Travel Guide: 48 Hours in Charleston, SC
The Northeast often hogs tourists’ attention, given its Colonial history and cobblestone streets, but nestled among the palmettos and live oaks of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Charleston’s Southern charm provides a picturesque backdrop for a quick escape from your daily grind. An antebellum boom-town where Southern hospitality came to be defined and is still going strong, Charleston has much more to offer than old plantations and postcard views (though both are worth checking out). This relatively compact little city-by-the-sea is a quick, cheap flight from most places in the US, making it a great destination for a cheeky weekend escape for history buffs and foodies alike. Read on to find out how to spend your getaway wisely.
Walk and Sightsee
We humbly submit Charleston as America’s best walking city. It’s flat, every view is a postcard waiting to happen, and while those Southern summers might leave you sweating, there’s a bar on nearly every corner where you can cool off with a sweet tea or a cold craft cocktail. There’s plenty of shopping in the downtown district near King Street, but the city’s decadent beauty lies in the mansions crowded on the peninsula’s southern tip. Grab an iced tea and get lost for a while in the warren of vine-covered Victorians, then wander back when you get hungry.
Enjoy Fine Dining
One of the city’s most notable (and delicious) fixtures is the Culinary Institute of Charleston, a world-class center for gastronomic education whose graduates have a penchant for opening award-winning restaurants nearby. So after a day spent shopping or sightseeing you can slake your hunger and thirst at a number of worthy watering holes. Start off with a southern staple at Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit on King Street, where you’ll have to decide between classic buttermilk or something more experimental (note: portions are bigger than they look). Try for a reservation at Husk (you’ll need it), where celebrity chef Sean Brock made his name, or Fig if you’re planning a month in advance. And since no trip to Charleston would be complete without some true Lowcountry cookin’, make the pilgrimage to Bertha’s Kitchen in North Charleston for your fried chicken fix.
Take a Drive
Hop on Highway 61 west out of town to experience the sprawling splendor of some of the area’s former plantations. The road winds beneath ancient, gnarled oaks (the Angel Oak is worth a stop for the photo), and this scenic drive alone is worth the price of a rental car. Stroll the gardens at Magnolia Plantation, and take a tour of Drayton Hall, a looming mansion that has been preserved exactly the way it was left by the last family members who lived there, peeling paint and all.
Grab a Cocktail
When you land back in town, casual diners should head to the Tattooed Moose, an eclectic dive with to-die-for sandwiches and awesome beers (and pinball). For a more refined beer experience, head to Edmund’s Oast, a craft brewery on the town’s outskirts with an incredible kitchen known for its cured meats, where you’ll find an absurd number of beers on tap, from traditional IPAs to weirder wonders like their famous PB&J Brown Ale. If you couldn’t get a table at Husk, head next door into the crumbling colonial workshop repurposed into a rustic-chic cocktail bar. Finish the night at the Thoroughbred Club with boozy live jazz, or get an after-hours apothecary concoction at the Gin Joint.
CHEAT SHEET
Eater – 38 Essential Charleston Restaurants
Travel & Leisure - Travel Guide to Charleston, SC
US News & World Report – Things to Do in Charleston, SC