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INTRO Newcomers guide to Charleston 3

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4 INTRO Newcomers guide to Charleston

FeaturesX Introduction to Charleston X You’re HomeX Education in the LowcountryX Higher EducationX Taking CareX Economic ClimateX Sports & Recreation

in the LowcountryX Tee TimeX Dining Out

X Places to StayX Arts AboundX Attractions & ToursX Day TripsX Calendar of EventsX Useful LinksX MapX Newcomer Connections

Living inX Living in Historic CharlestonX Living in Mount Pleasant

X Living on the Isle of X Palms & Sullivan’s IslandX Living in North CharlestonX Living in West AshleyX Living on James Island

& Folly BeachX Living on Johns IslandX Living on Kiawah and

Seabrook islandsX Living on Daniel IslandX Living in Berkeley CountyX Living in Summerville

ContentsTable of

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INTRO Newcomers guide to Charleston

Education in thE Lowcountry

6

Charleston area schools are mak-ing gains as more emphasis is put on achieving and improving

in the 140 plus schools in the tri-county area. Performance on the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test continues to improve, as do graduation rates.

Charleston CountyThe Charleston County school district

runs up and down 1,000 square miles of the coast and includes a range of schools from urban to rural. There are about 42,500 students in the system for the 2008-2009 school year spread out among 81 schools, including 11 magnet schools and eight charter schools. The district has about 5,500 employees and is the fourth-largest employer in the region. In spring 2008, the district implementeda three-year plan, Charleston AchievingExcellence, to focus on threegoals: elevating the achievement of allstudents, closing the achievement gapbetween groups and increasing thegraduation rate.

Within this past year, the district has already begun to see the benefits of the plan. Scores on the PACT went up for grades 3-8 to the highest they’ve ever been for English and math. The district has expanded its support of child health and nutrition, literacy and arts and music.

The district received the most Palmet-to Gold and Silver awards of the almost 100 South Carolina school districts. The awards, created in 1998, are based on improvement and performance. Wando High, Charleston School of the Arts and Belle Hall Elementary were among the 26 Charleston schools that received an award for the 2007-2008 school year.

An emphasis on creating a college-oriented culture begins in the early grades. The district’s overall graduation rate increased 11% during the 2007-2008 school year, Advanced Placement scores went up and students’ scores on the ACT were the highest in 11 years. Students in the district were awarded more than $42 million in scholarships in the 2007-2008 school year.

Berkeley CountyBerkeley County schools continue to

grow as more and more people move to the area. There are 38 schools in the district, with a new elementary school slated to open in August 2009 in Sum-merville near the brand new Cane Bay High School. More than 27,800 students are enrolled in the district that has 2,261 teachers and administrators. More than 61% of the teachers have Master’s degrees and above, and the teachers have an aver-age of 13 years of experience. The district also just welcomed a new superinten-dent, Tony Parker, who came from North Carolina and took over in January 2008.

The district has several programs in place that ensure children from age 4 until college don’t fall through the cracks. LEAP, the district’s summer reading pro-gram, serves more than 1,500 elementary and middle school students. The Child Development Education Pilot Program has expanded to include more than 600 4-year-olds in full-day programs.

Programs like the Making Middle Grades Work and High Schools That Work have helped decrease the dropout rates, and four-year graduation plans are

Education

Porter-Gaud School.


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INTRO Newcomers guide to Charleston8

developed with each eighth grade student to carry them through high school in relevant ways.

Hanahan Elementary, for kinder-garten through fourth grade, has a school-wide reading program, as well as a gifted curriculum for third and fourth-grade students. Every class-room has SMART board technology and at least three networked comput-ers as part of the school’s technology plan.

Stratford High in Goose Creek is the largest high school in the district with about 2,400 students. It also has strong parent involvement and the Parents Teachers and Students Association continues to experience growth in membership.

Dorchester CountyDorchester County, which includes

Summerville, part of North Charleston and several smaller towns, is one of the fastest-growing areas in the area. It is divided up into two school districts: District Two, which mainly serves the Summerville area; and District Four,

which mainly serves the more rural areas out past Summerville.

District Two serves about 20,400 students around the Summerville area, and it continues to add about 900 stu-dents each year to its 21 schools. It has more than 600 business partnerships that provide mentoring, donations and school projects, and 3,500 school volunteers. Both its average SAT and ACT scores sit above the state-wide average.

Summerville High School is the largest high school in that district with 3,366 students enrolled in 2007. The boys’ basketball team and the wrestling team took home state championship rights for their divisions in 2007-2008.

Ashley Ridge High just opened in August 2008 and will alleviate crowd-ing at Summerville High and Fort Dorchester High with a capacity for 1,800 students.

District Four has 2,328 students in five schools that serve the Saint George and surrounding areas, including Woodland High, Saint George Middle and Harleyville-Rid-geville Elementary.

PubLIC sChOOL dIsTRICTs

Berkeley County School District P.O. Box 608, Moncks Corner 843-899-8600, www.berkeley.k12.sc.us

Charleston County School District 75 Calhoun St., Charleston 843-937-6300, www.ccsdschools.com

Dorchester County District II 102 Greenwave Blvd., Summerville 843-873-2901, www.dorchester2.k12.sc.us

Dorchester County District IV 500 Ridge St., St. George 843-563-4535, www.dorchester4.k12.sc.us

schools

ChaRTER sChOOLs

Charleston Development Academy 233 Line St. Charleston, SC 29413 843-722-2689 www.charlestondevelopmentacademy.org K-6

East Cooper Montessori Charter School 250 Ponsbury Road Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-216-2883 www.montessoricharterschool.com 1-8

Greg Mathis Charter High School 7555 N. Spartan Blvd. North Charleston, SC 29420 843-207-8309 9-12

James Island Charter High School 1000 Fort Johnson Road Charleston, SC 29412 843-762-2754 www.jamesislandcharterhs.org 9-12

Orange Grove Elementary Charter School3795 Spruill Ave. Charleston, SC 29405 843-763-1520 http://orangegrove.ccsdschools.com K-5

Susan G. Boykin Academy 4951 Rivers Ave. North Charleston, SC 29406 843-744-8882 K-6

Sea Island Youthbuild 2872 Azalea Drive North Charleston, SC 29405 843-577-1611 www.youthbuildcharterschool.org Ages 16-21

Porter-Gaud School.

Porter-Gaud School.

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PRIvaTE sChOOLs

Addleston Hebrew Academy 1639 Wallenberg Blvd. Charleston, SC 29407 843-571-1105, www.addlestone.org PreK-8

Archibald Rutledge Academy 1011 Old Cemetery Road McClellanville, SC 29458 843-887-3323, www.archibaldrutledgeacademy.com Pre-K-12

Ashley Hall172 Rutledge Ave. Charleston, SC 29403 843-722-4088, www.ashleyhall.org Coed ages 2-4/all girls for K-12

Bishop England High School 363 Seven Farms Drive Charleston, SC 29492 843-849-9599, www.behs.com

Blessed Sacrament School 7 St. Teresa Drive Charleston, SC 29407 843-766-2128, www.scbss.org K4-8

Cathedral Academy 3790 Ashley Phosphate Road North Charleston, SC 29418 843-760-2626, www.cathedralacademy.com K4-12

Charles Towne Montessori School 56 Leinbach Drive Charleston, SC 29407 843-571-1140, www.charlestownemontessori.org Ages 6 months-12 years old

Charleston Catholic School 888 King St. Charleston, SC 29403 843-577-4495, www.charlestoncatholic.com K4-8

Charleston Christian School 2234 Plainview Road Charleston, SC 29414 843-556-4480, www.charlestonchristian.org K4-8

Charleston Collegiate School 2024 Academy Drive Johns Island, SC 29455 843-559-5506, www.charlestoncollegiate.org PS-12

Charleston Day School 15 Archdale St. Charleston, SC 29401 843-377-0315, www.charlestondayschool.org

Christ Our King-Stella Maris School 1183 Russell Drive Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-884-4721, www.coksm.org Pre-K-8

Coastal Christian Preparatory School 681 McCants Drive Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-884-3663, www.coastalchristian.org 3K-12

Coastal Shores Christian Preschool 8310 Dorchester Road North Charleston, SC 29418 843-552-0624 www.coastalshoresbaptistchurch.com/preschool K2-K5

Daniel Island Academy 300 Seven Farms Drive Charleston, SC 29492 843-971-5961, www.danielislandacademy.com 12 mo.-Pre-School 5 year olds

Divine Redeemer Catholic School 1104 Fort Drive Hanahan, SC 29410 843-553-1521, www.divineredeemerschool.com K4-8

Faith Christian School 337 Farmington Road Summerville, SC 29483 843-873-8464, www.faithchristiansc.org K3-12

Ferndale Baptist School 4870 Piedmont Ave. North Charleston, SC 29406 843-744-3307 (elementary) 843-554-0535 (high school) www.ferndalebaptist.org/school K4-12

First Baptist Church School of Charleston 48 Meeting St. Charleston, SC 29401 843-722-6646, www.fbschool.org Pre-K3-12

James Island Christian School 15 Crosscreek Drive Charleston, SC 29412 843-795-1762, www.jics.org K4-12

Mason Preparatory School 56 Halsey Blvd. Charleston, SC 29401 843-723-0664, www.masonprep.org

Montessori School of Mount Pleasant 414 Whilden St. Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-884-1117, www.mmpschool.com Pre-K-K

Nativity School 1125 Pittsford Circle Charleston, SC 29412 843-795-3975, www.nativity-school.com K4-8

New Israel Christian School 69 Simons St. Charleston, SC 29403 843-723-9200 K-8

Northside Christian School 7800 Northside Drive North Charleston, SC 29420 843-797-2690, www.northsideministries.com/ncs Pre-K3-12

Northwood Academy 2263 Otranto Road North Charleston, SC 29406 843-572-0940, www.northwoodacademy.com Pre-K-12

The Oaks Christian School 505 Gahagan Road Summerville, SC 29485 843-875-7667, www.oakschristianschool.org K3-8

Palmetto Christian Academy 361 Egypt Road Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-881-9967, www.palmettochristianacademy.org Pre-K5-11

Palmetto Montessori P.O. Box 1948 Johns Island, SC 29457 843-722-4339, www.palmettomontessori.com Pre-school

Pinewood Preparatory School 1114 Orangeburg Road Summerville, SC 29483 843-873-1643, www.pinewoodprep.com Pre-K4-12

Porter-Gaud School 300 Albemarle Road Charleston, SC 29407 843-556-3620, www.portergaud.edu K-12

Riverbend Christian Academy 7035 Dorchester Road North Charleston, SC 29418 843-552-2357, www.riverbendchristian.org K2-12th

St. John’s Christian Academy 204 West Main St. Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843-761-8539, www.sjcacavaliers.com Pre-K3-12

St. Paul’s Academy 5139 Gibson Road Hollywood, SC 29449 843-889-2702, www.stpaulsacademy.org Pre-K-12

Summerville Catholic School 226 Black Oak Blvd. Summerville, SC 29485 843-873-9310, www.summervillecatholic.org K4-8

Trident Academy 1455 Wakendaw Road Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-884-7046, www.tridentacademy.com K5-12

Trinity Montessori School 1293 Orange Grove Road Charleston, SC 29407 843-556-6686, www.trinitymontessori.com Pre-K3-6


Education in thE Lowcountry

Whether you are a college-bound student, a college football fanatic, an employee

or a resident interested in lectures and continuing education opportunities, there’s a good chance you will find what you are looking for in South Carolina’s higher education system.

Enrollment has been on the rise in recent years. In the fall of 2006, 214,363 students were enrolled in South Caro-lina’s public and independent two- and four-year institutions. That number was up 11% from 2001.

Founded in 1770, the College of Charleston is the city’s oldest institu-tion. It is a nationally-recognized pub-lic liberal arts and sciences university located in the heart of historic Charles-ton. Students attend class in centuries-old buildings, and many spend their evenings working as waiters and bar-tenders — or peddling tourists around in rickshaws. Because of both their work ethic and spending power, the students are a vital part of Charleston’s thriving hospitality industry.

The Citadel is another college with deep roots in Charleston. It’s not un-common to spot a “knob” walking the Lowcountry’s streets. The freshman class is easily identified by the men’s shaved heads that resemble doorknobs — hence the nickname. A few dozen women also attend the military college, although females were not allowed until 1996. The Class of 2011 originally included 657 men and 53 women. The school is unique because it offers a classic military education described as “intense, meaningful and academi-cally strong.” It differs from the nation’s traditional military schools because students are not required to join the service upon graduation.

The Medical University of South Carolina is one of the area’s premier hospitals and includes a strong teach-ing component. Its specialty degree

higherEducation

The Citadel.

south Carolina is home to

61 institutions of higher learning, including: 13 four-year and 20 two-year public institutions. 23 four-year and three two-year private institutions. Two private professional schools, including the Charleston School of Law.Four two-year regional campuses of the University of South Carolina.16 technical colleges.

28 independent institutions including:24 senior independent institutions. Three two-year independent institutions.

16 for-profit and nonprofit private institutions.

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Charleston School of Law 81 Mary St./P.O. Box 535 Charleston, SC 29402 843-329-1000 www.charlestonlaw.org

Charleston Southern University9200 University Blvd. Charleston, SC 29423 843-863-7000 www.csuniv.edu

College of Charleston66 George St. Charleston, SC 29424 843-953-5500 www.cofc.edu

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University101 West Hill Blvd., Building 221 Charleston AFB, SC 29404 843-767-8912 www.erau.edu/charleston

Limestone College 4500 Leeds Ave., Suite 208 Charleston, SC 29405 843-745-1100 ext 223 www.limestone.edu

MUSC (Medical Univ. of South Carolina)171 Ashley Ave. Charleston, SC 29425 843-792-2300 www.musc.edu

Southern Illinois University Carbondale101 West Hill Blvd., Building 221, Room 128 Charleston AFB, SC 843-552-7320 www.wed.siu.edu

Southern Wesleyan University4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 301 North Charleston, SC 29405 843-747-4736 www.swu.edu/ags

The Art Institute of Charleston24 North Market St. Charleston, SC 29401 843-727-3500 www.artinstitutes.edu/charleston

The Citadel171 Moultrie St. Charleston, SC 29409 843-225-3294 www.citadel.edu

Troy University1064 Gardner Road, Suite 211 Charleston, SC 29407 843-402-9938 www.troy.edu

Webster University - North Charleston Campus 5300 International Blvd., Building B North Charleston, SC 29418 843-760-1324 www.webster.edu/southcarolina/char

Colleges

programs include dental, graduate studies, medicine, nursing and phar-macy. It is also one of the region’s largest employers and the research conducted there is a vital part of the region’s high-tech biomedical industry.

The Charleston School of Law is a private institution located in down-town Charleston. The school was founded in 2003, but like most things in this city, it is steeped in history. In November 1825, a group of Charleston attorneys petitioned the S.C. General Assembly for a charter institution. The following year, the Forensic Club started offering law lectures beginning the Southeast’s earliest law school. In 2002, prominent Charleston judges and attorneys set out to establish a law

school that would continue the 19th century club’s tradition. The school earned accreditation in 2006 and gradu-ated its first class the following year.

The Charleston region is also home to several technical colleges that offer a host of two-year degrees and trade certifications. This includes Trident Technical College, the region’s largest two-year school.

Students also have the option of attending satellite campuses for spe-cialty training, such as Embry Riddle Aeronautical University located at the Charleston Air Force Base.

Charleston is also home to the American College of the Building Arts, which trains students in historical build-ing trades such as ironwork or plaster.

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A laboratory at the Medical University of South Carolina.


Higher Education

McKenzie-McAuley1/2 Page Hor.

The Lowcountry Graduate Center in North Charleston is an organization that formed to help working profes-sionals gain advanced degrees through collabration between the state’s col-leges and universities.

But despite myriad choices, South Carolina, like many states, is at a crossroads when it comes to higher education.

Many exciting programs are under way here, including the South Caro-lina Centers for Economic Excellence program.

The state recently created the South Carolina Centers of Economic Excel-lence program, to provide incentives for the state’s research universities to raise capital from private sources

to fund endowments for specialized research professorships. The profes-sorships serve a unique role in help-ing cultivate critical public-private industrial partnerships and expanding the state’s knowledge base.

At the same time, South Carolina is grappling with decreasing state funds and increased tuition costs. Without money for new facilities, demand in the coming years may outstrip capac-ity. And schools are constantly chal-lenged with training students for the evolving high-tech industry. The good news is that universityofficials and lawmakers spend countlesshours studying, debating and creatinginnovative ways to advance higherlearning in South Carolina — without

putting the financial burden onstudents and their families.

The state’s colleges and universities — including many in the Lowcoun-try — offer a competitive education to traditional and returning students. They also help fuel the local economy by serving as some of the area’s larg-est employers, by luring students and families to town, and in their relation-ships with the community and busi-nesses. The Lowcountry’s institutions of higher learning are — and will continue to be — a major part of the cultural fabric of this region.

For more information on higher education institutions in South Carolina, visit the S.C. Commission on Higher Education at www.che.sc.gov.


Charleston stands on the cutting edge when it comes to medicine. The area is home to several major

hospitals and numerous nursing homes, assisted living facilities, specialty clinics and rehabilitation services.

At the end of 2006, medical offices occupied more than 1.9 million square feet of space in the greater Charleston region. There are over 2,000 licensed physicians practicing in Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties.

If you find yourself in need of medical care, your options in the Lowcountry are plentiful. The same could be said if you are looking for a job in a health care-related field. The medical industry is a strong eco-nomic driver and major employer.

The area’s four biggest hospitals — Roper St. Francis, the Medical University of South Carolina, Trident Health System and East Cooper Medical Center — employ more than 15,000 workers. The Medical Univer-sity is Charleston County’s largest employer, with a staff of about 10,000.

Charleston’s health care industry has experienced a growth spurt in recent years as the population expands and ages. That trend is only likely to increase as the baby boomer generation grows older and seeks

Charleston’s warmer climate. Like every industry, health care has been

impacted by recent economic woes. But it has been more insulated than most other businesses and is poised to expand in the region in the coming years.

Millions of dollars worth of expansion projects are slated for the tri-county area and some are already under way. Where the medical industry in Charleston was histori-cally cloistered in downtown Charleston, a recent trend among hospitals is to sprawl into suburban areas to provide patient care closer to home.

Both Trident Health System and Roper St. Francis are seeking permission from the state to build Berkeley County’s first in-patient hospital. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, the state’s health regulatory agency, must sign off on all new hospital construction projects

hEaLth carE

TakingCare

to regulate overgrowth of the industry. But so far, the agency has agreed that the

newly-proposed projects are necessary to meet future demand.

In 2008, Roper broke ground on a hos-pital expansion project in northern Mount Pleasant that it expects to open in 2010. East Cooper Hospital, based in Mount Pleasant, is also expanding its existing cam-pus by an additional 55 acres and will open it the same year.

The Medical University recently opened a seven-story medical tower on its campus to treat heart and vascular and digestive disease patients. It has several other projects ongoing

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above: Trident Medical Center.

above Middle: Medical University of South Carolina.

above Right: Newborn and a nurse at Roper Hospital.

Right: Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital.

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palmetto primary careFull Page


at its downtown campus as well. The state has also licensed:

• Seven adult day care centers for a total of 214 units.

• 10 ambulatory surgery centers.• One birthing center – Charleston Birth

Place Inc.• 64 community residential care facilities that

form a combined 1,745 beds.

• 10 licensed home health care providers.• One in-patient hospice facility.• Seven at-home hospice care programs.• 10 hospitals or institutional general infir-

maries with a combined 1,972 licensed beds.

• 11 nursing homes with 1,264 licensed beds. • Three inpatient drug rehab centers and

eight outpatient centers.

Roper St. Francis1/2 Vert. Page

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital 2095 Henry Tecklenburg Drive Charleston, SC 29414 843-402-1000 www.rsfh.com

East Cooper Regional Medical Center 1200 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-881-0100 www.eastcoopermedctr.com

HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Charleston9181 Medcom St. Charleston, SC 29406 843-820-7777 www.healthsouthcharleston.com

Kindred Hospital Charleston 326 Calhoun St., Third Floor Charleston, SC 29401 843-876-8340 www.kindredhealthcare.com

MUSC Medical Center 171 Ashley Ave. Charleston, SC 29425 843-792-2300 www.muschealth.com

Moncks Corner Medical Center 401 North Live Oak Drive, Highway 17 Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843-761-8721 www.tridenthealthsystem.com

Naval Health Clinic Charleston 3600 Rivers Ave. North Charleston, SC 29405 843-743-7000 www.nhchasn.med.navy.mil

Palmetto Behavioral Health 2777 Speissegger Drive Charleston, SC 29405 843-747-5830 www.palmettobehavioralhealth.com

Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center 109 Bee St. Charleston, SC 29401 843-577-5011 www.charleston.va.gov

Roper Hospital 316 Calhoun St. Charleston, SC 29401 843-724-2000 www.rsfh.com

Roper St. Francis Medical Center Berkeley 730 Stony Landing Road Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843-899-7700 www.rsfh.com

Summerville Medical Center 295 Midland Parkway Summerville, SC 29485 843-832-5000 www.tridenthealthsystem.com

Trident Health System 9330 Medical Plaza Drive Charleston, SC 29406 843-797-7000 www.tridenthealthsystem.com

hospitals


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Economic outLook

In 2008, Inc.com ranked the Charleston metro area No. 6 on its list of the Best Midsize Cities for Doing Business. Up nine spots from the previous year, the metro area’s diverse

economic climate, location and skilled work force are garnering national attention.

Global commercial shipping had been a mainstay of this com-munity since the early 17th century. Today, major shipping firms employ many workers who support these vital business needs and facilitate this freight traffic. The towering gantry cranes along the rivers stand in stark contrast to the nautical images found around the city of colonial longshoremen unloading crates from around the world.

As as a result of the presence of nearly every branch of the U.S. military — which by no coincidence is the largest employer in the region — Charleston tends to fare better than other parts of the country in times of economic downturn. In addition to various military branches, related fields such as defense and allied contracting also fuel the industry.

Tourism is another large part of the Lowcountry’s economy. Its restaurants, attractions, history and beaches are just a few of the reasons more than 4.3 million people visit each year with an economic impact of $3.09 billion.

In addition to these important industries, the city of Charles-ton, along with Summerville, North Charleston, Mount Pleas-ant — and other municipalities — have developed a diverse economic climate that is affable to construction, development, large and small businesses, privately-owned companies, national chains, real estate, manufacturing, health care and tourism. The Charleston region has also attracted approximately 70 firms that are headquartered outside the United States.

Top 20 Major Employers Charleston, S.C. Metro AreaEmployer Product/service Employees

U.S. Navy C/O Naval Weapons Station

Area naval commands 10,800

Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)

Hospital, post-secondary education and research

10,000

Charleston Air Force Base U.S. Air Force Base; 437th Airlift Wing 6,150

Charleston County School District

Education/public schools 5,400

Berkeley County School District


Roper St. Francis Healthcare Roper and Bon Secours St. Francis Hospitals 3,400

Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co. Inc. Grocery wholesaler/retailer HQ, distribution center

2,500

Robert Bosch Corp. Antilock brake systems, fuel injection 2,450

Dorchester County School District II


Wal-Mart Retail merchandise 2,300

Charleston County Local government 2,100

Trident Medical Center (Trident Health System)

Hospital system 2,000

Force Protection Inc. Mine-protected vehicles, military class vehicles

1,800

Santee Cooper Electric utility 1,750

City of Charleston Local government 1,700

Bi-Lo 16 Charleston area retail grocery stores 1,350

College of Charleston Post secondary education 1,200

U.S. Postal Service Postal service 1,200

Blackbaud Inc. Specialty computer software development and design

1,100

Eagan, McAllister Associates Inc.

Engineering, applied technology 1,100

Source: Center for Business Research, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, May 2008


A bit of historyThe city, originally named Charles

Towne, was founded in 1670 in current day West Ashley and started with about 30 houses. It moved to the peninsula 20 years later and grew to encompass several thou-sand as it became a major trading center.

After weathering several hurricanes and French and Spanish attacks during the 1700s, Charleston became a royal colony in 1721.

Charleston began to take shape as a major city, adding cultural, residential and commercial aspects. Businesses sprung up, such as the country’s first fire insurance company and one of the country’s first the-aters. Several historic landmarks were built, such as the East Bay warehouse district, which is now Rainbow Row, and lots were laid out for the first neighborhood, Anson-borough, in 1745.

The first church services at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church on Broad Street were held in 1761, now the oldest church build-ing in the city. The Charleston Museum was established in 1773 as the country’s first museum.

Several major Revolutionary battles unfolded around Charleston and the city eventually fell under British control for two years before it was incorporated in 1783..

The College of Charleston was granted a charter in 1785 and the school garners a large presence downtown to this day. In fact, the campus now runs from King to Pitt streets and Vanderhorst to Beaufain streets.

In 1824, the Medical University of South Carolina was founded, becoming the first

Historic CharlestonL

IvIN

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WITH ALL THE GRACE AND CHARM OF A SOUTHERN CITY, CHARLESTON DRAWS IN vISITORS AND RESIDENTS WITH ITS HISTORIC CHARISMA AND WATERFRONT PANORAMAS. STROLL DOWN KING STREET TO BROWSE BOUTIQUES, WANDER THE FRENCH QUARTER FOR SOME ART APPRECIATION, OR TOUR SOME OF THE CITY’S HISTORIC HOMES AND BUILDINGS. THE PENINSULA IS HOME TO A RICH HISTORY THAT IS REvEALED IN NEARLY ALL ITS BUILDINGS, STREETS AND PARKS.


medical school in the South. The MUSC campus and hospital occupies a large area on the western side of the peninsula between Calhoun and Bee streets, where a cluster of other health care providers have hospitals, such as Roper St. Francis and the VA Medical Center.

Despite a damaging earthquake in 1886 and Hurricane Hugo in 1989, Charleston still houses some of the most historic homes and buildings in the South. A designated “historic district” preserves many residential properties south of Calhoun Street.

NeighborhoodsThe housing options downtown range

from the sprawling pastel-colored multi-million homes to new luxury condos overlooking the Ashley River. The median price of homes downtown is higher than surrounding areas.

South of Broad is the neighborhood literally south of Broad Street that includes the often-photographed Battery and Waterfront Park. Full of large traditional homes, this area has some of the most expensive real estate in Charleston with most of the houses coming with a price tag in the millions. Stroll down the streets in this quiet, storied neighborhood to catch a glimpse of traditional Charleston gardens and verandas.

The French Quarter, above Broad Street, is bound by Market and Meeting streets and Waterfront Park. It is charac-terized by the many art galleries, cobble-stone streets and restaurants that fill the area, and it is named for the many French merchants that once occupied the area.

Above the French Quarter is Anson-borough, the peninsula’s first neighbor-

hood; although much of it was destroyed in a fire in 1838 and had to be rebuilt. Many of the houses have Greek revival characteristics and were built by some of Charleston’s oldest family names, such as Joseph Legare and Edward McCrady.

Harleston Village is another one of the old neighborhoods that was developed in 1770. It encompasses the area north of Broad Street to Calhoun Street. It includes Colonial Lake, which was set aside for pub-lic use in 1768 and is now used by joggers and dog walkers. The architecture includes Italian and Georgian styles, as well as styles that span the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Radcliffeborough is bound by King, Vanderhorst, Smith and Radcliffe streets and contains much of the College of Charleston campus. Many of the houses have Italian and Gothic revival influences.

To the west and north of Radcliffebor-ough is the rapidly-gentrifying Cannon-borough and Elliottborough area near MUSC. This area is popular with medical students and families who want a house downtown without the price of a lower-peninsula property. New developments are opening up residential spaces, such as the Midtown project with condominiums and single-family houses ranging from $500,000 to $900,000. The recently-con-structed Bee Street Lofts offer downtown living in units ranging from $300,000 to $1 million. This new injection of residential property has attracted several restaurants to open up here as it becomes a more popular area.

To the east of Radcliffeborough is the Mazyck-Wraggborough neighbor-hood, which stretches from King over to Washington Street. Anchoring the area is the landmark Marion Square, the 10-acre public park that houses a farmer’s market on Saturdays from April to December. The area also includes the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry on Ann Street and the Charleston Museum on Meeting Street.

Further up the peninsula, Hampton Park Terrace and Wagener Terrace offer more affordable housing options with turn-of-the-century and brick bungalow homes. The Citadel campus also falls in the Hampton Park area..

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Yet by the dawn of the 21st century, snarl-ing traffic on those Cooper River bridges was choking the area’s prized quality of life. Things improved dramatically with the open-ing of the $650 million Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, an eight-lane marvel that was greeted with fireworks and celebration on July 16, 2005.

The new bridge marked the beginning of a new era for the state’s fifth-largest munici-pality, now home to about 65,000.

Despite its reputation as the suburban gateway to Charleston and the East Cooper

beaches, the historic heart of Mount Pleasant can still be found near picturesque Shem Creek, where the local fishing fleet docks be-side popular locally-owned eateries. Its Old Village, founded in 1680 and incorporated in 1837, sits on breezy bluffs that overlook the harbor just seaward of Shem Creek and remains a place of stunning charm and Southern grace.

Locals treasure its 18th century homes, its

quaint Pitt Street commercial district and the neighborhood’s authentic shade-drenched ambiance. Residents and visitors alike enjoy trips to Alhambra Hall Park and the nearby Pitt Street Bridge, which once connected the town to Sullivan’s Island by trolley but now offers views of Charleston Harbor and easy access to fishing and crabbing.

after almost 250 years as “the sleepy town on the other side of the harbor,” Mount Pleasant

forged its 20th century identity when the Grace Bridge opened in 1929, con-necting it to Charleston and sparking a building boom that continues 80 years later.

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Mount Pleasant

above: The gardens at Boon Hall Plantation.

Left: Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.P

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Other glimpses of Mount Pleasant’s past can be found across town on scenic Long Point Road.

On one side of the road, motorists may turn off and wander down a broad alley of oaks that leads to Boone Hall Plantation. Settled in 1743, this privately-owned his-toric property has been open to the public for tours since 1955 yet remains a working plantation. Its “you-pick-‘em” fields and sea-sonal events are beloved by local families.

On the other side of Long Point Road, The Charles Pinckney National Historic Site interprets life at Snee Farm Plantation, home of one of the original signers of the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Park Service staff makes a special effort to explain and preserve the region’s Gullah culture.

Glimpses of that Gullah heritage can be seen along U.S. Highway 17, where the area’s “basket ladies” still sell the Lowcountry’s signature Sweetgrass baskets from simple roadside stands.

Efforts to honor and preserve tradi-tions like Sweetgrass basketry demonstrate an emerging sense of civic identity. After decades of rapid suburban growth, Mount Pleasant began allocating building permits in 2005 and now puts greater emphasis on planning.

The qualities the town guards today helped convince Money magazine to name Mount Pleasant as one of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in 2006. Average home value remains around $300,000 and median household income is solid at more than $76,000.

Caring for others is also on the rise. East Cooper Community Outreach, a volunteer

organization that emerged from the after-math of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, recently moved into a new facility and now operates social programs aimed at helping disadvan-taged people live healthier, more successful lives. A weekly farmer’s market on Tuesday afternoons gives locals access to affordable, healthy food.

The town has two modern hospitals under construction (a replacement for East Cooper Hospital and a new Roper St. Fran-cis hospital), and fitness has been on the up-swing here since the bridge opened in 2005 with a lane for bicyclists and pedestrians. Residents make extensive use of the town’s numerous parks, ballfields and gyms, and recreational sports leagues for children and adults are numerous, popular and spirited.

Palmetto Island County Park, a 943-acre facility, has nature trails, picnic areas, a 50-foot observation tower, a water park and pedal boat rentals. Patriots Point on the Charleston Harbor boasts a state-run mili-tary museum that displays four World War II-era vessels and more than a dozen vintage aircraft. The aircraft carrier USS Yorktown is also the home to the Medal of Honor So-ciety Museum. Patriots Point features a golf course (one of five in town), a new athletic complex, and it will soon be connected to the Ravenel Bridge by a waterfront park.

Because of its 20th century history as a bedroom community, Mount Pleasant’s neighborhoods are typically distinct subur-ban developments. Their varying styles offer residents a range of choices.

The Tides, an upscale condominium community on the Charleston Harbor, is among the town’s newest. I’On, a new-

urbanist development off Mathis Ferry Road, is an award-winning neighborhood of beautiful homes, tiny yards, elaborate public spaces and mixed-use construction. Farther out, the sprawling new developments of Park West and Carolina Park are moving the geographic center of town more to the east each year.

With people come businesses, most of them oriented on either Highway 17 or Coleman Boulevard. The town’s most prominent shopping area is Towne Centre, located between the Isle of Palms Connec-tor and the end of Interstate 526.

In keeping with Lowcountry tradi-tion, the town loves a good festival. Mount Pleasant hosts festivals for the arts, oysters, Scottish games, local foodies and children. Every April, the town turns out for the annual Blessing of the Fleet at Alhambra Hall, during which local clergy bless the fishing fleet and local residents hang around to celebrate spring. The annual Christmas parade is a big draw, as is the Cooper River Bridge Run, which attracts runners and walkers by the tens of thousands each spring.

Left: Boone Hall Plantation.

below: Shem Creek.

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East Cooper’s two beach-front islands are connected by one bridge but represent two distinct lifestyles.

Sullivan’s Island lies at the entrance to the Charleston Harbor and spent much of its history as a slave port. Its strategic posi-tion made it a key to the seaward defense of the city of Charleston and it was fortified well into the 20th century. To Charles-tonians of the late 19th and early 20th century, Sullivan’s Island was the beach to which they escaped by boat when the sum-mer heat grew unbearable.

Today, the island’s military and beach-retreat heritage give the place an elegantly shabby, slow-moving style that is unique among Southern beach communi-ties. Islanders have adapted abandoned

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Isle of Palms & Sullivan’s Island

above: Wild Dunes Resort.

Left: Wild Dunes Resort’s Grand Pavilion.


fortifications and disused buildings from Fort Moultrie’s sprawling past into creative living spaces and public uses. Victorian homes line shaded streets.

About 2,000 people live on the 3.3-square-mile island, which remains a popular destination for beach-goers from Charleston and Mount Pleasant. But with no hotels, the beach is seldom crowded. Easements and strict regulations protect the island’s dunes and maritime forests; and its lighthouse, which began operation in 1962, was conveyed to the National Parks Service in 2008.

Though Sullivan’s Island was home to two settlements in the 19th century, the Isle of Palms remained a remote, sparsely– populated vacation spot until the early 20th century. A 50-room hotel opened 1906, followed in 1912 by a beach pavilion and amusement park.

First known as Hunting Island, and then

Long Island, developers renamed it the Isle of Palms in 1913 to attract tourists. Devel-opment of the 5.6-square mile island didn’t begin in earnest until the 1940s.

The boom started in 1944 with the purchase of 1,300 acres by The Beach Company, which laid out roads and began building a mixture of vacation and af-fordable housing. The Ben Sawyer Bridge connecting Mount Pleasant to Sullivan’s Island completed the Charleston-to-IOP automobile link in 1945 and more growth followed.

By the 1970s, developers turned their eyes toward a 1,600-acre tract and began construction of what is today the gated Wild Dunes Resort. This exclusive com-munity features two golf courses, extensive tennis facilities and a system of walking and bicycling trails.

Hurricane Hugo destroyed 95% of the IOP’s buildings in 1989 and the influx of

insurance cash lead to a burst of luxuri-ous gentrification. Today, the island has a population of more than 4,500, multi-million-dollar homes line the water, and its Front Beach commercial district bustles with restaurants and shops.

The IOP’s Windjammer Lounge is a classic beach-front bar and music venue, and the annual Polar Bear Swim on Sul-livan’s Island, which draws thousands of high-spirited bathers every New Year’s Day, originates at Dunleavy’s Pub in the island’s tiny downtown.

Life on the islands offers distinct choices for those who can afford them — t he up-scale energy of the IOP, versus the quirkier charms of Sullivan’s Island. Residents of both islands benefit from one of the state’s finest elementary schools, enjoy easy access to shopping via the Isle of Palms Connector and can often be spotted tooling around in their ubiquitous electric golf carts.

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North Charleston is an area in transition. With industrial and military roots, the city in

recent years has committed to redevel-oping its central neighborhoods and reinventing itself as a trendy yet afford-able place to live.

The area north of Charleston was de-veloped as plantations by early colonists, but after the Civil War, it grew into an industrial center. Just after the turn of the 20th century, the U.S. Navy targeted a huge swath of land along the Cooper River for a new naval base, and planned neighborhoods began to unfold to house workers, the military and their families.

The North Charleston area boomed during World War II. The dynamic area incorporated as a city in 1972 and has expanded to include land in Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties.

In the 1990s, the federal government closed the Navy base in North Charles-ton. The city of North Charleston has since partnered with developers to

LIvINg IN North Charleston

above: The Old village.

Right: New and redeveloped

neighborhoods promote

pedestrian-friendly public spaces.

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infuse new life into the area’s historic neighborhoods.

Redevelopment areas include Park Circle, a community of neighborhoods planned early in the 20th century. Residential developments in the works, such as Oak Terrace Preserve and Mix-son, have earned a reputation for their sustainable building practices and are at-tracting new families to North Charles-ton. Nearby Montague Avenue is a main street of the past, alive again with shops and restaurants.

Redevelopment is ongoing on the former naval base as well, where once-empty military buildings now bustle with art studios, private offices and other commercial activity collectively known as the Navy Yard at Noisette. The base’s waterfront is now a public park with monuments commemorating its past.

Beyond the historic center of North Charleston, the area is full of neighbor-hoods built in the late 20th century and shopping centers, including the Tanger Outlet Center and Northwoods Mall, one of the area’s two enclosed malls. North Charleston remains a center of business activity for the region, with many of the Charleston area’s commer-cial and industrial employers located there.

A major attraction is the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center and adjacent Charleston Area Convention Center. The complex is home to the Stingrays, a minor league hockey team, and is a venue for con-certs, performances and meetings large and small.

The Charleston International Airport is also located in North Charleston. Interstate 26 forms a spine that runs begins in Charleston and runs north-west through North Charleston toward Columbia. Interstate 526, which has terminal points in Mount Pleasant and West Ashley, reaches its peak in North Charleston.

Oak Terrace Preserve neighborhood party.

North Charleston Coliseum.

Riverfront Park.

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New homes at Oak Terrace Preserve.

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The area West of the Ashley River in Charleston is home to some of the area’s oldest

suburban neighborhoods and, a little farther out, some of the newest. West

Ashley, as it’s called, also features a range of old and new shopping centers and restaurants, historic plantations and other attractions, and a unique outdoor walking trail.

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West AshleyNeighborhoods closest to the

Charleston peninsula were built in the 1920s through the 1950s. Among the older subdivisions are Old Winder-mere, Byrnes Down, Moreland, Avon-


dale and The Crescent. Development continued through the 1970s and 1980s in neighborhoods farther out from the city, such as Northbridge, Northbridge Terrace and Wespanee Plantation. New residential development has contin-ued in recent years, especially past the western boundary of Interstate 526, in neighborhoods like Shadowmoss and Carolina Bay.

Long-ago residents of West Ash-

ley have left behind several historic plantations and gardens that have are preserved and open for tours. Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Place and Dray-ton Hall Plantation allow visitors to learn about the architecture and life of South Carolinians in the 1700s and the centuries following. Another historic destination in West Ashley is Charles Towne Landing, the site of English settlers’ first landing in what would be-come the Carolina colony. The 664-acre attraction is a state park.

When getting around by car, main highway corridors in West Ashley are U.S. 17, called Savannah Highway, and S.C. 61, also known as Ashley River Road. The two highways are connected by S.C. 7, also called Sam Rittenberg Boulevard. Interstates 526 and 26 con-nect West Ashley to North Charleston to the north and Mount Pleasant to the east.

For those interested in seeing West Ashley by foot or bike, the West Ashley Greenway is a good option. This 10.5-mile walking and biking path weaves among residential areas and shopping centers and through small marshy areas and swaths of trees. The trail starts near the South Windermere Center shopping center and stretches to Johns Island.

Shopping is plentiful in West Ash-ley. The area is home to Citadel Mall, one of the area’s two enclosed malls. Shopping centers anchored by national retailers and restaurants surround Cit-adel Mall, which is located just inside I-526 near the intersection of U.S. 17 and Sam Rittenberg Boulevard. West Ashley also includes eclectic shopping strips filled with many locally-owned stores and eateries, such as the Avon-dale shopping area along U.S. 17.

Left: Middleton Place.

Right: Drayton Hall.

below: Magnolia Plantation.

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James Island and Folly Beach, located just south of Charleston, represent a distinctly indepen-

dent streak in the Lowcountry character.Long a semi-rural area, James Island’s

population has been booming since the early 1990s and the opening of the James Island Connector, a bridge that linked the island directly to the Charles-ton peninsula. The ensuing growth touched off an annexation/incorpora-tion battle that continues today. Many of the island’s older neighborhoods lie within Charleston’s city limits, but the rest of the island was incorporated into an independent town in 2008.

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James Island &Folly Beach

above: Morris Island Lighthouse.

Right: Folly Beach Fishing Pier.

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The island is bounded by Wappoo Creek, Charleston Harbor and the Stono and Folly rivers. Its network of marshes, inlets, sounds and creeks gives it one of the most scenic natural environments in the region. It was a strategic key to Charleston during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter

began in 1861 with a shot from Fort Johnson, modern-day home of a state-of-the-art government marine science research facility.

McLeod Plantation, with its alley of slave cabins visible from Folly Road near the foot of the Wappoo Bridge, stands near the entrance to the private Country Club of Charleston.

The Riverland Terrace neighbor-hood, located between Maybank Highway and Wappoo Creek, features enormous live oaks and deeply-shaded lanes.

A nearby commercial district offers fine restaurants, antiques and the Ter-race Theatre, the area’s only art-house cinema.


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Recreational options include the Charleston Municipal Golf Course and James Island County Park, a 643-acre facility with trails, fishing docks, a 50-foot climbing dock, kayak rent-als, picnic areas and a campground. The park’s Splash Zone water park is extremely popular with families during summer months, and the county’s an-nual Holiday Festival of Lights attracts motorists on winter nights.

James Island ends where Folly Road enters a marsh marked by the land-mark “Folly Boat,” an abandoned hull that was deposited on the roadside by Hurricane Hugo. Locals have been painting messages on it ever since. An-other treasured local landmark – the ramshackle Bowen’s Island Restaurant

Splash Zone Waterpark at

James Island County Park.

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To Come From James

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To Come From James

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– sits on a tidal creek in a hummock of trees in the vast marsh between James Island and Folly Beach.

Folly Beach calls itself “The Edge of America,” and the seven-mile island certainly seems to take the nickname seriously. The island celebrates its bars, fishing shacks, funky eateries and nefarious characters; and east coast

surfers swarm to the spot they call “The Washout” whenever an Atlantic swell pushes big waves ashore.

A county-run 1,000-foot fishing pier marks the center of the island.

The county also operates a beach park on the island’s western tip, and the undeveloped eastern end of the island was the longtime site of a Coast

Guard station. Morris Island, where the Union assault depicted in the movie Glory took place, lies across the inlet from the old Coast Guard station. The island has been heavily eroded, and the Morris Island Lighthouse has been surrounded by water for decades.

Long described as the Lowcounty’s “poor man’s beach,” Folly’s signature shacks ceased to be affordable escapes for drifters, starving artists and beach bums a decade ago, but the island’s 2,300 year-round residents preserve its identity as a place where corporate homogenization hasn’t taken over – yet.

James Island County Park.

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Johns Island, the Lowcountry’s last remaining rural sea island, is a vast swath of land between

James Island, the mainland west of Charleston and the private barrier islands of Kiawah and Seabrook.

Its future is one of the most impor-tant undecided questions in the Low-country.

The island grows much of the area’s fresh organic produce and is home to numerous farms, nurseries, packing houses and produce stands. And though its main transportation arteries are heavily trafficked, the island has miles of long, quiet, tree-lined roads that attract Lowcountry bicyclists looking for a nice day’s ride.

Traffic, remains one of the island’s most pressing issues. Johns Islanders shot down a proposed Cross Island Expressway in the 1990s and are divided over a proposed extension to Inter-state 526 that would cross the island en route to the James Island Connector, shortening the 30-minute commute to Charleston considerably. The trade off? Opponents don’t want to trade their ru-ral way of life and thousands of acres of farmland for the suburban development better roads would bring.

The island boasts The Angel Oak, believed to be one of the oldest trees

east of the Mississippi. Said to be an estimated 1,400 years old, the oak is a graceful giant, 65 feet tall, more than 25 feet around and provides more than 17,000 square feet of shade with limbs as long as 89 feet. It’s owned by the city of Charleston and is open to the public.

Another local gem is the village of Rockville at the end of neighboring Wadmalaw Island. This remote, pictur-esque village is largely untouched by the coastal development boom and it plays host each August to the Rockville Regatta, an event that dates back more than 100 years and marks the end of the Lowcountry’s competitive sailing season. It’s as much a party as it is a race.

Horses, raised for work, transporta-tion or recreation, have long been a part of life on the island. The public Mullet Hall Equestrian Center at Johns Island County Park (a largely undevel-oped 738-acre tract) — provides riders with facilities for horse shows and equestrian tournaments, plus 20 miles of riding trails.

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The Charleston Executive Airport on Trenholm Road is a small facility that offers convenience to resort visitors and flying lessons for locals.

A new 16,000-square-foot library, completed in 2004, is the county’s larg-est branch.

Much of the development driv-ing the island today is upscale. Home prices at The Preserve at Fenwick Hall, for instance, start at a cool $1 million. Other developments offer a mixture of affordable and luxury choices, varying from waterfront lots to Charleston-style urbanism to custom rural seclusion.

The island’s central commercial dis-trict is still located at the intersection of Main, Maybank and Bohicket roads, but the number of choices increases every year. And though it once would have seemed hard to believe, the island now boasts a fine-dining French restaurant — The Fat Hen on Maybank Highway.

Johns Island is a stronghold of Gullah culture and holds a special place in the Lowcountry’s civil rights his-tory. Native son Esau Jenkins, despite receiving no formal education beyond the 4th grade, understood in the 1950s and 1960s that the future of the island’s isolated black communities would depend on bootstrapping programs for their education and health. He and others founded “Citzenship Schools” that helped residents — many of whom were illiterate — qualify to vote; and their Sea Island Health Corporation brought doctors, nurses and modern medicine to rural corners that had never received proper care.


Kiawah and Seabrook islands, two private resort commu-nities south of Charleston,

offer a quality of life that includes world-class golf, upscale homes and breathtaking views of the Lowcountry’s landscape.

Pottery found on Kiawah Island dates as far back as 4,000 years. Own-

ership of the island changed many times through the years from the Indi-ans to the British and then to some of the earliest “Charlestonians.” Its history is linked to names you may already be familiar with: Gibbes, Vanderhorst and Middleton, to name a few.

Development of the island loosely began in the 1950s when C.C. Royal,

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who made his fortune in the lum-ber business, purchased the island. He built a home for his wife and seven children and then sold 65 lots to friends. In 1974, the Kuwait Invest-ment Co. purchased the island from Royal’s heirs and created a land plan that consisted of a resort and residen-tial development. Kiawah Develop-ment Partners is currently the master developer of the island.

Approximately 1,100 full-time residents inhabit the island, but the population swells, especially during the spring and summer, when about 600 of the island’s properties are rented.

The island is also home to the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, which in-cludes five public golf course and two private courses; The Sanctuary, a AAA

Five Diamond hotel; an award-winning spa; and several restaurants. Outside of golf, the island also caters to tennis players and is a destination for runners each year during the annual Kiawah Island Marathon, held each December.

Seabrook Island, just across the marsh from Kiawah Island, is a 2,200-acre mix of forest, salt marshes and beach. The island was discovered by settlers in 1666 and indigo and rice were its first cash crops. The island was first called Jones Island, then Simmons Island and finally Seabrook when it was purchased by Wil-liam Seabrook in 1816.

Originally developed in 1972 as a resort and conference center location, the island has evolved into a private oceanfront community. There are more than 2,500 properties on Seabrook

Island and about 700 families live on the island year-round. Seabrook Island residents recently voted in favor of the Horizon Plan, a $31 million master growth plan to redevelop and elevate the island’s amenities and facilities to meet current and future needs.

There is no shortage of things to do on the island, from playing golf on one of two private golf courses, to playing tennis, horseback riding and boating. There are several restaurants to choose from, as well.

Inhabitants of both islands place a high value on the environment and have made sure that the buildings are constructed in harmony with the natural surroundings. There are also plenty of opportunities to experience the wildlife, whether strolling on the beach or exploring the waterways via kayak or canoe.

Just 30 minutes away from Charles-ton, the islands are close enough for a day trip into the city; however, there are several options for shopping excursions on both islands, as well as at Freshfields Village on neighboring Johns Island. Freshfields Village offers a variety of stores, from sporting goods to groceries, as well as several restau-rants.

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Left: Exploring Kiawah Island by kayak.

below: The Sanctuary Hotel.

bottom: Home at Kiawah Island.

bottom Left: Children enjoying Kiawah

Island’s beaches.

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