Charleston, SC: A southern belle of a city

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Charleston, SC: A southern belle of a city
May 23, 2009
Mattie Vukmir
Examiner.com

I love Charleston, SC. My first visit took place when I was about 6 when my family decided to take a vacation to Pawley’s Island, SC. My next and most recent visit was about 5 years ago when my father’s side of my family decided to vacation on the Isle of Palms. Despite the time gap between now and my last visit, I still vividly remember the beauty of Charleston. The colorful homes, huge mansions, perfect streets and alleys, and the many flower gardens and historical buildings and locations make Charleston an excellent stop whether you’re just on your way to the beach or if you want to visit a new city.

Charleston was founded originally on the west bank of the Ashley River in 1670. However, now the city is located at the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper River where it moved to in 1680 and is now home to around 118,492 residents. It is known as The Holy City due to the vast number of churches dotting its skyline and covering the streets. Charleston is the only US city with a French Huguenot Church, and doesn’t stop there with its religious tolerance. Churches from different religions are a plenty in this city, adding even more beauty to the already majestic city. Walking along the cobblestone streets and seeing the picturesque homes and piers, I can see why it is one of the top artist destinations by AericanStyle Magazine.

This city has become a major tourist destination known for its churches, and numerous parks and gardens which are home to a large number of historical monuments from the revolutionary and the civil wars. The easiest way to see all that the city has to offer is to take a walking tour, either guided or self guided (Or if you’re interested, there are many tours by horse-drawn carriage). When I was there, my family and I did a self guided tour during the day with one of our trusty guidebooks, and at night a few of my cousins and I took a Haunted Charleston tour where we visited different haunted mansions, hotels and dungeons located around the city and heard their chilling tales.

Many different companies offer different walking tours depending on where your interests lie. You can choose a history and homes tour which will take you to different important historical sites and mansions located around the city or maybe, for those civil war lovers, a civil war tour would be perfect for you. Guided tours range between about $18.50 and $22.00 depending on what type of tour you’re interested in. I’ve included some links below for different prominent guided tour companies in Charleston.

Whether you are going on a guided tour or a self guided tour, I definitely recommend visiting Battery Park. It is a several acre park full or fountains, flower gardens, weaponry and cannons used during the civil war (which are kid and family friendly for climbing and capturing pictures!) and Spanish moss laden oak trees. You can also walk out along the pier/gazebo and relax on one of the numbers porch swings while taking in a view of Fort Sumter. I would also recommend checking out the city market which is open 365 days a year during normal business hours. Here you can browse around and shop at the different vendors which sell almost anything you can imagine including hand woven reed baskets which are woven right before your very eyes.

Other sites around the Charleston area are the Charleston Aquarium, the Audubon Swamp Garden - where Wes Craven filmed the 1982 flick The Swamp Thing), Fort Sumter, The Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge – the longest cabled stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere, the Old Exchange and Customs House, and many beautiful beaches located between a 12 and 20-30 minutes drive from Charleston.

Charleston is a beautiful city and I definitely recommend taking a vacation to either the city or the beaches surrounding the city and hitting it up for a day trip. The winters are normally mild with some rain and a very small chance of snow and the summers are hot and humid with a heavier rain season. Keep in mind when visiting the south that Hurricane season starts in the summer and lasts until the early/later fall. Charleston is home to the Charleston International Airport. Tickets out of Pittsburgh are relatively inexpensive and range between $170-$600 between June and August depending on the airline and the dates you are planning on leaving as with any other trip. September through October/November tickets range between $170 and $220. When following I-77 the road trip between Pittsburgh and Charleston takes approximately 10 ½ hours taking you through the mountains of West Virginia and inland of North Carolina. Taking I-95 takes a little over 12 hours which takes you around DC and just off the cost of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.

A trip to Charleston at some point in your life is definitely worth it. I’m not a hot whether person, but am in love with this amazing city! Go and check it out for yourself and don’t forget to relax on a nearby beach!