Is Charleston Worth Visiting?

My husband and I visited Charleston, SC last year for the first time. We absolutely fell in love with its charm and everything about it.

As my family gets ready for our upcoming trip to Myrtle Beach, I wanted to show them around and bring them on a day trip to Charleston.

There’s honestly so much to do and a bit of something for everyone in Charleston such as:

History and architecture: Antebellum era homes and war landmarks
The food: Southern fried chicken and tons of Okra and other diverse foods
The coast: If you’re a beach lover, there’s tons of massive beaches!
Shopping and art: With a huge City Market, Charleston won’t disappoint
Walkable and city life: If you love the city, this one is quaint and sweet, and yet you can almost walk and bike anywhere!

Here are the things I would do again on a day trip to Charleston, SC:

One Day Trip To Charleston: My Itinerary

This is the exact route I plan to use to show my family around the beautiful city. Charleston is only a little over 2 hours south of Myrtle Beach, so it’s the perfect amount of driving time for spending one day in Charleston.

Charleston Bike Taxi is a unique way to get from one destination in the city to another.

charleston bike taxi — *Source:* *Charleston Bike Taxi*

Old South Carriage Tours was the company my husband and I used during our 4 day total stay. If you can squeeze this in, I highly recommend! I feel like you can’t tour Charleston without being pulled by a horse drawn carriage.

Almost everything we did in Charleston was walkable!

Here is a great itinerary that is all within walking distance I would do again in order of the map below.

As you can see all of the things I loved the most about Charleston are perfectly close together!

one day trip charleston itinerary — *Not my image, just my edit.*

When Is The Best Time To Visit Charleston?

When my husband and I visited Charleston we went towards the end of July in mid summer. It was not an ideal time at all due to temps being in the 90’s and 98% humidity.

If I had to go again, I would choose end of March - early June or October - November. Just be aware it is hurricane season during those 2 months.

If you do choose to go in the summer months from June - September, there are great options for beaches:

Folly Beach
Sullivans Island

RELATED: Charleston Outfit Ideas

What To See And Do In Charleston In One Day

King Street Shopping

King Street is pretty much like the 5th Ave of NY. You can find tons of designer stores like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, a Yeti store Love Shack Fancy, and smaller local shops as well.

Brace yourself because it stretches almost the entire length of the city of Charleston.

My personal favorite store where I you can make your own candles, and they had a candle Library wall was Candlefish.

Miller’s All Day

Grab a bite to eat here for breakfast! Yes, you’re reading the name correctly!

This place serves adult beverages All. Day.

The Nutella cream-filled donuts and breakfast chicken sandwich on a biscuit really drew me to this place. It’s a Charleston Hot Spot, So I’d recommend going early!

French Quarter

Take a nice stroll around one of the prettiest neighborhoods in Charleson. (In my opinion)

It’s one of the most romantic parts of the city, with cobblestone streets and colorful architectural homes.

It’s within perfect walking distance, and you'll also be right against Waterfront Park.

French Huguenot Church

On your way to the French Quarter, you most likely cannot miss French Huguenot Church. It’s a beautiful pink church with stunning architecture. They sometimes do tours as well.

If you’re someone who loves a good photo-op, it’s the perfect picture-esque spot.

Either way, it’s at least worth passing by its beauty!

Waterfront Park

In Waterfront Park, part of the French Quarter, you’ll find Charleston’s iconic Pineapple Fountain.

This beautiful park also has walkways filled with oak trees that meet against the Harbor.

On a hot day, you can walk into the fountain and cool off, too.

Rainbow Row

Walk 7 minutes Southwest of Waterfront Park, and you’ll come across Rainbow Row on East Bay Street.

This is a must-see spot in Charleston, as it is what the city is most known for: a beautiful row of 13 colorful pastel houses.

Surprisingly, when we went, there were only about 3 other people. It was not as busy of a spot as I had planned for it to be.

The Battery

Just another 7-minute walk South of Rainbow Row, you’ll come across High Battery Park at the most southern point of the island.

The Battery was used as a defensive seawall during the Civil War and is full of beautiful and stately Antebellum homes.

With a very large park, and multiple cannon structures facing the water, this is surely a beautiful area to take a walk and site see.

PINNABLE IMAGE

Where To Stay In Charleston

If your trip has you staying a little bit more than just one day, there are so many gorgeous and reputable options for hotels in the city.

My husband and I stayed in Mount Pleasant because we did spend more than one day for our mini vacation.

Mount Pleasant is only about a 10-15 minute drive to the right side of the city. We loved staying out this way in an airbnb because we were equi-distant from both the city and the beach.

We would visit Sullivans Island for beach access and drive over the stunning Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge everyday to get into the city.

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Extra Things You Can Do in 1 Day in Charleston

Charleston City Market

I’m going to add this to my list because I think it’s something unique Charleston offers, but there is an entire street dedicated to vendors selling goods and services every single day.

If you’re following the above map, it would be a great starting point. I would probably pass the next time I go just because I wasn’t interested in the products at the time.

But it’s very cool to see!