Over the past summer, I took a trip to Charleston, South Carolina with my family. This was easily one of my favorite places in the entire country. If you love the beach, history, and great food, this is the place for you!
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For the entirety of our five-day trip, we stayed at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, located just across the bay from downtown Charleston. It features two luxurious pools, multiple bars, fire pits and a small beachfront. It’s in an ideal location and the resort’s free shuttle system makes it easy to travel back and forth from downtown.
On your first day in Charleston, I recommend simply walking around downtown and familiarizing yourself with the location. Check out the different historical houses and churches. Visit the Charleston city market, filled with local artwork, jewelry, and other handcrafted items.
Waterfront Park, also in downtown, is another beautiful location to check out. Many water taxis also dock here and it provides great views of the harbor.
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One of my favorite places in Charleston, and probably a lesser-known location, is Charleston Tea Plantation. Located about 30 minutes away from downtown in Wadamal Island, this tea plantation is the only tea plantation in all of the United States. In their gift shop, they offer a variety of hot and iced teas that you can sample for free. They also offer a free factory tour where you can learn how tea is made once it’s harvested from the farm. For $14 you can go on a trolley tour that takes you around the plantation. I found the tour and the experience as a whole very informative and interesting. Definitely check it out if you have the time!
No vacation to South Carolina would be complete without a trip to the beach. We visited the beach in Isle of Palms, approximately 20 minutes away from downtown. This beach was great because it offered a wide variety of amenities, convenient parking, and soft sand. If you go, try to get there early because it tends to get crowded on weekends.
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One of the main things to see in Charleston is a plantation. We visited Boone Hall Plantation and got to see Mitchell Tenpenny and Brett Young perform a concert. Even if you don’t check out a country concert, still go to learn about the important history and see all of the beautiful gardens and mansions.
Before leaving Charleston, be sure to check out Fort Sumter National Monument. This historical base was home to the very first battle of the Civil War but remained an active military base until the end of World War II. Here you can check out what remains of the base and learn about the history behind it.
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When you step into Fort Sumter, you are truly transported into another time era. As a history major, it was a time for me to truly geek out and appreciate what others have gone through for this country. Fort Sumter, and Charleston as a whole, was a great way to learn more about our nation’s history, as well as experience some great beaches and drink a lot of iced tea.