getting to know the usa: charleston, south carolina

Charleston in the Summer.

Getting to know Charleston, South Carolina has been a very educational experience.  After all, it was one of thirteen colonies to declare its independence from Great Britain, the first shots in the American Civil War were fired from an island near this fair city, and it was the largest market for slave traders.  There's also lots of pirate history, including a visit by the infamous Blackbeard.  So, this mini-guide includes my favorite sights where you can learn all sorts of things relating to American history.

Additionally (and perhaps, more importantly), in getting to know Charleston, I learned that Charleston has got some good eating! Hurrah!

Without, further ado, these are the things you need to know when visiting Charles Towne - whoops! I mean Charleston (see what I did there? I engaged in some colonial humour).

Battery Park.

Top Sights

          Battery Park - A park in the southern tip of the old historic district. I saw lots of canons - including ones that were part of the battery used by Union soldiers in Fort Sumter, and lots of Confederate artillery.  You can also see Fort Sumter in the distance.  It's free to visit.

          Ryan's Mart (Old Slave Mart) - The "show room" of this actual slave market was converted into this small museum.  Some of the walls were the original ones.  The exhibit included shackles and ledgers identifying slaves for sale.  Being inside felt so oppressive and I could not even imagine what it was like to be a slave.  But, as the philosopher George Santayana said in his book, The Life of Reason (Vol. I), "[t]hose who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."  (In case you were wondering, I didn't read the book but I google-d this now famous quote.)  I paid a nominal fee to get in (but I saved money by buying a combination ticket to also visit the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon).

A list of slaves for sale,
including a 2 month old.

          Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon - I thought that a few interesting things about this building were worth the nominal admission fee: the Declaration of Independence was read from the balcony; Charlestonians hosted the first American president, George Washington, in the great hall (so you can walk in his figurative footsteps!); and there's a dungeon down below where you can learn about everything from geography to the colonial effort to oust Britain to pirates. I saved some money on the admission fee by buying a combination ticket to also visit the Old Slave Mart.

          Fort Sumter - To be honest, I didn't have the chance to visit the place where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.  But, I have it on good authority that it is free to visit -- you just have to pay for the ferry to get there.  I saw the fort from Battery Park though....

Spanish moss and old graves.

          City Market - I thought this place was a tourist trap.  Although it used to be a food market - as in, a place for selling meat and produce - it is now a market full of vendors selling shirts, crafts and prepared foods.  It's free to visit.

          Old courthouse - I enjoyed visiting the courthouse because they had some cool flags that dated back to colonial days.  There were also tons of old paintings of Charles Pinckney, a founding father of the US, and other prominent Charlestonian.  And, it was free to visit.

          City Hall - There was a room in the old city hall with a huge painting of George Washington painted by John Trumbull, whose other painting can also be seen on the two-dollar bill. There were plenty other paintings of prominent figures in American history to admire in such a tiny room... all for free.

The paintings in City Hall.

          Walk around the old city and old houses - The best free sight I enjoyed was walking the old streets of the old town.  Many of the homes have been preserved and those homes have a description of when they were built and who lived there.  If you go, take your time and enjoy the architecture.  Try to also walk along the waterfront -- when I was there, a pair of fun loving dolphins gave us a show when they decided to dive in and out of the water while splashing smaller fish (i.e., dolphin food) in the air.

One of the homes in the old town.

What to Eat

          Barbecue - There's Kansas City BBQ.  There's Texas BBQ.  There's Memphis BBQ.  But, there's also Carolina BBQ, and particularly, low country BBQ. "Why should I eat Carolina BBQ," you might ask?  Well, because in this part of the state, the pork has that distinctive vinegary flavor.  I had my fill at Nick's in the old town, but there were plenty others to try.

The shrimp & grits at Hominy Grill.

          Shrimp and Grits - Folks refer to the South Carolina coast as low country and I think that its cuisine's most famous ambassador is the shrimp and grits.  Grits are made of ground corn or hominy, which is like polenta.  Paired with shrimp, it's delicious.  I had mine at the Hominy Grill.

          The dishes at Husk - If you get the chance, check out Husk, where I had a thoroughly enjoyable meal.  I am still thinking of the bread, the cured meats and the Kimchi Pig Ears to this day.

What to Drink

When I asked my husband's friend, who lives in Charleston, whether locals have a typical drink, he mentioned the usual - you know, fancy cocktails made by "mixologists," wine, craft beer, etc. etc.  But, he also mentioned a drink popular in bars: Grand Marnier or GrandMa. He said people don't sip it.  They shoot it.  Yes, with a shot glass.

He also shared this story: A representative for Grand Marnier visited Charleston because the company was doing great business in the city.  But, while visiting a bar, the rep found out that Charlestonians were shooting the drink, instead of sipping it.  Appalled, he stormed off in a huff.  This anecdote was so well known that another unrelated person repeated the same story.  So, if you're at a bar and want to drink something that's "Charlestonian," go ahead and order a shot of GrandMa.  You're welcome.

If you haven't yet, I hope you have the chance to also get to know Charleston and enjoy it as much as I did.  If you want to read other posts in my "Getting to Know the USA" series, check it out here.

Do you have additional suggestions on how folks could get to know Charleston? If so, please share them below.