by Jim Morekis
LIBRARIES
The main branch of the Charleston County Public Library (68 Calhoun St., 843/805-6801, www.ccpl.org, Mon.-Thurs. 9am-9pm, Fri.-Sat. 9am-6pm, Sun. 2pm-5pm) has been at its current site since 1998. Named for Sullivan’s Island’s most famous visitor, the Edgar Allan Poe (1921 I’on Ave., 843/883-3914, www.ccpl.org, Mon. and Fri. 2pm-6pm, Tues., Thurs., and Sat. 10am-2pm) has been housed in Battery Gadsden, a former Spanish-American War gun emplacement, since 1977.
The College of Charleston’s main library is the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library (205 Calhoun St., 843/953-5530, www.cofc.edu), home to special collections, the Center for Student Learning, the main computer lab, the media collection, and even a café. The college’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture (125 Bull St., 843/953-7609, www.cofc.edu/avery, Mon.-Fri. 10am-5pm, Sat. noon-5pm) houses documents relating to the history and culture of African Americans in the Lowcountry.
For other historical research on the area, check out the collections of the South Carolina Historical Society (100 Meeting St., 843/723-3225, www.southcarolinahistoricalsociety.org, Mon.-Fri. 9am-4pm, Sat. 9am-2pm). There’s a $5 research fee for nonmembers.
GAY AND LESBIAN RESOURCES
Contrary to many media portrayals of the region, Charleston is quite open to gays and lesbians, who play a major role in arts, culture, and business. As with any other place in the South, however, it’s generally expected that people—including heterosexuals—will keep personal matters and politics to themselves in public settings. A key local advocacy group is the Alliance for Full Acceptance (29 Leinbach Dr., Ste. D-3, 843/883-0343, www.affa-sc.org). The Lowcountry Gay and Lesbian Alliance (843/720-8088) holds a potluck the last Sunday of each month. For the most up-to-date happenings, try the Gay Charleston blog (http://gaycharleston.ccpblogs.com), part of the Charleston City Paper.
Transportation
AIR
Way up in North Charleston is Charleston International Airport (CHS, 5500 International Blvd., 843/767-1100, www.chs-airport.com), served by AirTran (www.airtran.com), American (www.aa.com), Delta (www.delta.com), JetBlue Airways (www.jetblue.com), Porter Airlines (www.flyporter.com), Silver Airways (www.silverairways.com), Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com), United Airlines (www.ual.com), and US Airways (www.usairways.com).
It’ll take about 20 minutes to make the 12-mile drive from the airport to downtown, and vice versa. The airport is conveniently located just off the I-526/Mark Clark Expressway perimeter highway off I-26. As in most cities, taxi service from the airport is regulated. This translates to about $30 for two people from the airport to Charleston Place downtown.
CAR
There are two main routes into Charleston, I-26 from the west-northwest (which dead-ends downtown) and U.S. 17 from the west (called Savannah Highway when it gets close to Charleston proper), which continues on over the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge into Mount Pleasant and beyond. There’s a fairly new perimeter highway, I-526 (Mark Clark Expressway), which loops around the city from West Ashley to North Charleston to Daniel Island and into Mount Pleasant. It’s accessible both from I-26 and U.S. 17.
Keep in mind that I-95, while certainly a gateway to the region, is actually a good ways out of Charleston, about 30 miles west of the city. Charleston is almost exactly two hours from Savannah by car, and about an hour’s drive from Beaufort and Hilton Head.
Car Rentals
Charleston International Airport has rental kiosks for Avis (843/767-7031), Budget (843/767-7051), Dollar (843/767-1130), Enterprise (843/767-1109), Hertz (843/767-4550), National (843/767-3078), and Thrifty (843/647-4389). There are a couple of rental locations downtown: Budget (390 Meeting St., 843/577-5195) and Enterprise (398 Meeting St., 843/723-6215). Hertz has a location in West Ashley (3025 Ashley Town Center Dr., 843/573-2147), as does Enterprise (2004 Savannah Hwy., 843/556-7889).
BUS
Public transportation by Charleston Area Regional Transit Authority (CARTA, 843/724-7420, www.ridecarta.com) is a convenient and inexpensive way to enjoy Charleston without the more structured nature of an organized tour. There’s a wide variety of routes, but most visitors will limit their acquaintance to the tidy, trolley-like DASH (Downtown Area Shuttle) buses run by CARTA primarily for visitors. Each ride is $1.75 per person ($0.85 seniors). The best deal is the $6 one-day pass, which you get at the Charleston Visitor Reception and Transportation Center (375 Meeting St.). Keep in mind that DASH only stops at designated places. DASH has three routes: the 210, which runs a northerly circuit from the aquarium to the College of Charleston; the 211, running up and down the parallel Meeting and King Streets from Marion Square down to the Battery; and the 212 Market/Waterfront shuttle from the aquarium area down to Waterfront Park.
TAXI
The South is generally not big on taxis, and Charleston is no exception. The best bet is simply to call rather than try to flag one down. Charleston’s most fun taxi service is Charleston Black Cabs (843/216-2627, www.charlestonblackcabcompany.com), which uses Americanized versions of the classic British taxi. A one-way ride anywhere on the peninsula below the bridges is about $10 per person, and rates go up from there. They’re very popular, so call as far ahead as you can or try to get one at their stand at Charleston Place. Two other good services are Safety Cab (843/722-4066) and Yellow Cab (843/577-6565).
You can also try a human-powered taxi service from Charleston Rickshaw (843/723-5685). A cheerful (and energetic) young cyclist will pull you and a friend to most points on the lower peninsula for about $10-15. Call ’em or find one by City Market. They work late on Friday and Saturday nights too.
PARKING
As you’ll quickly see, parking is at a premium in downtown Charleston. An exception seems to be the large number of free spaces all along the Battery, but unless you’re an exceptionally strong walker, that’s too far south to use as a reliable base from which to explore the whole peninsula.
Most metered parking downtown is on and around Calhoun Street, Meeting Street, King Street, Market Street, and East Bay Street. That may not sound like a lot, but it constitutes the bulk of the area that most tourists visit. Most meters have three-hour limits, but you’ll come across some as short as 30 minutes. Metered parking is free 6pm-6am and all day Sunday. On Saturdays, expect to pay.
The city has several conveniently located and comparatively inexpensive parking garages. I strongly suggest that you make use of them. They’re located at the aquarium, Camden and Exchange Streets, Charleston Place, Concord and Cumberland Streets, East Bay and Prioleau Streets, Marion Square, Gaillard Auditorium, Liberty and St. Philip Streets, Majestic Square, the Charleston Visitor Reception and Transportation Center, and Wentworth Street.
There are several private parking garages as well, primarily clustered in the City Market area. They’re convenient, but many have parking spaces that are often too small for some vehicles. The city’s website (www.charlestoncity.info) has a good interactive map of parking.
Greater Charleston
Although one could easily spend a lifetime enjoying the history and attractions of Charleston itself, there are many unique experiences to be had in the less-developed areas surrounding the city. Generally there are two types of vibes: isolated close-knit communities with little overt development (although that’s changing), or private resort-style communities set amid stunning natural beauty.
SUMMERVILLE AND VICINITY
The Dorchester County town of Summerville, population 30,000, is gaining a reputation as a friendly, scenic, and upscale suburb north of Charleston. That’s funny, since that’s basically what Summerville has always been. Founded as Pineland Village in 1785, Summerville made its reputation as a place for plantation owners and their families to escape the insects and heat of the swampier areas of the Lowcountry. Summerville got a second wind at the turn of the 20th century, when it was recommended by doctors all over the world as a great place to recover from tuberculosis (supposedly all the turpentine fumes in the air from the p
ine trees were a big help). Summerville is about 30 minutes from downtown Charleston; take I-26 north.
Sights
Due to its longstanding popularity as a getaway for wealthy planters and then as a spa town, Summerville boasts a whopping 700 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. For a walking tour of the historic district, download the map at www.visitsummerville.com or pick up a hard copy at the Summerville Visitors Center (402 N. Main St., 843/873-8535, Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm, Sat. 10am-3pm, Sun. 1pm-4pm). Alas, the grand old Pine Forest Inn, perhaps the greatest of all Summerville landmarks and the “winter White House” for presidents William Taft and Theodore Roosevelt, was torn down after World War II, a victim of the Florida vacation craze. Much visitor activity in Summerville centers on Azalea Park (S. Main St. and W. 5th St. S., daily dawn-dusk, free), rather obviously named for its most scenic inhabitants. Several fun yearly events take place here, most notably the Flowertown Festival (www.flowertownfestival.com, free) each April, a three-day affair heralding the coming of spring and the blooming of the flowers. One of the biggest festivals in South Carolina, 250,000 people usually attend. Another event, Sculpture in the South (www.sculptureinthesouth.com) in May, takes advantage of the extensive public sculpture in the park.
To learn more about Summerville’s interesting history, go just off Main Street to the Summerville-Dorchester Museum (100 E. Doty Ave., 843/875-9666, www.summervilledorchestermuseum.org, Mon.-Sat. 9am-2pm, donation). Located in the former town police station, the museum has a wealth of good exhibits and boasts a new curator, Chris Ohm, who has wide local experience, including at Middleton Place and with the CSS Hunley project in North Charleston.
Just south of Summerville on the way back to Charleston is the interesting Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site (300 State Park Rd., 843/873-1740, www.southcarolinaparks.com, daily 9am-6pm, $2 adults, free under age 16), chronicling a virtually unknown segment of Carolina history. A contingent of Massachusetts Puritans (“Congregationalists” in the parlance of the time) were given special dispensation in 1697 to form a settlement of their own specifically to enhance commercial activity on the Ashley River. Today little is left of old Dorchester but the tabby walls of the 1757 fort overlooking the Ashley. Don’t miss the unspectacular but still historically vital remains of the wooden wharf on the walking trail along the river, once the epicenter of a thriving port. The most-photographed thing on-site is the bell tower of the Anglican church of St. George—which actually wasn’t where the original settlers worshipped and was in fact quite resented by them since they were forced to pay for its construction. The dispute with the Anglican Church became tense enough to cause many Congregationalists to leave and settle little Midway, Georgia, where many became key figures in the movement for American independence. The resulting Revolutionary War would be the downfall of Dorchester itself, abandoned during the upheaval.
Accommodations and Food
The renowned Woodlands Resort & Inn (125 Parsons Rd., 843/875-2600, $325-650) is one of a handful of inns in the United States with a five-star rating both for lodging and dining. Its 18 guest rooms within the 1906 great house are decorated in a mix of old-fashioned plantation high style and contemporary designer aesthetics, with modern, luxurious baths. There’s also a freestanding guest cottage ($850) that seeks to replicate a hunting lodge type of vibe. As you’d expect, there’s a full day spa on the premises; a one-hour massage, the most basic offering, will run you $110. The pool is outside, but it’s heated for year-round enjoyment, at least theoretically. Woodlands is making a big play for the growing pet-friendly market and eagerly pampers your dog or cat while you stay. Within Woodlands is its award-winning world-class restaurant, simply called The Dining Room (Mon.-Sat. 11am-2pm and 6pm-9pm, brunch Sun. 11:30am-2pm, $25-40). It will come as no surprise to find out that the 900-entry wine list and sommelier are collectively awesome, as are the desserts. Jackets are required, and reservations are strongly advised.
In Summerville proper, try Mustard Seed (101 N. Main St., 843/821-7101, lunch Mon.-Sat. 11am-2:30pm, dinner Mon.-Thurs. 5pm-9pm, Fri.-Sat. 5pm-10pm, $8-10), a health-food restaurant that doesn’t skimp on the taste. For a more down-home-style pancakes-and-sandwich place that’s popular with the locals at all hours of the day, try Flowertown Restaurant (120 E. 5th N. St., 843/871-3202, daily 24 hours, $8).
Another popular local landmark is Guerin’s Pharmacy (140 S. Main St., 843/873-2531, Mon.-Fri. 9am-6pm, Sat. 9am-5pm), which claims to be the state’s oldest pharmacy. Complete with an old-fashioned soda fountain, they offer malted milk shakes and lemonade.
AWENDAW AND POINTS NORTH
This area just north of Charleston along U.S. 17—named for the Sewee Indian village originally located here, and known to the world chiefly as the place where Hurricane Hugo made landfall in 1989—is seeing some new growth, but still hews to its primarily rural, nature-loving roots.
Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center
Twenty miles north of Charleston you’ll find the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center (5821 U.S. 17, 843/928-3368, www.fws.gov/seweecenter, Tues.-Sat. 9am-5pm, free). Besides being a gateway of sorts for the almost entirely aquatic Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Sewee is primarily known for housing several rare red wolves, who were part of a unique release program on nearby Bull Island begun in the late 1970s. They’re kept at the center to maintain the genetic integrity of the species.
Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge
One of the best natural experiences in the area is about a 30-minute drive north of Charleston at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (5801 U.S. 17 N., 843/928-3264, www.fws.gov/caperomain, year-round daily dawn-dusk). Essentially comprising four barrier islands, the 66,000-acre refuge—almost all of which is marsh—provides a lot of great paddling opportunities, chief among them Bull Island (no overnight camping). A fairly lengthy trek from where you put in lies famous Boneyard Beach, where hundreds of downed trees lie on the sand, bleached by sun and salt.
Slightly to the south within the refuge, Capers Island Heritage Preserve (843/953-9300, www.dnr.sc.gov, daily dawn-dusk, free) is still a popular camping locale despite heavy damage from 1989’s Hurricane Hugo. Get permits in advance by calling the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
You can kayak to the refuge yourself or take the only approved ferry service from Coastal Expeditions (514B Mill St., Mount Pleasant, 843/881-4582, www.coastalexpeditions.com, $40 adults, $20 children, 30 minutes). Barrier Island Eco Tours (50 41st Ave., Isle of Palms, 843/886-5000, www.nature-tours.com, 3.5-hour boat excursions $38 adults, $28 children) on Isle of Palms also runs trips to the area.
I’on Swamp Trail
Once part of a rice plantation, the I’on Swamp Trail (843/928-3368, www.fs.fed.us, daily dawn-dusk, free) is one of the premier bird-watching sites in South Carolina, particularly during spring and fall migrations. The rare Bachman’s warbler, commonly considered one of the most elusive birds in North America, has been seen here. To get there, make the 10-minute drive to Mount Pleasant, then head north on U.S. 17 and take a left onto I’on Swamp Road (Forest Service Rd. 228). The parking area is 2.5 miles ahead on the left.
Food
A must-stop roadside diner in the Awendaw area is S See Wee Restaurant (4808 U.S. 17 N., 843/928-3609, Mon.-Thurs. 11am-8:30pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am-9:30pm, Sun. 11am-8pm, $10-23), located about a 20 minutes’ drive north of Charleston in a humble former general store on the west side of U.S. 17 (the restrooms are still outside). Folks come from Charleston and as far away as Myrtle Beach to enjoy signature menu items like the grouper and the unreal she-crab soup, considered by some epicures to be the best in the world; you can’t miss with any of their seafood entrées. Occasionally the crowds can get thick, but rest assured it’s worth any wait.
POINTS WEST AND SOUTHWEST
Caw Caw Interpretive Center
About 10 minutes west of Charleston on U.S. 17 you’ll find the unique Caw Caw Interpretive Center (5200 Savannah
Hwy., Ravenel, 843/889-8898, www.ccprc.com, Wed.-Sun. 9am-5pm, $1), a treasure trove for history buffs and naturalists wanting to learn more about the old rice culture of the South. With a particular emphasis on the expertise of those who worked on the rice plantations using techniques they brought with them from Africa, the county-run facility comprises 650 acres of land on an actual former rice plantation built on a cypress swamp, eight miles of interpretive trails, an educational center with exhibits, and a wildlife sanctuary with seven different habitats. Most Wednesday and Saturday mornings, guided bird walks are held at 8:30am ($5 pp). You can put in your own canoe for $10 October-April on Saturdays and Sundays. Bikes and dogs aren’t allowed on the grounds.
Johns Island
The outlying community of Johns Island is where you’ll find the inspiring Angel Oak Park (3688 Angel Oak Rd., Mon.-Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 1pm-5pm, free), home of a massive live oak, 65 feet in circumference, that’s over 1,000 years old and commonly considered the oldest tree east of the Mississippi River. As is the case with all live oaks, don’t expect impressive height—when oaks age they spread out, not up. The sprawling, picturesque tree and the park containing it are owned by the city of Charleston, and the scenic grounds are often used for weddings and special events. Angel Oak Park is about 30 minutes from Charleston. Take U.S. 17 over the Ashley River, then Highway 171 to Maybank Highway. Take a left onto Bohicket Road, and then look for signs on the right.