Destination Charleston, SC

8/13/2019 Destination Charleston, SC

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The his tory, well-preserved arch itecture and manner ly

people make Charleston one of the most adored cities

in the world. Locals call it the Lowcountrybecause

the city is either at or below sea levelor the Holy

City since no building can be taller than the tallest

church steeple. Charlestons accolades by well-known

travel periodicals include being crowned the Top

Destination in the World, and for three consecutive

years it was named the Top U.S. City. Within ten miles

of downtown exist three charming beaches: Isle of

Palms, Sullivans Island and Folly Beach. If the radius

is extended by ten miles tack on Kiawah and Seabrook

Islands, two world-class golf destinations.

Charleston is the Cooperstown of American history

throw a rock and youre bound to hit a notable

Revolutionary or Civil War landmark. Charlestons calendar

is full with goings-onsometimes triple bookedso a

popular activity for Charlestonians is staycationing. April

brings four major events, three of which occur on the

first weekend of the month: the Family Circle Cup, a WTA

Premier Event; the Cooper Bridge Run, the biggest and

best organized 10K race in the world; and the Flowertown

Festival, one of the largest arts and crafts festivals in the

South. A week later is Charleston Race Week, one of the

BYDAVIDKUCZKIR

The Southern Secret

56 SOUTHERN BOATINGJANUAR Y2014

CharlestonDESTINATION

SOUTH CAROLINA

History lives in this charming city and leaves hervisitorswhether by land or seacraving more.


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best-known regattas in the country.

To vacation in Charleston and not explore her waterways is just

wrongits tantamount to counting your layover in the Atlanta

Airport as your one and only visit to the South. Charlestons

waterways are paradise. To the south is the Ashepoo-

Combahee-Edisto (ACE) Basin, while to the north is the Cape

Romain National Wildlife Refuge. The ACE Basin is the largest

estuary on the Eastern Seaboard. Half of the 66,000 acres in

he Cape Romain Refuge are ranked as a Class I Wilderness,

a designation reserved for the most pristine places. Boat a little

urther south or north of these areas and youll be in one of

Charlestons Sister Cities, Beaufort or Georgetown, the second

and third oldest cities in South Carolina, respectively.

The Charleston Harbor is a confluence of the Ashley and

Cooper Rivers. The Ashley is a Federally designated Scenic

River, and boating the thirty miles of black water swamp and

dal waters is an adventure worth planning. Adorning its pluff-

mud and oak-tree lined banks are 26 National Historic Places, of

which three notable points of interest are pre-Revolutionary era

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CHARLESTONA

REA

CVB

CRUISER RESOURCES

Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina

(843) 284-7062; Fax (843) 856-8333charlestonharbormarina.com

-Located on Patriots Point a Naval &

Maritime Museum

-17,000 lineal feet of dock space; max LOA 200

feet

-Staffed 24 hours, full concierge service, laundry facilities,showers, jacuzzi, pool, private beach, 2 popular restaurants

onsite, dining service delivery, childcare facilities, trolley to

Historic Downtown, business center, complimentary Wi-Fi, free

waste pump-out, discounted resort rooms

Charleston City Marina

(843) 723-5098; Fax (843) 853-1840charlestoncitymarina.com Email: [email protected]

-19,000 lineal feet of dock space; at 1,530', the MegaDock is the

longest free-floating fuel dock in the Southeast; max LOA 450'

-Bathhouse and laundry facilities, mobile and fixed pump-out units,

volume-fuel discounts, high-speed in-slip fueling, complimentary Wi-

Fi, 24-hour security, within walking distance of Historic Downtown,

full-service convenience store, U.S. Customs Port of Entry

Isle of Palms Marina

(843) 886-0209;Fax (843) 886-0058iop.net/communi ty/iopmarina Emai l: [email protected]

-50-slip marina, 300' face dock for transient dockage; max LOA 80'

-Bathhouse and laundry facilities, next to Morgan Creek Grill, ship

store and grocery market, two blocks from the beach, access to

two championship golf courses

The Kiawah Island Golf Resort

(843) 768-2121; Toll Free (US only): (800) 654-2924kiawahresort.com Email: [email protected]

-Oceanfront resort hotel, vacation rental homes and villas

Map data 2013 Google

Left: Charleston Area Tours Carriage offers a slower paced visit.

Above: a sample of the famous Culinary Frogmore Stew


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plantations: Drayton Hall, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens,

and Middleton Place. Drayton Hall is the oldest unrestored

plantation house in America (built in 1742) and considered

one of the best examples of Georgian-Palladian architecture

in the country. Magnolia and Middleton Plantations have

the oldest natural and manicured gardens in America,

respectively.

Capers Island is an undeveloped barrier island north of

Charleston near ICW Marker 99. During the boating season

Capers turns into a boating playground due to its 214 acres

of unspoiled beach. A must is to hike through Boneyard

Beach, a massive graveyard of palms and oaks bleached

over time by the harsh marine elements. Camping on the

island is permitted year-round.

Foodies will fall in love with Charleston. Year after year

its chefs and restaurateurs bring home the coveted James

Beard Awards known as the Oscars of the Food World.

Most of the waterfront restaurants are just east of the

city in the towns of Mount Pleasant and Isle of Palms.

Locals say nothing is more fun than boating to Morgan

Creek Grill, but the food, view and good times on the

restaurants open-air upper deck is only half the story. The

boat ride is worthy of five stars as you idle north on the

ICW past prime real estate through the beach towns of

Sullivans and Isle of Palms.

Less swanky but just as interesting is Goat Island, a

two-mile strip of sandy bluff with a row of old, quirky

beach cottages set in a thicket of trees. According to lore,

a married couple expatriated to the island in 1931 to live

among the feral goats. Squatters, the Goat Man and his

wife lived out their lives on the island in the buff, bleating at

intruders.

You cant visit Charleston without a trip up Shem Creek,

a haven for dolphins and manatees. It winds through

Mount Pleasants Old Villageone of the most historic

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Clockwise from bottom left: Boneyard Beach; The Pineapple

Fountain located at Waterfront Park; The Old Slave Mart

Museum is the first African-American Museum; the iconic

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Br idge; a classic sai lboat r ide on Char leston

Harbor; Fort Sumter. Opposite: The Kiawah Island Golf Resort


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and prestigious neighborhoods in Charlestonbefore

spilling into the Harbor. Six restaurants on its banks make

it a popular, fun waterfront-dining destination. Near its

mouth and behind the old shrimp boat Winds of Fortune

is one of the best eateries in Charleston. The Wreck of

the Richard & Charlene is exactly what youd imagine, a

hole-in-the-wall serving up fresh local seafood. Its named

after the Richard & Charlene, a derelict North Atlantic

trawler that Hurricane Hugo impaled on bare pylons, now

the site of the restaurant. To access Shem Creek follow the

Mount Pleasant Channel located near the Harbor entrance

starting at red and green day-beacons 2 and 7. Beside the

channel youll get a birds eye view of the richest real estate

in Charleston, the Harbor homes in the Old Village.

Charleston is a fascinating and constantly evolving

city Im proud to call home. Living here feels like a

vacation, and if youre like me youll be happiest while

cruising her waterways.

Yachtsmans Dream

Prime Fort Lauderdale Waterfront(home for yourself or your crew)

70' of Seawall

Fits up to two 191' yachts

Floating Docks

Ocean Access, no xed bridges

Drive through 3rd garage for easy provisioning

Rosemary T. Leonard, (708) 466-0997

[email protected]

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Destination Charleston, SC