Flirting With Charleston

By Norman Schreiber

Let's be clear: Charleston is a Southern city. And it does romance right.

There's something about the harbor, the foliage and the ancestral buildings that suggest Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara.

You can feel it peeking at you, lighting your way with evanescent sparks as you stroll through the streets of Charleston.

If these streets could talk, they'd say, "How y'all doin? Why don't you set a spell? Can I freshen your iced tea?" 

There's more to Charleston than the whiff of "moonbeams and magnolias." True, the home of Fort Sumter remembers its role in the history and culture of the American South. And yes, there is the city's well-tended 19th-century architecture. The city has a huge historic district.

Between Sullivan’s Island and James Island, you’ll find Charleston Harbor, which is populated with variety of birds, from pelicans to gulls, as well as otters. Charleston’s harbor ripples with all sorts of activities and sights, such as Charleston’s South Carolina Aquarium. And there is loads of shopping.

The city also offers the Spoleto Festival, an annual arts fest, that’s running May 25-June 11, 2023. Jazz festivals in and near Charleston include the Charleston Jazz Festival (April 20-23, 2023) and Greater Charleston Lowcountry Jazz Festival, the Savannah Jazz Festival and the Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival.

A thriving college community provides interesting arts and cultural options, as well, including the College of Charleston, the nation’s oldest city college. The Citadel (a/k/a the Military College of South Carolina, is here, too.