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DEL.ICIO.USShould you check out Charleston this fall?
What’s your take on this definitive Southern city?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few days ago I took a relaxing weekend to Hilton Head sans children, and I was reminded just how beautiful the coast of South Carolina is this time of year. It’s not too hot, too cold or too crowded. The early autumn skies are deep blue, and it’s the perfect temperature to golf, play tennis, walk along the beach or do nothing at all. Even the ocean water, while cooler than at the height of summer, is comfortable enough for a swim.
The agenda for this getaway was to have no agenda, so Hilton Head was perfect in that respect.
But if you want more than a golf or beach break, South Carolina’s coast has other options. Drive just over 100 miles up the coast to Charleston. Beaches and golf are still first-rate there, but the city also offers a trip’s worth of other distinctive attractions that lure people back year after year. In fact, every transplanted Charleston native I’ve ever met always seems to be trying to get back to their hometown.
The city itself is a five-hour drive from Atlanta, but it feels worlds away. With no skyscrapers on the skyline, Charleston’s beauty is not in its height, but its depth. It’s an architectural and historical treasure trove that immerses visitors in the lives and events (good and bad) that have shaped the area since the days before the Revolution. Museums, military forts, beautiful homes and gardens, fine restaurants, the Battery and Waterfront Park are on the list of must-sees when visiting Charleston.
This weekend, the city’s restaurant association hosts its three-day “Taste of Charleston” event, where Lowcountry specialty cuisine reigns supreme. Throughout the month, visitors can take a “haunted harbor ghost tour” and explore many of the city’s famous haunted sites. For something a little less scary and more classic Charleston, check out the 32nd Annual Fall Tours of Homes and Gardens, which runs through October 26th.
What’s your take on Charleston? Do you have a favorite time to go? Do you stay in town or out toward the beaches? How long do you feel you need to fully explore all that Charleston has to offer? What would you include on your list of “must sees” in C-town?
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