Top 10 Things To Do In Charleston, South Carolina
South Carolina Aquarium
This mega aquarium is not just the home to sea creatures. It is a perfect and beautiful mix of land creatures, reptiles, birds, plants, and sea creatures. The aquarium features a 385,000 gallon aquarium tank, in which daily shows are displayed. There are also shark shallows which allow you to touch the sharks and other sea creatures without fear or getting harmed. You should also check out the 2201b loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta, which lives in the great ocean tank
Waterfront Park
This 12acre park features a waterfront that stretches for more than a thousand feet. The views are ideal for a nice relaxation time, and here you would also find old fashioned park benches and double swings that face the water. When it gets dark, the pineapple fountain lights up and the seasonal flower gardens spice up the color to give it wonderful view.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
Have you ever seen a large garden with a year round beauty? If not, the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is a place for you to check. It is America’s oldest public access gardens, and was first opened to visitors in 1870. It also features one of the world’s largest romantic-styled garden, and would be an ideal place to have a romantic picnic.
Middleton Place Plantation
The beauty of the south is pronounced by the beauty of its plantations, and the south has a lot of plantations to boast of. The Middleton Place Plantation is also one of America’s oldest landscape gardens. Stretched with hedged galleries, pools, descending terraces, and even the ground has a lot of magnificence to show off.
USS Yorktown and Patriots Point
The USS Yorktown is located at Patriots Point just across Charleston Harbour, where it can be boarded. The enormous vessel was the tenth aircraft carrier to serve the U.S Navy. It received the presidential unit citation, 5 battle stars for serving in Vietnam, and also 11 battle stars for serving in the World War II. This special vessel was also the vessel selected to recover the astronauts of the Apollo 8 and was also used in the film debut of ‘The Fighting Lady’ in 1944.
Boone Hall Plantation
This plantation stretches over three-quarters of a mile, and it is popularly known for its moss-draped oak trees and preserving the original cabins of slaves. It started in 1681, and is one of America’s oldest working plantations. The trees have a beautiful appearance in photos despite their age; being planted as far back as 1743 by Major John Boone’s son. This is a site worth seeing, and the market is stocked with produce of the plantation.
Old Slave Mart Museum
This museum brings back the tales of history, a place set aside inside the building where auctioning of slaves took place before the Civil War. The eye catcher is the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon where pirates were imprisoned.
Drayton Hall
The Drayton Hall is the oldest plantation house unrestored in America and still open to the public. The enticing aspect of this hall is the fact that everything was left untouched to give a very good glimpse of the past. It is one of the few halls to survive the Civil War still intact. It contains one of the oldest African American cemeteries, dating as far back as 1790, which is still in use.
Fort Sumter National Monument
This is where the American Civil War began; April 12,1861. Its ruins are still well preserved, and its stories are told by National Park Rangers on how it shaped history.
Ravenel Bridge
Named after Arthur Ravenel Jr., running across the Cooper River and joining the Mount Pleasant to downtown Charleston, the bridge became a landmark after its completion in 2005. The design and capabilities of the bridge is enough to leave one in awe even aside from its beautiful design.
