Charleston, South Carolina is a wonderful historic city with a lot to offer. You could easily spend a few days here exploring the city and still find new things to keep you busy. There’s historic forts, great museums, colorful architecture, shopping, and so much more.
At a minimum, I’d recommend giving Charleston at least one full day of your itinerary, but two days would be even better. However, for this article, I’m going to focus just on travelers who have limited time. Here’s how I would recommend spending one day in Charleston.
One Day in Charleston, South Carolina
This one day itinerary is based loosely on my own visit to Charleston. I’ll fully admit that I didn’t have enough time in this city, which is why it’s high on my list to return.
Additionally, while this itinerary is designed for one day in Charleston, you can cut it down a bit shorter if you’re really short on time. Like I said, I didn’t have a full day in Charleston, but I still managed to visit everything on this list. In order to do that, I flipped some things around and started early. I wouldn’t change how I did it, but I do wish that I would have had some extra time to explore this city.
Enough rambling. Let’s get into this Charleston itinerary.
Morning – Old Exchange and Provost Dungeons
The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon is a great museum in Charleston. This building served as a city hall, a prison, a post office, and more.
When the British occupied this building, they used the bottom floor of the Exchange as a dungeon for American Prisoners of War. The Exchange hosted delegates from South Carolina, where the debated and eventually ratified the United States Constitution. When George Washington was President, Charleston city leaders held extravagant dinners for the elite at the Exchange. Plus, it was also an important destination as part of the United States domestic slave trade.
I could keep going, but I there’s a lot of history in this one building. British, American, Confederate, and now Charleston city leaders have all had control of the building at one point in time, which explains why there seems to be so much going on here. In fact there’s so much history here that as you go through the museum, it can feel overwhelming.
The Dungeon, which is located in the basement of the museum, gives guided tours (which are included in your entry fee). When you buy your ticket, staff will inform you of when the next tour starts. We timed it almost perfectly (unintentionally) and did the tour first thing. The tour lasts about twenty minutes.
I had seen a lot of reviews that the tour was fabulous and just amazing, but I believe your guide makes all of the difference. Our guide was just ok, so I didn’t have the same feelings of “wow, such an amazing tour!” that other people did.
Allow yourself about one hour for this museum, though history buffs may find they want to linger just a little bit longer. To make the most out of your one day in Charleston, I recommend starting your day here and visiting right when it opens at 9:00 am (11:00 am on Sundays).
Purchase your tickets and get up to date hours at the official website.
Late Morning – Old Slave Mart
The Old Slave Mart is within walking distance from the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, so head here next.
This building is exactly what it sounds like and it’s an absolute must visit on your trip to Charleston. It’s an historic market that sold slaves, back when slavery was legal in the United States. It’s believed that this building is the only building in South Carolina left that dealt with the sale of slaves. While you won’t find loads of artifacts here, you will get a plethora of well put together information.
The information that you learn from visiting this museum is not sugarcoated and to appreciate it, you have to be willing to look at some of the ugliest parts of American history dead on. That said, this was by far my favorite museum that we toured in Charleston and I believe it’s one of the best museums I’ve been to in the United States. If you only have time for one museum in Charleston, make it this one.
Allow yourself about one hour for this museum.
Purchase your tickets and get up to date hours at the official website.
Lunch
While it can be tempting to push through lunch and keep trying to see as much as you can for your one day in Charleston, I highly recommend taking a short break for lunch. There is so much good food in the southern United States that it seems a shame to skip it.
Since I’m not a foodie traveler and I didn’t eat in downtown Charleston, I can’t give any specific recommendations. However, I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that’s delicious.
Afternoon – Exploring Charleston on Foot
The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore Charleston and I don’t have a set route. There are a few things that I highly recommend you stop to see, but a few others that you can add to customize this itinerary to your own preferences.
For must see sights, I recommend walking along Charleston’s oceanfront. I focused on The Battery, which is an historic fortified sea wall that was built to protect the city. From here, you can actually see Fort Sumter if you head to the High Battery.
If you head a bit north from High Battery, you’ll pass Rainbow Row. This is one of the most famous scenes of Charleston with its brightly colored houses. According to legend, the colorful buildings were painted in bright colors so drunk sailors could find the correct bunk house after a night out. Just remember that while Rainbow Row is one of the most photographed spots of Charleston, it’s not the only place with nice architecture.
Slightly further up from Rainbow is Joe Riley Waterfront Park where you’ll find the famous Pineapple Fountain and more great views of the ocean.
For shopping, head to City Market. While it can feel touristy, the City Market is a fun place to do some shopping. The City Market has been around for over 200 years, so there’s plenty of history here, just like everywhere else in Charleston. City Market spans four blocks and has nearly 300 vendors. There’s a little bit of everything here and I appreciated that each stall felt different. You’ll find everything from clothes to purses to art to sauces to games and even more. It’s a fun way to spend an hour.
If you’re still looking for more things to do, you can visit one of the many historic homes located throughout the city. If you like touring history homes, you’ll find no shortage of these homes in Charleston. My top choices would be either the Aiken-Rhett House, the Edmondston-Alston House, but there are numerous historic homes to choose from.
For art lovers, consider a visit to the Gibbes Museum of Art which features not only local artists, but also works from painters like Rembrandt and Rodin. Plus, like so much of Charleston, the building itself is pretty too.
How exactly you spend your afternoon is up to you. See a few of the top sights (like The Battery and Rainbow Row), but also take the time to customize your Charleston itinerary to what piques your interest the most.
More Things to Do in Charleston, South Carolina
Of course you’ll find even more to do in South Carolina than what I’ve included here. But for those with limited time (and those who don’t want to run all over the city trying to see everything in one day), these were the highlights.
If you have more time and energy, my top pick would be taking a trip to visit Fort Sumter. This National Monument is famous because it’s where the first shots of the United States’ Civil War took place. While I think it’d be a great place to visit, it’s off the mainland and you’ll need to take a ferry to reach the entrance. Because of the time needed to get to and from Fort Sumter, you’ll want to make sure to give yourself plenty of time.
Is One Day in Charleston, South Carolina Enough?
I think that one day in Charleston gives you a good introduction to this city, but having visited, I’d try to give yourself two days. I’m still bummed that I had to skip visiting Fort Sumter and some of the other museums around Charleston, but when you don’t have a lot of time, you have to pick and choose what you see.
How to Get Around Charleston, South Carolina
The biggest challenge is getting to the heart of the historic part of Charleston. Once you’re down here, everything is walkable (except for the ferry to Fort Sumter).
When I visited Charleston, we parked our car at the Cumberland Street Parking Garage and then explored downtown on foot.
Final Thoughts
Charleston is a great city to explore, and it blew away my expectations. Due to the scheduling of my trip, we just didn’t have time to really explore this city in depth, which is a shame. I’m still happy with my one day in Charleston, but I know that I’ll want to return another day to explore a bit deeper.
Continue Your Adventure
Nearby: Just a two hour drive from Charleston is Congaree National Park. A two hour drive along the Atlantic Coast takes you to Savannah, GA, another beautiful, historic city.
North Carolina: Before our visit to Charleston, we came from Asheville, North Carolina where a highlight is touring the Biltmore Estate.
Itineraries: Charleston was just one stop on my road trip from Washington DC to Savannah, GA.
