I’ve been to Charleston enough times now that I’ve stopped being embarrassed about how much I talk about it. Every trip has made me like it more, so this is everything I’ve learned across all of them: the history, the food, an unplanned Notebook pilgrimage, and two very different hotels that are both worth it for completely different reasons.
For the history buffs
If you want to stand where American history actually changed course, take the ferry out to Fort Sumter. I’ll be honest, there isn’t a ton inside beyond plaques and a handful of exhibits, most historic forts are like that. But you’re standing where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, and that fact gets genuinely goosebump-inducing once you’re actually there.
The USS Yorktown, part of the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, is the other one worth your time. No photo does it justice. You can walk the flight deck, look through the vintage aircraft, and get a real sense of what life was like for the sailors who served on her.
If you’ve watched The Notebook a few too many times
Boone Hall Plantation will look familiar if you’ve seen The Notebook more times than is strictly reasonable, no judgment, this is Allie’s family summer home, and that oak tree tunnel entrance is exactly as good in person as it is on screen.
Boone Hall is a former plantation, and to its credit, the tours don’t skip that. There’s a dedicated section on Gullah culture and the lives of the people who were enslaved there. It’s beautiful and it’s heavy, and I think it’s worth visiting specifically because it doesn’t make you choose only one of those.
The first trip, greatest hits
My first trip to Charleston was full tourist mode, and I have zero regrets about it. Liberty Square, Boone Hall, and the USS Yorktown, all in one visit. We were exhausted by the end of it, and it was worth every bit of that tired.
We ate at Fleet Landing (get anything with shrimp), Blossom (genuinely good if you’re vegetarian), and the café at Boone Hall Farms, which does fresh, farm-to-table food that’s about as good a lunch as you’ll find between historic sites.
The best way to see Charleston is on foot
On my second trip, I made it a mission to just walk. I started at The Battery and went as far as Ansonborough, which is a small slice of the city, and it still completely changed how I saw it.
You notice things on foot that you’d never catch from a car: the ironwork on the gates, gardens hiding behind doorways, the way the light hits the pastel houses late in the afternoon. Charleston is the kind of beautiful that makes you stop mid-sidewalk every few minutes.
That same trip is also where I found Church. We got a reservation, ordered a bottle of their Katherine wine, and it’s stayed one of my favorite wines for years since, to the point that I’ve actually gone looking for it in wine shops back home.
That’s the kind of meal that sticks with you.
Where to stay, two very different, both worth it
Ansonborough Inn: a renovated 1900s stationer’s warehouse in the historic district. Because the building used to hold condos and guest suites, every room has a slightly different layout, but all of them are actually spacious, not “hotel spacious” where you can barely open a suitcase. Everything was renovated in spring 2024, so it feels fresh without losing the historic bones.
You’re in the Ansonborough neighborhood, about an 8 minute walk to the city center, close enough to walk everywhere and far enough to feel like an actual neighborhood. There’s a Harris Teeter two minutes away, which covers forgotten chargers, snacks, and late night wine.
Rooms run around $250 a night on average, though that climbs toward $612 depending on what’s happening in the city that week. Breakfast is complimentary, which by itself feels like finding a unicorn these days. There’s a fitness center if you’re feeling motivated, I wasn’t. The real draw is the rooftop garden looking out at the Ravenel Bridge, especially at sunset. It’s pet friendly too, and the staff were some of the most genuinely helpful people I’ve dealt with at a hotel.
Charleston Place: the upscale option. There’s a $200 incidental hold at check in (refundable), and valet parking runs $56 a night, though there’s a public garage right next door for less if you’re watching the budget.
I stayed in a Premier King room, spacious with a mini fridge, and a bathroom with Italian marble and a rain shower I stayed in for an embarrassing amount of time. The location is unmatched, one side of the hotel opens onto King Street, the other onto Meeting Street, and it’s a 3 minute walk to the Charleston City Market.
Prices run $375 to $670 a night, averaging around $420. Everything from the lobby to the room was immaculate, there’s an indoor pool for the days it’s storming or just Charleston-summer hot, and the staff were the kind of professional and attentive that anticipates what you need before you ask.
| Ansonborough Inn | Charleston Place | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Ansonborough, 8 min walk to downtown | King & Meeting Street, city center |
| Average price | ~$250/night | ~$420/night |
| Best for | Value, charm, a real neighborhood feel | Luxury and being in the exact center of it all |
Final thoughts
Whether you’re there for the history, the food, an accidental Notebook pilgrimage, or just the Southern hospitality, Charleston has a version of the trip for you. Wear shoes you can actually walk in, book your restaurants ahead of time, and leave an hour of the schedule with no plan attached to it. Some of my best memories in this city came from the stretches where I wasn’t following one.
Charleston isn’t going anywhere, but I can promise you’ll be looking at flights home before you’ve even left it. I still am, every time.
Quick answers, since people ask
Is Fort Sumter worth it if there’s not much to see? Yes, for the history alone. Budget a half day once you factor in the ferry.
Ansonborough Inn or Charleston Place? Ansonborough for value and neighborhood charm, Charleston Place if you want to be in the exact center of everything and don’t mind paying for it.
What should I order at Church? Whatever’s on the menu that night, and the Katherine wine if they still have it.
