DAY TWO |
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MORNING Start the morning on foot, heading to the bottom of the peninsula to enjoy the glorious views from Charleston’ s windswept seafront Battery. Aside from the spellbinding vistas of Charleston Harbor( and Fort Sumter beyond, where the first shots of the American Civil War were fired in 1861), there’ s plenty to explore— like Rainbow Row with its famous pastel-hued Georgian townhouses.
Charleston’ s history isn’ t without controversy. In recent years, the city’ s taken an unflinching approach to the darkest chapter of them all— its ties to the slave trade. In 2023, the long-awaited International African American Museum finally opened its doors on Gadsden’ s Wharf, where around 260,000 enslaved
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peoples first arrived in the Americas. The interactive museum is a must-see, deftly handling hard historical truths while also celebrating the African American experience as a whole— from emancipation to the civil rights movement.
AFTERNOON Gullah Geechee culture, inherited from those early enslaved West and Central Africans, is still alive and treasured in Charleston today. One of the best ways to experience it first-hand is with lunch at Hannibal’ s Kitchen on Blake Street. Favourites at the much-loved soul food hotspot include fried fish, oxtails and Hoppin’ John— a spicy pea and rice dish.
From seafood to watersports, the harbour is still an integral
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part of Charlestonian life, and an enjoyable way to interact with it is via one of the city’ s most unique experiences—‘ Casual Crabbing with Tia’. Part fishing lesson, part history class, this activity sees larger-than-life local Tia Clark take small groups down to the waterfront to cast baited ring nets and catch blue crabs the old-fashioned way. It’ s a relaxing, gleeful way to spend an afternoon by the water— made even more engaging by Tia’ s rich storytelling.
When it comes to dinner options, you’ ll be spoiled for choice. A winning reservation is always Magnolias on East Bay Street, where the crab cakes( served with red pea succotash and tomato butter) are to die for, and the blue crab bisque is velvety perfection.
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EVENING Fully sated, explore Charleston’ s legendary rooftop bar scene. Start with the Citrus Club above the Dewberry Hotel. Here, the elegant outdoor terrace is peppered with palms and citrus trees, with views across both of Charleston’ s rivers, the Ashley and the Cooper. The clue is in the name here, with orange, lemon and lime-based cocktails the order of the day, and the Orangutan— a salted orange and mint pisco, mixed with Italian Aperitivo and lemon— is a must-try.
Finish the night in style at Fiat Lux, Hotel Bennett’ s glamorous ninth-floor cocktail terrace. Here, infused vodkas and gins lead the way, as well-heeled patrons sip concoctions named after famous hotels, while enjoying the spectacular views.
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images: Sahar Coston-Hardy; ANDREW CEBULKA; John D Smoak |
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