Visit the uncharted areas of Charleston, S.C.

Charleston Kayak

Uncharted Charleston

Venture off the tourist track to these must-see spots

BY JOHN BORDSEN

Charleston, 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 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, >

Cooper Bridge Cypress Gardens

Tavern and Table

Bob Waggoner’s Market Street kitchen

also known as the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. You can walk the bridge from downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant.

The bridge is a visually striking cabled span that holds eight lanes of U.S. 17 over the Cooper River. Any time of year, the views from the pedestrian lanes on the south side of the span are sumptuous.

SEE POPULAR MOVIE SETS

Cypress Gardens, a pastoral attraction in Berkeley County, is out of range for short guided tours of Charleston — about 40 miles north of downtown, in Moncks Corner — but its 170 acres offer miles of trails through low country gardens and swamplands.

“It’s one of the most beautiful, off-thebeaten-path places you can find, with natural life second to none,” LaVerne says.

Hollywood has already been here: You may recognize locations featured in Mel Gibson’s Revolutionary War movie The Patriot (2000), the Civil War film Cold Mountain (2003) and the 2004 tearjerker The Notebook.

CHOW DOWN

There’s no shortage of restaurants and great seafood in Charleston. Not all are open for dinein service during the COVID-19 pandemic, but many are more than happy to prepare a meal you can eat outdoors or in your hotel.

Lynn and Cele Seldon, husband-and-wife coauthors of 100 Things to Do in Charleston Before You Die, suggest Chez Nous, a tiny, elegant spot that uses local ingredients in its French and northern Italian-inspired fare.

Knoth recommends heading to Shem Creek, the maritime/ dining area in Mount Pleasant, where seafood restaurants (and a nice boardwalk) line the water. Her favorite? Tavern and Table.

LaVerne suggests Bowens Island Restaurant, about 10 miles south of downtown Charleston on one of the marshy isles leading to Folly Beach. It looks like a ramshackle roadhouse on stilts, but is a Charleston institution famous for fried shrimp and oysters.

EMBRACE YOUR INNER CHEF

While culinary tours take you to several of Charleston’s best dining spots, foodies in search of a more hands-on experience should find In the Kitchen with Chef Bob Waggoner on Market Street, where diners help make their own meals. Visitors are advised to make reservations well in advance.

Lynn Seldon says, “The two- to three-hour classes feature different menus every night and include convivial cooking instruction, active participation and a tasty dinner.” l