Charleston, the first opera house in the U.S. was inaugurated, the first public college, and also the first museum in the country. Also, the first game of golf in the entire U.S. was played in Charleston. The city also experienced several natural disasters. The worst and most destructive were the earthquake of 1886 and Hurricane "Hugo" in 1989. But all the damages were restored, and the city was renovated according to its original building style and now constitutes a paradise for fans of architecture and buildings. Charleston is known as the "Holy City" thanks to its many churches, whose bell towers protrude from the city's low building landscape and also thanks to the fact that it was one of the few cities in the thirteen colonies that showed religious tolerance towards the French Church.

Book recommended tours in Charleston from Viator:

 

 

Charleston was also one of the first cities in the British colonies in North America that allowed Jews to practice their religious customs without restrictions.
Today Charleston is a popular and magical tourist city, a friendly city that is fun and easy to explore on foot with an atmosphere of the past, culture, gardens, and many attractions. Charleston is also known for its many recommended restaurants.
No wonder it was chosen in 2011 by a travel magazine as one of the ten most recommended cities to visit in the U.S.
The old quarter of the city borders the coastline and has a huge and vibrant indoor market famous mainly for the abundance of handmade straw baskets sold in it.

Vibrant streets, full of restaurants, jazz clubs, and galleries, are on both sides of the market. Along the coast are parks with fountains, swings, fishing piers, and pleasure boats.

A wealth of museums in impressive historical buildings are scattered among the streets of the quarter alongside well-kept residences and estates. It's fun to stroll on foot through the streets of the old city. It's also nice to join a tour in one of the dozens of horse-drawn carriages traveling through the quarter's streets, some of which are wide with giant buildings and some are very narrow alleys.

If you are interested in learning a bit more in-depth about the city and its rich past, it is recommended first of all to enter the large Charleston visitor center (address: 375 Meeting Street) and watch the 40-minute multimedia film "Forever Charleston". Between the visitor center and the Charleston market, you can ride for free on a trolley that stops at several stations along the way.

It is also worth entering the City Hall and watching on its ground floor an impressive slide show describing the history of the historical building over the years, the damage caused to it in wars and disasters, and the extensive renovations it underwent.

Guided Tours in Charleston

Walking Tours

The most recommended way to get to know Charleston better is to join a walking tour of the Old City following the city's history. There are plenty of companies that specialize in this.

♦ Ordering a guided walking tour following history in Charleston from Viator:

 Historic Charleston Guided Sightseeing Walking Tour Duration: 2 hours.

 

Pirate enthusiasts will enjoy a tour of the Charleston Pirate Tours company where you will walk with Eric the pirate and his colorful parrot in the old city and hear fascinating stories about the famous pirates who ruled the area (the most famous of all was "Blackbeard") and terrified the residents of Charleston, about their lifestyle, their laws and codes of conduct, their ships, their journeys, and even about their cooperation with the authorities and also about their bitter end.

The walking tour alongside a pirate and the parrot will make you one of the most photographed attractions in the city...

Food Tours

You would be surprised to hear that even in the gastronomic tours in the city you will learn a lot about its intriguing past and about the demographic and cultural changes that have occurred in it over the generations.

 

♦ Recommended food tour from Viator - Charleston's Historic Downtown Food Tour
Takes place near the municipal market in the historic quarter. You will taste traditional and new dishes in 2.5 hours including spicy historical details about the city.

 

In the food tours of the Charleston Culinary tours company, there are culinary tours in several neighborhoods in the city where you will eat unique and tasty dishes in the best restaurants in the city, and between the restaurants, you will walk between alleys, gardens, and buildings and hear their fascinating stories.

A tour that also has a Jewish aspect is The Upper King Street Culinary Tour on Upper King Street, which was once an immigrant quarter where many Jews also lived and where you will also visit an old Jewish cemetery between a meal in the best bakery in South Carolina to an amazing paella meal with seafood. The company also has an excellent food tour in the historical city center and a tour following the food in the market (Saturdays only).

 

 

 

Carriage Tour

♦ Guided historical carriage tour following Charleston's history:

Charleston’s Old South Carriage Historic Horse & Carriage Tour

Estate Tour

It is recommended to combine a visit to one of the giant estates near the city along the river. The most impressive of all is Magnolia Plantation, address: 3550 Ashley River Road Charleston, SC, a historical estate in the "Gone with the Wind" style where you can take a tour. The estate has lovely gardens that you can visit, swamp gardens where you can sail, a small train tour in nature, a nature center, and more.

♦ Ordering a tour in Magnolia Estate from Viator

 Magnolia Plantation Admission & Tour with Transportation from Charleston
Duration: 4.5 hours. Includes transportation from Charleston.

Travel Itinerary from Charleston to Orlando

A recommended travel itinerary along the East Coast from Charleston includes Hilton Head Island, Savannah, Amelia Island, the city of Jacksonville, the city of St. Augustine, and Orlando. This is a diverse route that combines a tour of historical cities like Charleston and St. Augustine, a visit to the cities of Savannah and Jacksonville with their beautiful promenades along the rivers, along with a vacation on the wonderful beaches of Hilton Head and Amelia Island and concludes in the city of amusements and attractions Orlando. (The links will lead you to my articles on these destinations). You can stay in Hilton Head and from there go on a trip to Savannah, and stay later in Amelia Island and from there tour Jacksonville and on the way to Orlando tour St. Augustine.

This is an example itinerary; there are other wonderful and diverse options, depending on the season and duration of the trip and personal preferences.

 

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