Charleston SC: Where the Livin’ Is Easy
"Gone with the Wind’s Rhett Butler may be a bit of a rogue, but he has impeccable taste. His determination to return to Charleston at the close of Margaret Mitchell’s epic stems from the hope that somewhere there is “… something left in life of charm and grace.”
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Mansions that line the battery offer views of ships as the sail blithely by on the blue water.
Photo courtesy of the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. |
If there is, it will be in Charleston, a well-mannered place where gentlemen working on their prize camellias tip their hats courteously to ladies walking their dogs along the cobblestone of Chalmers Street.
With the elegance of a European city, Charleston easily ranks as one of the country’s most beautiful and historic cities. Tucked between deep tidal rivers on the South Carolina coast, it is also a treasure trove of natural beauty — highlighted by rookeries; barrier islands; and live oaks wild with Spanish moss, lining paths to long-ago plantations. It is a place for the coastal-bound to put down roots. Founded on the west bank of the Ashley River in 1670, the city of Charleston moved to the peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers just 10 years later.
Building a Bridge to the Past
In Charleston, Rhett would have enjoyed leisurely strolls by the magnificent homes along South and East Battery, or the colonial-era mercantile dwellings on East Bay Street that were later dubbed Rainbow Row. (The distinct pastel colors were added in the 1930s, a bit after Rhett’s time).
The 19th-century Edmondston-Alston House on Charleston Harbor is a spectacular example of the historic district’s architectural styles. The columns, side piazzas, cast-iron balcony and interior decoration recall a time of evening formals and separate rooms for drawing and withdrawing.
“Charleston was the very first city in the country to enact a preservation ordinance and board of architectural review,” says city architect Eddie Bello. “We don’t have just one or two stand-alone buildings that are historic and beautiful to look at; we have entire neighborhoods.”
The city and surrounding area today encompass a diversity of forms: historic plantations, upscale modern neighborhoods in gated communities and an emerging digital corridor with its high-tech jobs and robust growth. That’s the real joy of Charleston – the juxtaposition of the tranquility of long ago with modern-day progress. A cutting-edge medical district thrives just blocks away from museums; music halls; and Hampton Park, where Charleston police groom horses for their mounted patrols. Aquarium Wharf offers harbor tours to Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. Patriot’s Point features the decommissioned USS Yorktown and the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum.
Along a 10-mile road connecting Charleston with Summerville, plantations such as Magnolia Gardens, Drayton Hall and Middleton Place offer a goosebump-inducing trip into the past.
A Luxurious Lifestyle
Charleston is fast becoming recognized not only as a historic city but as a vibrant, active adult communities overflowing with outdoors enthusiasts, bicyclists, anglers, sailors and artists. The winters are short and mild, the gardens are phenomenal, and regional planning committees are on the leading edge of conservation, dedicated to keeping wetlands, parks and waterways pristine.
The Market Square area, near the waterfront, features not just plenty of eateries but an open-air market where artists often display prized sweetgrass baskets, handcrafted jewelry and other great gift items.
“Twilight garden parties, spectacular fundraising galas, impromptu concerts in the park, art shows – the verve with which Charleston socializes is one of the most exciting aspects of our community,” says local society editor Ida Becker. Indeed, “something wonderful occurs practically every day.”
It’s true. Gatherings, celebrations and festivals are a huge part of the culture of the city. Each summer, the renowned Spoleto Festival USA offers more than 100 performances of opera, dance, theater and music, ranging from the traditional to the highly experimental. Charleston is also home to Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, Charleston Food + Wine Festival, and MOJA Arts Festival, a two-week celebration of African-American and Caribbean arts, music and culture.
On King Street, a great place to browse for antiques or just people-watch, you never know whom you might see. Charleston is the hometown of TV performer Stephen Colbert, “Wheel of Time” novelist Robert Jordan, and Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish. It has also hosted the filming of many a motion picture, including “The Patriot” with Mel Gibson and “The Notebook” with James Garner.
Local sports fans flock to Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Stadium, home of baseball’s Charleston RiverDogs. Daniel Island features the Family Circle Cup of tennis, and the annual Cooper River Bridge Run draws runners from around the world.
Cuisine Seals the Deal
Of course, just between us, the factor that turns Charleston’s visitors into residents is the food: Fresh locally caught seafood, heirloom grains and an abundance of world-class chefs combine to make the area an epicure’s Eden.
McCrady’s, housed in an 18th-century English bond brick structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Landmarks, weaves together classic Southern cuisine and the cutting edge of modern gastronomy. FIG, which is Chef Mike Lata’s celebration of slow (as opposed to fast) food, stands for Food is Good (apparently so – Gourmet magazine lists FIG in its “Where to Eat Right Now in 30 American Cities” guide). Charleston Grill, in the west gallery of the Charleston Place Hotel, combines contemporary Lowcountry cuisine with live jazz and an impeccable ambience.
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McCrady's is housed in an 18th century English bond brick structure.
Photo courtesy of McCrady's. |
For lunch, you can scarcely do better than Slightly North of Broad on East Bay Street, which blends Lowcountry heritage with Charleston’s other rich cultural traditions. Not only does it have great food, but it’s got the best energy of any lunch spot in the city as well.
Nor is food all that Charleston has to offer. Native scuppernong grapes, grown by Irvin-House Vineyards on nearby Wadmalaw Island, are harvested to produce a variety of Southern wines. The vineyard’s Blessing of the Vines each autumn combines local wine with picnicking on the lawn and live music for entertainment.
Good food and drink, shared in the cool of an afternoon sea breeze in coastal oceanfront real estate , is as fine a celebration of the leisurely pace of Southern life as one could wish. If you are considering relocating to the Charleston area, think back to the song “Summertime,” from Gershwin’s classic Charleston opera “Porgy and Bess,” and see whether the lyrics and melody don’t point the way.
By Jason A. Zwiker
Originally published in the Summer 2007 issue of Coastal Homes magazine
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