Things To Do
Get Around with Charleston Water Taxi to and from Mount Pleasant
The Charleston Water Taxi runs on a continuous loop around from 9am to 8pm, and links Charleston to Mount Pleasant. It runs between 4 points: (1) the Charleston Historic District Waterfront Park (where it stops one short block from Historic Market Street), (2) Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant (the location of the USS Yorktown and the town where Boone Hall is located), (3) Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina (also in Mount Pleasant), and the SC Aquarium Wharf back in Charleston. You can get off the boat and take as long as you wish to tour any of the local attractions. The Taxi runs every hour so you catch any of our hourly boats back to your destination. $17 All Day Pass. No reservation needed though tickets are available online in advance.
Shopping on King Street
King Street in downtown Charleston is both a shopping and dining hub. The area historic downtown features eclectic mix of fashion, art, antiques, home décor, and extraordinary food. The King Street Historic District, also known as Lower King Street, spans the peninsula lengthwise from Calhoun Street to Broad Streets. St. Philip Street and Meeting Street define the outer edges of this bustling area, and the French Quarter and Harleston Village neighborhoods flank this beloved area.
Walk Rainbow Row in Charleston
Rainbow Row is a block of 13 historic homes, most of which were built in the late 18th century during the period between the Revolutionary War and the ratification of the Constitution. At the time, East Bay Street was a bustling hub of commerce. Many of the houses were built by British and Scottish merchants of Colonial Caribbean heritage. The buildings featured storefronts on the first floor with living quarters above. By the end of the Civil War in 1865, the houses had fallen into disrepair. That section of East Bay Street became known as the slums of Charleston, and by the late-19th century, the houses were mostly abandoned. In 1931, a woman named Dorothy Porcher Legge bought a section of the homes between 99-101 East Bay Street with the intention of restoring them. In a nod to the area's Colonial Caribbean heritage, she painted the buildings in a bright shade of pink. Other homeowners on the street soon followed suit. By the 1950s, the row of houses became known as Rainbow Row.
Visit Cypress Gardens
Featured in the movie, "The Notebook," Cypress Gardens offers boat rentals to explore the prettier-than-the-name-sounds Blackwater Swamp. It also features a Butterfly House and a "Swamparium."
Take a South of Broad Home & Garden Tour
South of Broad is widely known as Charleston’s oldest and most beautiful neighborhood, located at the tip of the peninsula, south of Broad Street. On this two and a half hour walking tour, you’ll walk the same streets that have been in place since Colonial Charleston. You’ll also visit two museum houses, each from a different era of Charleston’s past with fascinating stories, rich architectural details, and full of period furnishings. Guests will get a glimpse into the lives of the families who occupied these homes as well as those of the enslaved who served within their walls. Finally, the tour will allow you to go behind the gates into the gardens of these houses that are still maintained today.
Charleston Rooftops with a View
We haven't been, but we've heard great rooftops to check out are: - The Citrus Club at the Dewberry (*we're told there's often long waits and to get there early) - The Rooftop Bar at The Vendue - Uptown Social - The Loutrel - Charleston Harbor Fish House
Take a Dolphin or Sunset Sailboat Ride
The Schooner Pride in Charleston offers afternoon dolphin sails and evening sunset harbor sails. The sail is not narrated, but does feature the ports of Charleston Harbor including the famous Fort Sumter. Check out the link for more information.
Tour Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter Tours is an authorized National Park Service concessioner. They provide the only commercial boat transportation to Fort Sumter, and offer many departure times daily from two convenient locations: Liberty Square in downtown Charleston or Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant. Board your tour boat and get ready for a relaxing 30-minute cruise to historic Fort Sumter. Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted by National Park Service rangers who will provide programming and answer questions about the history of Fort Sumter and its pivotal role in the American Civil War. Learn about the events that led to the outbreak of America’s most bloody war (read the tour narration). Spend an hour exploring Fort Sumter before boarding the boat for a cruise back to your departure point. Tickets are available online. Departure times from Charleston are: 9 AM, 12 PM, and 2:30 PM. Departure times from Mount Pleasant are: 10:30 AM and 1:15 PM.
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum
Patriots Point is a naval & maritime museum on Charleston Harbor with the World War II aircraft carrier, USS YORKTOWN as its centerpiece. It also features the USS Laffey Destroyer, a medal of honor museum, and 28 historic aircraft. It’s also home to the Patriots Point Museum and a fleet of National Historic Landmark ships, the Cold War Memorial and the only Vietnam Experience Exhibit in the U.S. Ticket access includes: the USS Yorktown, USS Laffey, The Vietnam Experience Exhibit, Medal of Honor Museum and Cold War Memorial.
Visit Shem Creek Waterfront Dining in Mount Pleasant
Shem Creek, Mount Pleasant's popular waterfront dining and drinking district, has a park and boardwalk offering panoramic views of the marsh and Charleston Harbor. A total of 2,200 feet long, the boardwalk runs from Coleman Boulevard to near the mouth of the creek. Standing at the harbor end of the walkway, you can see all the way from Fort Sumter to Castle Pinckney. Restaurants here are: Salt Water Cowboys, Shem Creek Crab House, and Mill Street Tavern. You can also take a Charleston Water Taxi from downtown Charleston to the creekside park. The shuttle boat runs on an hourly schedule. The Shem Creek park and boardwalk is open daily from 5 a.m. to midnight.
Low Country Kayaking
See link for details to book. Shem Creek meanders through the saltmarsh and into Charleston Harbor, making it the perfect spot for the chance to see iconic Lowcountry wildlife like bottlenose dolphins and Eastern brown pelicans. Along the oyster-lined banks, egrets and herons hunt for crabs and shrimp while osprey fly overhead. In the summer months, manatees and sea turtles return to the creek and will sometimes pop to the surface as we paddle by.
Visit Old Village Historic District in Mount Pleasant
This is where they have filmed parts of the show "Outer Banks." The Old Village in Mount Pleasant sits right on the Charleston harbor and is known for its beautiful historic homes, moss-draped live oak trees and small-town feel. Today, the Old Village retains that historic charm while still leaving room for mom-and-pop shops, restaurants and gathering spaces. It is also a 10-minute drive to Sullivan's Island Beach.
Sullivan's Island Beach
Sullivan’s Island beach is open to the public year-round. Sullivan’s Island public beach access points are located throughout the Island. Beach access is available on just about every block. Beach access paths may be either wooden boardwalks or sand. Sullivan’s Island has limited parking. Try and get to the Island early to find a place. Sullivan’s Island beach parking is free in the public right of way in designated areas. Parking areas are marked. There is not any paid parking available on the Island. Also, some parking is available behind Town Hall when it is closed for business and at Battery Thompson on Breach Inlet.