Charleston is a favorite destination for cruisers, offering superb protection in bad weather, and with its numerous marinas and boatyards, an excellent stopover point to attend to you and your boat’s needs. Charleston’s “Museum Mile” boasts six museums, five nationally historic homes, four scenic parks, numerous historic churches, the Old Market and City Hall. Frequent tours by the Historic Charleston Foundation and the Preservation Society offer a peek inside the old homes and their glorious gardens. Do take a carriage ride or one of the ghost tours if you have time. Even if it does not make your hair stand on end, you will have a new insight into the city’s past. (Example: The cobblestone streets in the historic district were built from the rocks used as ship’s ballast.) The 8-acre waterfront park runs 0.5 mile alongside the Cooper River at Vedue Range. Take a photo in front of the famous Pineapple fountain or snag a swing on the pavilion-covered pier.

The easiest way to move around downtown is aboard the city’s free visitor-oriented system of shuttle buses: three routes that circulate around the most popularly-visited downtown areas, connecting with the central Visitors Center on Meeting Street.