Charleston

Charleston sits on a peninsula where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers meet and run out into the Atlantic. It was one of the major ports of colonial America, and the old center still feels like it. Church steeples rise over streets of pastel row houses, wrought iron gates and shady piazzas. Palmetto trees and live oaks give the whole place a soft, southern look. The history here includes the grim story of the slave trade as well as the grand houses, and good museums now tell both sides. The historic district is compact, flat and made for walking, which is a large part of its charm.

Start on foot. Walk the Battery and White Point Garden, then follow the lanes to Rainbow Row. The Charleston City Market is a long covered arcade of stalls, and King Street is the main shopping street. Several historic houses are open for tours, including the Nathaniel Russell House and the Aiken-Rhett House. The Gibbes Museum of Art and the Charleston Museum are good indoor stops, and the International African American Museum sits on the harbor. Boats leave for Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began. Out of town, Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Place and Boone Hall are the best known of the old rice and cotton estates, and the Angel Oak is a huge old tree on Johns Island.

Charleston is a serious food town. Lowcountry cooking is built on seafood, rice and local produce, so look for shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, fried green tomatoes, oysters and Gullah Geechee dishes. Plenty of kitchens take that tradition in modern directions, and reservations help at the popular places on weekends. Upper King Street is the main strip for cocktail bars, rooftop terraces and late dinners, while the lanes below Broad Street are quieter. Sunday brunch is a local habit. For a casual evening, take a drink to the water, or cross to Folly Beach for beach bars and live music.

The peninsula is the best place to stay, because you can leave the car parked and walk to almost everything. South of Broad and the French Quarter are the most atmospheric, with inns in old houses. Upper King suits people who want restaurants and bars at the door. Mount Pleasant, across the Ravenel Bridge, has easier parking and a calmer pace. Folly Beach and the Isle of Palms are the choices for beach days. Parking on the peninsula is tight and garages fill up, so use them. Free DASH shuttles loop around downtown, and CARTA buses reach the wider area.

Spring is the best season, when the gardens bloom and the air is mild. Autumn is also pleasant and quieter. Summers are hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms, and hurricane season runs through the fall, so keep plans flexible. Winters are short and mild. Two full days cover the historic district, a harbor tour and a day trip to a plantation or the beach. Three days lets you slow down and add Fort Sumter and Sullivan's Island. Book the popular restaurants and house tours ahead of time in spring and during the Spoleto festival.

Charleston works well as a stop on a coastal route. Interstate 26 links it to Columbia and the inland route north, while US 17 runs north along the coast toward Georgetown and Myrtle Beach and south toward Beaufort and Savannah. Savannah is a comfortable drive down the coast and makes a natural pairing. Amtrak's Silver Meteor and Palmetto serve the city from North Charleston, on the New York to Florida corridor. Many travelers combine it with the Outer Banks, Hilton Head or a longer run down to Florida. Beaufort and the Sea Islands are an easy detour on the way south.