Travel guide

Charleston

Antebellum charm on the South Carolina coast

🗓️ Best time: March–May, September–November💰 Mid-Range · ~$150/day📍 United States

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About Charleston

A perfectly preserved Colonial-era port — pastel Rainbow Row, horse-drawn carriages on cobblestone, and the South's best restaurant scene per capita.

⭐ Things to do in Charleston

Rainbow Row walkMagnolia PlantationFort Sumter ferryCharleston City MarketBattery & White Point GardenSullivan's IslandAngel Oak Tree (1,500 years old)Husk restaurant (book months ahead)

🍽️ Where to eat in Charleston

Real, top-rated restaurants — tap to see hours, reviews and menus.

Poogan's Porch

★ 4.1 (5,101) · Southern · Breakfast & Brunch

Hyman's Seafood

★ 4 (4,072) · Seafood · Cocktail Bars

Fleet Landing Restaurant & Raw Bar

★ 4.2 (3,784) · Seafood · American

$$$

Husk

★ 4 (3,547) · American · Seafood

$$$

Magnolias

★ 4.4 (3,382) · Southern · Wine Bars

$$$

167 Raw Oyster Bar - Charleston

★ 4.7 (3,270) · Seafood

$$$

Halls Chophouse

★ 4.7 (3,270) · Steakhouses · Seafood

Lewis Barbecue

★ 4.7 (2,443) · Barbeque · Caterers

Church and Union

★ 4.1 (2,221) · New American · Venues & Event Spaces

$$$

Slightly North of Broad

★ 4.4 (2,001) · New American · Southern

Swig & Swine

★ 4.5 (1,868) · Barbeque · Cocktail Bars

82 Queen

★ 4.1 (1,833) · Southern · Seafood

✈️ Know before you go

🚕 Getting around

Walk the historic district; DASH free shuttle; bike rentals.

💡 Local tip

Visit a plantation that confronts slavery honestly (McLeod or Magnolia's slave cabin tour) — not the romanticized ones.