Best Things to Do in Charleston, SC: A Local’s Recommendations
Pineapple Fountain in Charleston, South Carolina
Let’s explore the Holy City with this list of the best things to do in Charleston, SC!
Hi, readers! I’m Natalie, and I’m a native of Charleston, one of the most visited cities in the United States.
After spending more than 3 decades here, I have all of the best and most fun things for you to do on your next visit to my hometown.
From West Ashley to James Island, and everywhere in between, I’ve included a wide variety of fun activities for all ages.
For ease of planning, I’ve organized all of the sections by areas of Charleston and shared important details that will help you decide where to put each activity in your itinerary.
This post contains affiliates. If you purchase through the links, I will receive a commission at no charge to you.
Updated 7/2022 | Written 2/2016
Best Things to Do in Charleston, SC as Recommended by a Local
Whether you’re a first time visitor or you’re just looking for what to do in Charleston this weekend, you’ll be spoiled for choices here!
Below, you’ll find my favorite things to do in the historic district of Charleston, which is the area most people think of when they’re planning a trip to the Holy City.
However, the city of Charleston covers more ground than just the historic peninsula, so I’m including other recommended activities in James Island and West Ashley, too.
These areas, combined with the historic peninsula, more accurately reflect what Charleston has to offer!
Things to Do in Historic Downtown Charleston
Broad Street, Downtown Charleston
When most people think of Charleston, they’re envisioning the pastel hued stately homes, cobblestoned streets, and historic sites of downtown.
While this part of the Charleston area is beautiful, I hope my list of the best things to do in Charleston SC has shown that there are many other options, too!
Eat, drink, and explore your way around downtown with these suggestions.
>> IF YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO CHARLESTON BEFORE, READ MY FIRST TIME VISITORS GUIDE TO CHARLESTON SC! <<
Indulge in some retail therapy on King Street.
From Anthropologie to Gucci, to antiques shops, there’s something for every aspect of your life on King Street.
If you’re visiting on the second Sunday of the month, join the vehicle-free celebration from Calhoun to Broad Streets for Second Sunday on King.
Sample some local seafood at The Ordinary.
It’s actually anything but ordinary!
The restaurant was a James Beard finalist in 2013 and boasts a full crowd every day.
Be sure to make reservations.
Also, the restaurant is in an old bank (I remember when it was briefly a Bank of America), and you can still see the old vault!
Tour the Edmonston-Alston House.
This massive home on the Battery dates to 1825 and the tour carefully documents all of the ways that its history parallels that of Charleston’s.
I like this house tour because of its level of detail and the property’s convenient location to other sightseeing hot spots like the Old Exchange Building and White Point Gardens.
Let your kids learn through play at the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry.
If you’re visiting Charleston with kids, you have to devote a half day (or more) here.
The museum is undergoing a transformation with new exhibits like the Boeing Brightlab, while keeping favorites like the Publix mini-market and a huge pirate ship.
>> Explore more of the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry in my review post. <<
Try a slice of the coconut cake at the Peninsula Grill.
When you’re on vacation, you can do crazy things like eat a piece of cake for your entire dinner.
And when I say it will be your entire dinner, I’m not kidding!
This cake slice is massive, and you’re going to have to take part of it home.
It’s worth every single penny!
Spend Saturday morning at the Charleston Farmers Market on Marion Square.
You’ll find tent after tent of local produce, meat, honey, and art here. There are usually a couple of food trucks and a busker or two as well.
I’ll do a shameless plug for one of the best food tours I’ve ever been on, the farm to table Charleston tour, which starts at the farmers market!
This tour utilized only fresh local ingredients from the farmers market in a creative, inventive culinary experience.
Here, a chef has to take the ingredients picked by the tour patrons and turn them into a 5 course meal.
Watching the process of the chef taking this varied ingredients and turning them into an amazing meal with unusual flavor combinations was fascinating!
>> Read about our experience on the farm to table tour in Charleston. <<
See Rainbow Row.
You can’t go to Charleston and NOT get a picture in front of Rainbow Row!
These former warehouses have been turned into gorgeous private homes in a wide variety of hues.
Since people actually live in them, you can’t do more than get a picture, but that will prove you’ve been to the Holy City!
>> Grab tickets to see Rainbow Row and South of Broad on a historic Charleston bus tour. <<
Take a picture of the iconic pineapple fountain at Waterfront Park.
It’s another Charleston classic!
>> Explore the best things to do in Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, Folly Beach and more in my Discover Charleston digital visitors guide! <<
Walk through the Nathaniel Russell House.
Just a few blocks from the Edmonston-Alston house is another impressive property.
There’s a guided tour of the house and gardens, and the 3-story staircase is a highlight.
The tours are run by the Historic Charleston Foundation, so get a combo ticket if you plan to visit more than one of their properties.
Cheer for the Charleston Riverdogs at Joe Riley Stadium.
One of the Cosmos Mariners kiddos at the Riverdogs Stadium
Grab a hot dog and a balloon animal, and get ready for a fun evening at the Joe!
While you’re there, see if you can spot Charleston resident Bill Murray, who is partial owner of this minor league team.
PIN ME!
Get inspired at the Gibbes Museum of Art.
The exhibit here help to tell the story of Charleston, past, present and future.
The massive permanent exhibition Betwixt and Between and the small gardens out back are among my favorite parts.
Check to see what classes or lectures will be available during your visit.
Go shopping at the Charleston City Market.
This covered space was once the location where Charleston residents and slaves would sell and purchase produce, grain, and more.
Today, the area leans more heavily towards souvenirs and tasty treats than the original farmers market feel, but it is worth at least a quick walk through.
Walk along the Battery.
It’s a great way to see the harbor, Mount Pleasant, James Island, and the Ravenel Bridge all at the same time.
This raised walkway will take you past Rainbow Row down to White Point Gardens.
Keep your camera at the ready!
See Charleston from a new perspective with a boat cruise.
My favorite is the sunset tour but any of the regular boat cruises from Charleston Harbor Cruises will give you roughly the same high-quality tour of the harbor and Ravenel Bridge.
These tours are super popular, so book early!
>> Grab your tickets for a Charleston harbor cruise here. <<
Read a book in White Point Gardens.
Once the place for pirate hangings, this small garden is a welcome green space in downtown.
Funny enough, it’s also rumored to be the location of a real gem, hidden as part of the press surrounding the book The Secret by Byron Preiss.
Take a ghost tour of downtown.
Even if you’re not a believer, these are a fun way to get to know the more sordid side of the Holy City.
My favorite of the ghost tour options is run by Bulldog Tours and goes into the Old Charleston Jail.
However, the jail is currently being remodeled as of March 2022 and no tours are allowed in.
That’s okay, though because all of the ghost tours by Bulldog Tours are really fun!
I’ve been on at least half a dozen, and the Bulldog Tour guides provide a great mixture of spine-tingling stories mixed with historical context.
>> Book your Charleston ghost tour with Bulldog Tours here. <<
Give into your sweet tooth with the creative flavors at Glazed Doughnuts.
These are not cheap, but they are totally worth the splurge.
Get some Southern food at Poogan’s Porch
Poogan’s Porch restaurant | source
This sweet little restaurant around the corner from the Mills House Hotels is supposedly guarded by the ghost of the original owner’s dog, Poogan.
The menus are simple but delicious with interpretations of traditional Southern food.
You can’t go wrong with the fried chicken and mac and cheese, my favorite dishes.
Ask for a table near one of the windows so you can see what’s happening on Queen Street while you eat.
Learn about antebellum Charleston and the slaves who built the city at the Old Slave Mart Museum.
I am a firm believer that to improve as a society, we must continue to remember the terrible things done by those who’ve come before us.
With that being said, slavery is a difficult topic to discuss, but it is crucial to keep those conversations ongoing.
The Old Slave Mart Museum is a sobering presentation of the lives of the enslaved people who make antebellum Charleston possible.
I wouldn’t take small children to this museum because they’re not going to be able to understand the context, but older children can—and should—listen to the stories of the docents (many of whom can trace their lineage back to enslaved individuals).
Walk through the Unitarian Church's graveyard, which is purposefully allowed to be overgrown.
It’s so Romantic that I think William Wordsworth would approve.
It reminds me a lot of Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia, only smaller.
See where one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence lived at the Heyward-Washington House.
This massive home hosted George Washington on his tour of South Carolina in 1791 (he was also hosted by my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather at the long defunct Vereen’s Tavern on that same trip).
It is interesting to compare the this house to the much more rustic home of fellow Declaration signer, Thomas Pinckney, whose house is the National Historic Site noted in the Mount Pleasant section above.
Take a peek into the Aiken-Rhett House, which has been unchanged since the 1850s.
Even more than the other historic houses of Charleston, the Aiken-Rhett House feels like it is a portal back in time.
Because the house was owned by the Aiken family continuously for nearly 150 years before being sold to the Charleston Museum, everything you see once belonged to them or the enslaved people who had to call this property home.
[There is a dual ticket sold for this house and the Nathaniel Russell House.]
Take a boat out to Fort Sumter National Monument.
See the place where the first shot of the Civil War was fired and get a short boat tour of the harbor on your way to and from the island.
The National Parks pass covers the entrance fee but not the boat cost.
>> Grab tickets for this must-do activity in Charleston here! <<
Note: be sure to plan ahead and get tickets before you arrive in Charleston. The boat tours can—and do—sell out, especially in the late spring and summer.
Get lunch with a side of history on a food tour.
We’ve taken 2 food tours in Charleston recently, and both come recommended.
The Upper King Culinary Tour focuses on restaurants on King Street above Marion Square and the surrounding areas.
This tour is a great way to get a taste (literally) of many different dishes at several restaurants.
You can find out your favorite and head back later for a full meal.
>> Read my full review of the Upper King Street Culinary Tour. <<
Indulge your sweet tooth at Saffron Bakery's extensive dessert case.
No matter what you pick, you’re sure to have a delicious treat. The selection rotates daily, so you might want to stop in more than once.
Visit Charleston's largest home, the Williams Mansion.
This is one of those houses that makes you think, “How could anyone ever have enough money to build something this big?”
Note: this was known for years as the Calhoun Mansion, but it went through a rebrand a few years back.
It is currently closed for the pandemic, but will hopefully reopen again soon.
Grab a coffee at Kudu Coffee.
I lived at the College of Charleston one summer as a resident assistant, and this was one of my favorite places to go for a quick drink or lunch.
The courtyard is the perfect place to read or relax after a day of touring.
Get a frappe and a slice of quiche!
Get up close and personal with some fishy friends at the South Carolina Aquarium.
Making friends with a scuba diver at the SC Aquarium
The aquarium takes visitors on a tour of each ecological area of South Carolina.
The otters are adorable! Make a point to wait until the crowds ease up to watch the otters play.
My kids love the ray touch tank and the big aquarium in the middle of the tour, too.
You could easily spend an entire afternoon here, particularly if your kids don’t know much about coastal habitats and animals.
The back balcony near the ray touch tank is a perfect place to get a family picture of the harbor or watch for dolphins playing in the water.
Experience theatre in a historic setting at the Dock Street Theatre.
The seats are tiny, the balcony is uncomfortably low, but the shows are always high quality.
Given that this theatre has an amazing history, it’s so good to know that the Charleston Stage Company is busy keeping that tradition alive.
Definitely check out what shows are going on while you’re in town.
>> READ MORE ABOUT THE OLDEST THEATRE IN AMERICA! <<
Take a horse-drawn carriage tour of the historic peninsula.
Carriage tour leading visitors past Rainbow Row
While these make me crazy when I’m driving downtown, I understand the appeal for visitors.
There’s something genteel about getting carted around downtown by horse and buggy, and the slow pace of the tour allows for plenty of time to soak up the sights of downtown Charleston.
>> Get tickets to an upcoming carriage tours in Charleston. <<
Explore the collection at the Charleston Museum.
You could easily spend several hours here.
From the massive whale skeleton to the dress-up room, visitors of all ages will find this place fascinating.
My favorite part has to be the Egyptian mummy sarcophagus on the second floor or the massive whale skeleton hanging from the foyer ceiling!
Visit the Exchange Building and Old Provost Dungeon.
I was SO scared of the wax dummies in the basement as a kid, but don’t let that stop you from visiting!
If something important happened in all of Charleston’s history, it most likely happened here.
This is where the Constitution was ratified, and it was the location of a ball for George Washington on his 1791 tour.
Peek into the Circular Congregational Church, and then walk through the graveyard.
This entire property is beautiful, but the graveyard is particularly intriguing.
The crowded graveyard has around 500 headstones, many of which are fading from weather and time.
Church records point to another 600 or more people who may also be buried there, but there are no physical stones to remember them by.
Splurge on a steak at Halls Chophouse.
We don’t go for high end food very often, but this is one place where we will save up to go eat.
The steaks are incredibly delicious, and I could eat an entire family sized portion of the pepper jack creamed corn skillet myself.
Best Things to Do in James Island and John's Island
Just a quick trip on the James Island Connector will have you to these quiet island suburbs of downtown.
Conveniently located to Folly Beach, James Island and the slightly further out John’s Island are quickly becoming go-to areas to visit and live in.
These areas are still a part of the City of Charleston, which is why they’re included on this list.
Plus, they’re an easy drive from the historic peninsula, making these activities a fun and quick add-on to your plans downtown.
Visit McLeod Plantation.
This site was purchased by the Charleston County Parks System about 10 years ago, which allowed for public access of the area for the first time in its history.
Today, visitors can walk through the original plantation house and grounds to learn about the property’s role in the rice trade and Civil War.
There’s also a heavy emphasis on the Gullah-Geechee culture of the enslaved people and their decendents of the Sea Islands.
Cool off during the summer at James Island County Park's Splash Zone.
A bit bigger than Mount Pleasant’s Splash Island (but not as big as North Charleston’s Whirling Waters), this local favorite hits the sweet spot for most families.
It’s big enough that even middle schoolers will be able to find something to do, but it is small enough to keep up with your entire party.
The wave pool and big play structure are highlights.
Hit the greens at the Municipal Golf Course.
You can’t miss this as the main highway to John’s Island cuts directly through the course.
It’s also an easy car ride from the historic peninsula, and it is the second closest golf course to downtown Charleston (the first being Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant).
Catch the latest indie film at the Terrace Theatre.
I love this little theatre! It is the only independent theatre in all of Charleston, and there’s always a great mixture of new releases, foreign films, and small indies being shown.
This was where I saw Bend It Like Beckham, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Life is Beautiful for the first time.
Plus, you can rent out an entire theatre for special occasions.
Learn how tea is grown, harvested, and processed at America's only tea plantation.
Sign at Charleston Tea Plantation | source
You can’t beat a free outing at the Charleston Tea Plantation as it has a little bit of everything fun: a factory tour, a cute gift shop, and Instagram-worthy surroundings.
For a small fee, you can take the cute train tour around the plantation, which I recommend.
Don’t forget to sample some of the tea in the gift shop before picking out a tin of your favorite to take home.
Get close to wildlife at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center.
The Lowcountry has a lot of fascinating wildlife, and you’ll get to see a wide variety of those local species here.
Listen out for the bellows of the alligators in the swamp, and keep a sharp eye out for the many snakes, lizards, and birds that call Charleston home.
If you’re visiting in the spring, you’ll be treated to the amazing rainbow effect that naturally occurs on the swamp water!
Marvel at the massive 2,000-year-old Angel Oak.
The author at Angel Oak on John’s Island
Before I visited this site for the first time, I remembering thinking, “How impressive can a tree be?”
Seriously, y’all, it is AMAZING.
Access to the site is free, and seeing this sprawling oak is well worth the trouble of winding your way down the small dirt road.
Discover a new favorite wine at Irving House Vineyards.
This part of Charleston is covered in beautiful oak trees, and Irving House has done such a good job of putting their property in harmony with the surroundings.
Be sure to check out some of the trails before you head to a wine tasting held regularly throughout the week.
Best Things to Do in West Ashley
Spend the day at Magnolia Plantation.
Bridge at Magnolia Plantation
Magnolia Plantation is one of the best things to do with kids in Charleston, thanks to the to the petting zoo and the beautiful gardens.
My kids have done these activities a couple of times, though we’ve skipped the house tours until they’re a bit older.
I’ve done the house tour separately, and it is well-organized and interesting.
Magnolia Plantation’s main house isn’t the typical white columned look of most, and the architectural decisions behind it are fascinating.
If you don’t have a car, I’d suggest a plantation tour with pick-up/drop-off since Magnolia Plantation is quite a distance from the historic district.
>> Check availability for your Magnolia Plantation tour here! <<
Go for a walk along the West Ashley Greenway.
In an effort to include more green spaces in this highly trafficked and commercial corner of Charleston County, the West Ashley Greenway was created out of a former railroad track.
It now stretches 8 miles through West Ashley and into John’s Island.
Most of it is paved, but the sections on John’s Island are not (yet).
Bring your bike, skates, and dog for a healthy adventure!
Take a tour of Drayton Hall.
West Ashley’s Highway 61 is considered the “Plantation Corridor” as there are three plantations directly next to one another: Magnolia Plantation, Drayton Hall, and Middleton Plantation.
Drayton is unusual because it has purposefully been kept unfurnished to put an emphasis on the architecture and history of the house.
Stroll the grounds of Middleton Plantation before eating at the onsite restaurant.
If Magnolia Plantation (above) has the most kid-friendly gardens, Middleton Plantation’s gardens win for being the most beautifully detailed.
After you take a house tour, explore the gardens which stretch down to the Ashley River.
If you want even more time here, you can book at room at the on-site inn, Middleton Place.
Learn about Charleston's early history at Charles Towne Landing.
Charles Towne Landing is the location of Charleston’s first colony, and the property has historical information on Native Americans, white European settlers, the enslaved peoples, and more in the 300+ years of the property’s existence.
You can’t miss the Avenue of Oaks on this property, which is where you’ll take the perfect family vacation photo.
Next, head to the petting zoo and kid-friendly trails.
The trading ship, a replica of an original 17th century one, will also be a highlight.
Share your vote for the best things to do in Charleston SC with me in the comments!
