Published Date: 07-08-26

With a history dating back to the 17th century, Charleston, South Carolina is one of America’s oldest cities. Anchored by a port that ranks as one of the busiest in the nation, the city remains an important economic and cultural hub for the American Southeast.

Today, visitors travel from around the world to enjoy Charleston’s architecture, historic landmarks, and unique Southern charm. These are the picturesque streets that a very dreamy Ryan Gosling wooed Rachel McAdams on in the quintessential sob-story The Notebook, which was written by a dear friend of our CEO. His name is Jeremy Leven, and his screenplay is from a novel by Nicholas Sparks.

Charleston is also home to many Gullah people, an African American ethnic group with a distinct cultural identity developed over hundreds of years.

Combine those rich cultural flavors with international influences from centuries of maritime trade, and you get a vibrant cosmopolitan city with a strong local arts scene. Here are some of the great creative destinations you can find on your visit to Charleston!

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Robert Lange Studios

In the heart of historic Charleston sits Robert Lange Studios, a modern gallery that proudly proclaims the mantra: “Art belongs to everyone!” Housed in a 180-year-old warehouse, the space itself feels warm, natural, and welcoming. As its website state, “no concrete floors, no clinical minimalism, no bourgeois attitude here.” Instead, patrons can appreciate beautiful works of art surrounded by historic masonry and exposed wooden beams.

Owners Robert and Megan Lange feature their own paintings beside the works of other local artists. The Langes wanted to create a space where visitors could appreciate the whole artistic process, so two rooms in the gallery are reserved for working artists in residence. Guests are encouraged to sit down and watch the artists at work. 

Buxton Books

Across the country, bookstores have been having a moment. After years of losing local book shops to competition from major retailers, there’s been a recent uptick in the number of indie bookstores opening in the United States.

Places like Buxton Books show why that’s the case. It’s more than just a storefront, it’s a community hub for book lovers of all ages. A calendar on the website lists upcoming events, which include book signings, discussions with authors, and book club meetings.

Buxton Books is also the launch point for several walking tours of the city, including the very popular (and very spooky) Ghosts of Charleston Tour. Other tours organized by Buxton include the Storied Charleston Tour, which dives into the city’s people, architecture, and landmarks; and Lost Stories of Black Charleston, which explore Black history in the region.

Charleston City Market

No visit to Charleston is complete without a visit to the famous Charleston City Market, an open-air market featuring several local vendors and artists. The market has more than 50 artists specializing in sweetgrass basketry, a traditional African art form kept alive by the Gullah community in the Carolinas.

Gullah artisan Mary Jackson, who first gained recognition at the Charleston City Market in 1980, received the MacArthur Foundation’s “genius grant” for her outstanding contribution to this unique art form. Today, her work appears in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Make sure to check out some of the incredible Southern fare while you explore the vendor stands – there’s plenty of fresh biscuits, shrimp & grits, and lobster hushpuppies to go around!

Boone Hall Plantation

Though Charleston today is a welcoming destination for all, the city still bears the scars of its role in the transatlantic slave trade. At Boone Hall, visitors tour a nearly 400-year-old plantation, which has been transformed into a museum and botanical garden.

The original slave quarters remain on the grounds, where tour guides educate guests about the lives of slaves in America and how the modern Gullah culture was shaped by this painful history.

The house itself is an impressive work of architecture, flanked by iconic mossy oak trees that were first planted in 1743. Over the years, the trees have grown together into a beautiful natural corridor that greets visitors as they arrive at the house.

Cinema lovers in our audience may recognize the plantation from films including The Notebook (sorry, we’re obsessed) and The Patriot!

Charleston Library Society

Proclaiming itself to be the “oldest cultural institution in the South,” the Charleston Library Society is the second-oldest circulating library in the entire country. Among the Library Society’s collection are a manuscript copy of John Locke’s The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina; letters by George Washington, John Marshall, and Alexander Hamilton; and a renowned collection of early American and colonial newspapers.

In addition to their incredible collection of rare books, the Library Society has numerous cultural programs, reading groups, and speaker series.

Charleston Music Hall:

The Charleston Music Hall was originally built as a passenger train station all the way back in 1849. Having also served briefly as a textile mill and a warehouse, the building was finally repurposed as an arts venue in 1995. The Gothic Revival building hosts musical acts, comedians, and more. Unfortunately, we just missed Mamma Mania – the premier touring ABBA tribute show. Maybe next year?

International African American Museum

Over two decades ago, local leaders in Charleston made a bold choice – they were going to confront the city’s legacy of injustice head-on with a museum that told stories that had been ignored for far too long. The result was the International African American Museum, a lasting monument to Black identity.

The museum is located on the historic Gadsden’s Wharf. As construction was underway, archaeologists found timbers and the brick floor of a storehouse used to hold slaves prior to their sale in Charleston. Despite the tragic nature of the subject, the museum makes it a priority to celebrate the joy of the African American experience as expressed through music, art, and stories.

Gibbes Museum of Art

In the heart of Downtown Charleston is the Gibbes Museum of Art. Celebrating Charleston’s unique melting pot of cultures, religions, and traditions from around the world, the museum features a diverse array of artworks spanning 350 years of history.

Right now, the museum is showing extraordinary landscapes by Monet, breathtaking sculptures by Rodin, and captivating watercolors by American painter Mary Whyte. They will also be hosting “Monet & Mimosas” on select Sundays throughout this year. Guests can sip mimosas while taking a guided tour of the special exhibition on loan from the Gregg Turk Foundation. Sign us up!

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That’s our roundup! We hope you enjoyed our guided tour of one of the South’s great cultural destinations. If you need us, we’ll be re-watching The Notebook to see if we recognize any of the charming South Carolinian landmarks. Definitely not because it’s our favorite tear-jerking romantic movie of all time… (We’re not crying, you’re crying!)