SOUTHEAST | SOU T H C A ROL INA
Charleston Kayak
Uncharted Charleston Venture off the tourist track to these must-see spots
C
harleston, S.C., is among America’s most-visited cities. First-timers typically check out the City Market, take a bus or carriage tour through downtown neighborhoods dripping with history, head to Fort Sumter or visit a plantation or two. All are major attractions — must-sees for thousands. But there’s much more to see and do. Here are some options top travel pros in the area suggest:
SEE CHARLESTON BY WATER Travel experts in Charleston
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GO ESCAPE | SUMMER 2021
recommend exploring downtown by water — both for the cityscape and for the sunsets. Downtown is flanked by the Ashley and Cooper rivers as they enter the sea, and physically going with the flow highlights the skyline and is a potent reminder of the city’s maritime history. The views are spectacular at sunset. “More tourists take it than locals, but the Schooner Pride sunset cruise is pretty amazing,” says John LaVerne, founder of Bulldog Tours. “It goes close to Fort Sumter, and at sunset, it parks off the Battery and the antebellum mansions behind it.” “Kayak tours are a lot of fun,” says
LaVerne. You can also rent a kayak and explore alone. Christina Knoth of Lowcountry Walking Tours suggests an in-town option: Ride the water taxi that crosses the Cooper between downtown and Mount Pleasant, the city’s oldest suburb. “You can board it at the Maritime Center ... and cross over to Patriots Point and the Harbor Marina near it. Just going back and forth between the stops gives you great views of the skyline, the Cooper Bridge and the harbor.”
DO A BRIDGE WALK The water taxi provides great views of the stunning Cooper River Bridge, >
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BY JOHN BORDSEN
