Sights Overview

The heart of the city is on a peninsula, sometimes just called "downtown" by the nearly 100,000 residents who populate the area. Walking Charleston's peninsula is the best way to get to know the city. The main downtown historic district is roughly bounded by Lockwood Boulevard to the west, Calhoun Street to the north, the Cooper River to the east, and the Battery to the south. More than 2,000 historic homes, many of the m open to the public, occupy this fairly compact area divided into South of Broad (Street) and North of Broad. You'll also find some wonderful museums, such as the Charleston Museum and the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry. Perhaps the most popular attraction is Fort Sumter, where the first shot of the Civil War was fired.

Beyond downtown, the Ashley River hugs the west side of the peninsula, and the region on the far shore is called West Ashley. Here you'll find some wonderful old plantations and a couple of colorful gardens that are open to the public. In Mount Pleasant are some interesting historic sites, including Fort Moultrie. Last, there are outlying sea islands (James, Folly Beach, Johns, Kiawah, Isle of Palms, Sullivan's), with their own appealing attractions. Everything that entails crossing the bridges is best explored by car or bus.