As an experienced Charleston tourist myself, I’ve come to realize that there are certain essentials everyone should know before diving into such a culturally rich city. While you are more than welcome to go unprepared and simply wander around the blazing sun all day, I would recommend following some of the guidelines I’ve put together for you down below.

Wear Sunscreen and Bring Water
Don’t let them fool you - Charlestonians may play off that the sun only “kisses their skin” or that they are incapable of sweating, but that is simply not true. The Charlestonian knows to apply sunscreen, how to pull off a floppy sun hat, and better yet, when it is time to rest inside an airconditioned area... 

Even though most people believe that Johns Island's famous Angel Oak was named for its heavenly nature, it actually drew its moniker from the early owners of the land on which it sits. Regardless of that interesting fact, visiting it still creates an almost surreal experience. Maybe best of all, it's FREE to enjoy in all its splendor.

1. It's estimated to be well more than 500 years old. That's even longer than the honorable Joseph P. Riley was the mayor of Charleston. According to lore, it has literally captured the rapt attention of locals and visitors for centuries...

A free and “not to be missed” Charleston offering is the historic Dock Street Theatre at 135 Church Street. Many locals simply call it “The Dock Street.” The Dock Street is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. unless an event is being hosted or it’s a holiday. It also provides the perfect respite for the hot and weary tourist, especially near the end of a two-hour walking tour, with its beauty, air conditioning and restrooms.

Early theatrical productions in America were brought to towns by traveling groups of actors and usually performed in taverns...

When we think of Charleston, we think of history, of natural beauty and year-round sunshine. We think of great shops and neat places to discover. We think of incredible food and drink and very friendly people. Well, check the air in your bike tires because with a little planning, you can experience all of that on two wheels.

1. Up and over: As a tourist or a local, you've got to love the Ravenel Bridge, the third-longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The shared bike/pedestrian lane was the result of an intense grassroots effort by local groups, including a nearby fifth-grade class. That's as cool as the awe-inspiring views from the bridge itself. What are you waiting for?

Darrell Johnson is a man who, while embracing the present, has a fondness for the past. He remembers a time when grocery stores closed at 9pm. He tells me that you were out of luck if you didn't get what you needed before then. He knows that everyday life can't return to being that way but he feels for those people now have to work throughout the night in a 24hr world.

At 14 years old, Darrell was no different than his 14 yr son today, looking for stuff to do without parents around. At 15, he had a license to drive which only allowed him to drive until 5pm. He teamed up with an older boy who could drive at night, and together they took turns driving. Going to high school games was the thing to do back then.

My dog is named after a plant, so it only made sense that Fern and I would venture to the Outdoor Festival and experience the James Island County Park. 

Fern is just shy of two years old and is a coonhound mix. My little plant dog is afraid of everything: bees, the sound of plastic containers, loud noises, stairs, food scoops, middle aged men.  I can tell that she wants to hang out with other dogs, but she sits and stares at them forlornly, feeling like an outsider.

I only know all of this because I am nosey and read her diary.

If you love food, you’d have to agree there are zero reasons to visit a national restaurant chain here in Charleston. Who’d settle for the same meal you can get in Grand Rapids or Hackensack, when you can take advantage of the offerings of our local eateries? The same holds true for coffee, if not more so. You’re not in Kansas anymore. Nor Seattle. You’re in America’s favorite city, so I’m personally inviting you to check out one of our many coffee spots that help percolate our colorful reputation. You won’t regret it one drop!

The Charleston Market (or just the Market as locals call it) has been integral to Charleston since a public market was planned at this site around 1788. A beef market was originally located at the northeast corner of Broad and Meeting Streets, but later burned. In 1788, the Pinckney family deeded the land on which the Market now exists to the City of Charles Town specifically to be developed as a public market.  The Pinckneys were farsighted about the use and future of this property; the deed even had language that is known today as a reverter clause, i.e. if the City ever chose not to use the land as a market, the land would revert back to the Pinckney family and heirs.

My last Diary post centered on White Point Garden, and now I want to explore the immediate vicinity a bit more. In keeping with “White Point Garden Weddings” occurring across the street in the park, number two Meeting Street was essentially a wedding gift presented by George Williams to his daughter Martha. One of very few individuals in the impoverished South who was wealthy after the Civil War, George Williams built his home at 16 Meeting Street, a Victorian mansion of approximately 24,000 square feet, around 1876.

In 1890, Martha Williams married Waring Parker Carrington, a jeweler in his family's business on King Street, in an elaborate wedding at Trinity Methodist Church a little farther up on Meeting Street. The story goes that Mr. Williams gave his daughter a check...

It is almost evening, and there is some great light still left in the sky. Michael has a few minutes for me to photograph him before he needs to get to the gallery. Tonight is the night of the monthly art walk. Soon, downtown Charleston will be bustling with art admirers visiting galleries looking for new and fresh art from the many talented creatives in town.

The rich art culture of this city was the reason Michael decided to move here almost two decades ago. He chose Charleston for its combination of small town and thriving art community.

Originally from Wisconsin, Michael took a detour through California before planting himself here.