by Jim Morekis
Architectural Walking Tours (173 Meeting St., 800/931-7761, www.architecturalwalkingtoursofcharleston.com, $20) offers an 18th-century tour Monday and Wednesday-Saturday at 10am and a 19th-century tour at 2pm, which are geared more toward historic preservation. They leave from the Meeting Street Inn (173 Meeting St.).
The brainchild of local artists Karen Hagan and Martha Sharp, Charleston Art Tours (53 Broad St., 843/860-3327, www.charlestonarttours.com, $49) are led by guides who are also professional artists.
Ghost tours are very popular in Charleston. Bulldog Tours (18 Anson St., 843/722-8687, www.bulldogtours.com) has exclusive access to the Old City Jail, which features prominently in most of their tours. Their most popular tour, the Haunted Jail Tour ($20 adults, $10 children) leaves daily at 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm; meet at 40 North Market Street. The Ghost and Dungeon Tour ($20) leaves March-November Tuesday-Saturday at 7pm and 9pm from 40 North Market Street.
Carriage Tours
The city of Charleston strictly regulates the treatment and upkeep of carriage horses and mules as well as the allowed amount of carriage traffic. Only 20 carriages are allowed out on the streets at any one time, so occasionally yours will have to wait until another one returns.
There’s not a heck of a lot of difference in service or price among the five carriage companies, and that’s chiefly by design. The city divides the tours into three routes, or “zones.” Which zone your driver explores is literally determined by lottery at the embarkation point—you don’t get to decide the zone and neither does your driver. Typically, rides take 1-1.5 hours and hover around $20 per adult, about half that per child. They are, however, of uniformly high quality.
Tours sometimes book up early, so call ahead. The oldest and in my opinion best service in town is Palmetto Carriage Works (40 N. Market St., 843/723-8145, www.carriagetour.com), which offers free parking at its “red barn” base near City Market. Another popular tour is Old South Carriage Company (14 Anson St., 843/723-9712, www.oldsouthcarriage.com) with its Confederate-clad drivers. Carolina Polo & Carriage Company (16 Hayne St., 843/577-6767, www.cpcc.com) leaves from several spots, including the Doubletree Hotel and the company’s Hayne Street stables.
Motorized Tours
Leaving from Charleston Visitor Reception and Transportation Center (375 Meeting St.), Adventure Sightseeing (843/762-0088, www.touringcharleston.com, $20 adults, $11 children) offers several comfortable 1.5-2-hour rides, including the only motorized tour to the Citadel area, leaving at various times throughout the day.
You can make a day of it with Charleston’s Finest Historic Tours (843/577-3311, www.historictoursofcharleston.com, $21 adults, $10.50 children), which has a basic two-hour city tour each day at 10:30am and offers some much longer tours to outlying plantations. They offer free downtown pickup from most lodgings.
Tourists get a horse-drawn tour of East Battery Street.
The old faithful Gray Line of Charleston (843/722-4444, www.graylineofcharleston.com, $21 adults, $12 children) offers a 90-minute tour departing from the visitors center March-November daily every 30 minutes 9:30am-3pm (hotel pickup by reservation). The last tour leaves at 2pm during the off-season.
African American History Tours
Charleston is rich in African American history, and a couple of operators specializing in this area are worth mentioning.
Al Miller’s Sites & Insights Tours (843/762-0051, www.sitesandinsightstours.com, $13-18) has several packages, including a Black History and Porgy & Bess Tour as well as a good combo city and island tour, all departing from the visitors center.
Alphonso Brown’s Gullah Tours (843/763-7551, www.gullahtours.com, $18), featuring stories told in the Gullah dialect, all leave from the African American Art Gallery (43 John St.) near the visitors center Monday-Friday at 11am and 1pm and Saturday at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm.
Water Tours
The best all-around tour of Charleston Harbor is the 90-minute ride offered by Spiritline Cruises (800/789-3678, www.spiritlinecruises.com, $20 adults, $12 ages 6-11, free under age 6), which leaves from either Aquarium Wharf or Patriots Point. Allow about 30 minutes for ticketing and boarding. They also have a three-hour dinner cruise in the evening leaving from Patriots Point (about $50 pp) and a cruise to Fort Sumter.
Sandlapper Water Tours (843/849-8687, www.sandlappertours.com, $20-27) offers many types of evening and dolphin cruises on a 45-foot catamaran. They also offer Charleston’s only waterborne ghost tour. Most of their tours leave from the Maritime Center near East Bay and Calhoun Streets.
Ecotours
This aspect of Charleston’s tourism scene is very well represented.
Barrier Island Eco Tours (50 41st Ave., 843/886-5000, www.nature-tours.com, from $38) takes you up to the Cape Romain Refuge out of Isle of Palms.
Coastal Expeditions (514-B Mill St., 843/884-7684, www.coastalexpeditions.com, prices vary), with a base on Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, offers several different-length sea kayak adventures.
PaddleFish Kayaking (843/330-9777, www.paddlefishkayaking.com, from $45) offers several kinds of kayaking tours (no experience necessary) from downtown, Kiawah Island, and Seabrook Island.
Entertainment and Events
Charleston practically invented the idea of diversion and culture in the United States, so it’s no surprise that there’s plenty to do here, from museums to festivals and a brisk nightlife scene.
NIGHTLIFE
Unlike the locals-versus-tourists divide you find so often in other destination cities, in Charleston it’s nothing for a couple of visitors to find themselves at a table next to four or five college students enjoying themselves in true Charlestonian fashion: loudly and with lots of good food and strong drink nearby. Indeed, the Holy City is downright ecumenical in its partying. The smokiest dives also have some of the best brunches. The toniest restaurants also have some of the most hopping bar scenes. Tourist hot spots written up in all the guidebooks also have their share of local regulars.
But through it all, one constant remains: Charleston’s finely honed ability to seek out and enjoy the good life. It’s a trait that comes naturally and traditionally, going back to the days of the earliest Charleston drinking and gambling clubs, like the Fancy Society, the Meddlers Laughing Club, and the Fort Jolly Volunteers.
Bars close in Charleston at 2am, though there is a movement afoot to make the closing time earlier in some areas of town. The old days of the “mini-bottle”—in which no free pour was allowed and all drinks had to be made from the little airline bottles—are gone, and it seems that local bartenders have finally figured out how to mix a decent cocktail. At the retail level, all hard-liquor sales stop at 7pm, with none at all on Sundays. You can buy beer and wine in grocery stores 24-7.
Pubs and Bars
In a nod to the city’s perpetual focus on well-prepared food, it’s difficult to find a Charleston watering hole that doesn’t offer really good food in addition to a well-stocked bar. One of Charleston’s favorite neighborhood spots is Moe’s Crosstown Tavern (714 Rutledge Ave., 843/722-3287, daily 11am-2am) at Rutledge and Francis in the Wagener Terrace/Hampton Square area. A newer location, Moe’s Downtown Tavern (5 Cumberland St., 843/577-8500, daily 11am-2am) offers a similar vibe and menu, but the original, and best, Moe’s experience is at the Crosstown.
The hottest hipster dive bar is currently The Recovery Room (685 King St., 843/727-0999, Mon.-Fri. 4pm-2am, Sat. 3pm-2am, Sun. noon-2am) on bustling Upper King. The drinks are cheap and stiff, and the bar food is addictively tasty (two words: Tater Tots!).
The Guinness flows freely at touristy Tommy Condon’s Irish Pub (160 Church St., 843/577-3818, www.tommycondons.com, Sun.-Thurs. 11am-2am, dinner until 10pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am-2am, dinner until 11pm)—after the obligatory and traditional slow-pour, that is—as do the patriotic Irish songs performed live most nights.
If it’s a nice day out, a good place to relax and enjoy happy hour outside is Vickery’s Bar and Grill (15 Beaufain St., 843/577-5300, www.vickerysba
randgrill.com, Mon.-Sat. 11:30am-2am, Sun. 11am-1am, kitchen closes 1am), actually part of a small regional chain based in Atlanta. Start with the oyster bisque, and maybe try the turkey and brie sandwich or crab cakes for your entrée.
Because of its commercial nature, Broad Street can get quiet when the sun goes down and the office workers disperse back to the burbs. But a warm little oasis can be found a few steps off Broad Street in the Blind Tiger (36-38 Broad St., 843/577-0088, daily 11:30am-2am, kitchen closes Mon.-Thurs. 10pm, Fri.-Sun. 9pm), which takes its name from the local Prohibition-era nickname for a speakeasy.
Located not too far over the Ashley River on U.S. 17, Charleston institution Gene’s Haufbrau (17 Savannah Hwy., 843/225-4363, www.geneshaufbrau.com, daily 11:30am-2am) is worth making a special trip into West Ashley. Boasting the largest beer selection in Charleston—from the Butte Creek Organic Ale from California to a can of PBR—Gene’s also claims to be the oldest bar in town, established in 1952.
Though Sullivan’s Island has a lot of high-dollar homes, it still has friendly watering holes like Dunleavy’s Pub (2213-B Middle St., 843/883-9646, Sun.-Thurs. 11:30am-1am, Fri.-Sat. 11:30am-2am). Inside is a great bar festooned with memorabilia, or you can enjoy a patio table. The other Sullivan’s watering hole of note is Poe’s Tavern (2210 Middle St., 843/883-0083, daily 11am-2am, kitchen closes 10pm) across the street, a nod to Edgar Allan Poe and his service on the island as a clerk in the U.S. Army. It’s a lively, mostly locals scene, set within a fun but suitably dark interior (though you might opt for one of the outdoor tables on the raised patio). Simply put, no trip to Sullivan’s is complete without a stop at one (or possibly both) of these two local landmarks, which are within a stone’s throw of each other.
Poe’s Tavern on Sullivan’s Island
If you’re in Folly Beach, enjoy the great views and the great cocktails at Blu Restaurant and Bar (1 Center St., 843/588-6658, www.blufollybeach.com, $10-20) inside the Holiday Inn Folly Beach Oceanfront. There’s nothing like a Spiked Lemonade on a hot Charleston day at the beach. Another notable Folly Beach watering hole is the Sand Dollar Social Club (7 Center St., 843/588-9498, Sun.-Fri. noon-1am, Sat. noon-2am), the kind of cash-only, mostly local dive you often find in little beach towns. You have to pony up for a “membership” to this private club, but it’s only a buck. There’s a catch, though: You can’t get in until your 24-hour “waiting period” is over.
If you find yourself up in North Charleston, by all means stop by Madra Rua Irish Pub (1034 E. Montague Ave., 843/554-2522, daily 11am-1am), an authentic watering hole with a better-than-average pub food menu that’s also a great place to watch a soccer game.
Live Music
Charleston’s music scene is best described as hit-and-miss. There’s no distinct “Charleston sound” to speak of (especially now that the heyday of Hootie & the Blowfish is long past), and there’s no one place where you’re assured of finding a great band any night of the week. The best place to find up-to-date music listings is the local free weekly Charleston City Paper (www.charlestoncitypaper.com).
The hippest music spot in town is out on James Island at The Pour House (1977 Maybank Hwy., 843/571-4343, www.charlestonpourhouse.com, 9pm-2am on nights with music scheduled, call for info), where the local characters are sometimes just as entertaining as the acts onstage
The venerable Music Farm (32 Ann St., 843/722-8904, www.musicfarm.com) on Upper King isn’t much to look at from the outside, but inside, the cavernous space has played host to all sorts of bands over the past two decades. Recent concerts have included Fitz and the Tantrums, the Dropkick Murphys, and the Drive-By Truckers.
Lounges
In West Ashley, across the street from Gene’s Haufbrau, the retro-chic Voodoo Lounge (15 Magnolia Ln., 843/769-0228, Mon.-Fri. 4pm-2am, Sat.-Sun. 5:30pm-2am, kitchen until 1am) has a wide selection of trendy cocktails and killer gourmet tacos.
The aptly named Rooftop Bar and Restaurant (23 Vendue Range, 843/723-0485, Tues.-Sat. 6pm-2am) at The Vendue hotel hosts a popular waterfront happy-hour spot from which to enjoy the sunset over the Charleston skyline.
Dance Clubs
The Trio Club (139 Calhoun St., 843/965-5333, Thurs.-Sat. 9pm-2am), right off Marion Square, is a favorite place to make the scene. There’s a relaxing outdoor area with piped-in music, an intimate sofa-filled upstairs bar for dancing and chilling, and the dark candlelit downstairs with frequent live music. Without a doubt Charleston’s best dance club is Club Pantheon (28 Ann St., 843/577-2582, Fri.-Sun. 10pm-2am).
Gay and Lesbian
Charleston is very tolerant by typical Deep South standards, and this tolerance extends to gays and lesbians. Most gay- and lesbian-oriented nightlife centers in the Upper King area.
Charleston’s hottest and hippest dance spot of any type, gay or straight, is Club Pantheon (28 Ann St., 843/577-2582, Fri.-Sun. 10pm-2am) on Upper King on the lower level of the parking garage across from the visitors center (375 Meeting St.). Pantheon is not cheap—cover charges are routinely well over $10—but it’s worth it for the great DJs, the dancing, and the people-watching, not to mention the drag cabaret on Friday and Sunday nights.
Just down the street from Club Pantheon—and owned by the same people—is a totally different kind of gay bar, Dudley’s (42 Ann St., 843/577-6779, daily 4pm-2am). Mellower and more appropriate for conversation or a friendly game of pool, Dudley’s is a nice contrast to the thumping Pantheon a few doors down.
Though Vickery’s Bar and Grill (15 Beaufain St., 843/577-5300, www.vickerysbarandgrill.com, Mon.-Sat. 11:30am-2am, Sun. 11am-1am, kitchen closes 1am) does not market itself as a gay and lesbian establishment, it has nonetheless become quite popular with that population—not least because of the good reputation its parent tavern in Atlanta has with that city’s large and influential gay community.
PERFORMING ARTS
Theater
Unlike the literally puritanical colonies farther up the American coast, Charleston was from the beginning an arts-friendly settlement. The first theatrical production in North America happened in Charleston in January 1735, when a nomadic troupe rented a space at Church and Broad Streets to perform Thomas Otway’s The Orphan. The play’s success led to the building of the Dock Street Theatre on what is now Queen Street. On February 12, 1736, it hosted its first production, The Recruiting Officer, a popular play for actresses of the time because it calls for some female characters to wear tight-fitting British army uniforms. Live theater became a staple of Charleston social life, with notable thespians including both Edwin Booth and Junius Booth Jr. (brothers of Lincoln’s assassin John Wilkes) and Edgar Allan Poe’s mother Eliza performing here.
Several high-quality troupes continue to keep that proud old tradition alive, chief among them being Charleston Stage (843/577-7183, www.charlestonstage.com), the resident company of the Dock Street Theatre. In addition to its well-received regular season of classics and modern staples, Charleston Stage has debuted more than 30 original scripts over the years, most recently Gershwin at Folly, recounting the composer’s time at Folly Beach working on Porgy and Bess.
Stephen Colbert, Native Son
A purist would insist that Charlestonians are born, not made. While it’s true that comedian Stephen Colbert was actually born in Washington DC, he did spend much of his young life in the Charleston suburb of James Island and downtown on Meeting Street, attending the Porter-Gaud School. And regardless of his literal birthplace, few would dispute that Colbert is the best-known Charlestonian in American pop culture today.
While it’s commonly assumed that Colbert’s surname is a link to Charleston’s French Huguenot heritage, the truth is that it’s really an Irish name. To further burst the carefully crafted bubble of Colbert’s faux on-air persona, his father, a vice president at Charleston’s Medical University of South Carolina, adopted the current French pronunciation himself—historically his family pronounced the t.
All that being said, Colbert returns quite often to Charleston. In
2012 he hosted a mock political rally at the College of Charleston, allegedly on behalf of Citizens United, the controversial Supreme Court ruling on political contributions.
He also represents his hometown to the world at large. In 2011, he personally accepted the Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Award for favorite U.S. city on behalf of Charleston, poking fun at the “Rice-a-Roni eating bastards” who reside in traditional winner San Francisco.
The comedian’s life isn’t without tragedy. His father and two of his brothers perished in an airplane accident in 1974. And in 2013 he did something quite rare, breaking character on his show The Colbert Report to acknowledge the passing of his 91-year-old mother, Lorna, who lived in Charleston all her life, raising Stephen and his 10 siblings.
In 2014, Colbert ended his Comedy Central show. He debuted as the host of The Late Show on CBS in 2015, taking over for retiring host David Letterman.
Charleston Natives
In addition to the long list of historic figures, some notable modern personalities born in Charleston or closely associated with the city include:
• Counterculture artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the iconic “Hope” campaign poster for Barack Obama
• Actress Mabel King (The Wiz)
• Actress-model Lauren Hutton
• Author Nancy Friday