Happy New Year, Charleston! Here’s to another year of food, fun, and adventure in Charleston. We have plenty to look forward to in 2025 so book your flight, pack your bags and plan the most exciting Charleston vacation yet. Here’s some of our must attend events in January.
During the month of January 2025, enjoy access to participating Museum Mile sites with the purchase of one low ticket price! With the Museum Mile Month pass, you can spend an entire month learning about Charleston’s rich history and culture while visiting sites in the order that best fits your schedule. Adult tickets are $35 and children’s are $10 for 13 different sites. Purchase tickets online on their website linked above.
Dozens of restaurants all over the Charleston area offer specially priced menus celebrating Charleston and its varied cuisine. Over 50 restaurants participate in this much-anticipated event. Pick your favorite places or try something new! Check the website for participating restaurants and menus!
Big annual event in honor of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, with parade through downtown Charleston (January 20), and other activities including speakers, food, youth and faith events. Get all the details, here.
Center Street on Folly Beach transforms into four blocks of food and fun. Bring the whole family to enjoy Folly establishments to serving up their best dishes and exhibit their skills through live demonstrations. All of this will be complemented by local bands, activities, contests, 50+ Folly art, craft, and fashion vendors, and a robust kid area, Taste of Folly will have something for everyone! Click the link above for tickets.
The Charleston Half Marathon® is a scenic 13.1-mile run through downtown Charleston, that showcases the beauty and the history of the Lowcountry. This year the race starts and ends at the iconic Joseph P. Riley Park, Home of The Charleston RiverDogs. If you choose to run the race, artwork from local schools will dot the course to keep you motivated and moving toward the finish line at “The Joe.”
Each winter, the beauty of camellias enhances America’s Oldest Landscaped Gardens at Middleton Place with thousands of blossoms. Special 11:00 am walking tours given by expert guides focus on historic camellias, including the 1786 Reine des Fleurs, one of the first camellias planted in America.
TourPass allows Visitors to take advantage of Charleston’s top attractions and historic sites while saving time and money. Tour Pass includes an easy to use mobile pass and is 5 star rated
Choosing a hotel and where to stay in Charleston all depends on your budget and goals. Do you want to stay Downtown, at the beach or in the outer areas such as North Charleston where you have to drive to get everywhere? For more help on deciding: https://travelerofcharleston.com/articles/hotels/
Charleston has 3 main public beaches which are: Folly, Isle of Palms and Sullivans. Each beach has it’s own atmosphere. The most common beach that people visit is Folly Beach and then Isle of Palms followed by Sullivans Island. For more info on Charleston’s beaches visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/
There are many things that will keep the kids and family entertained and educated in Charleston. There are historic sites such as Fort Sumter, a Children’s Museum, Aquarium and the USS Yorktown…a WWII era aircraft carrier you can tour. For more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-family-fun-activities/
Summer in Charleston is a great time to visit. There’s plenty of things to keep you busy and visiting the beach will probably….or should be on your short-list. Also water-based activities and tours are popular. Checkout this summer guide to Charleston for more info:
Fall is one of the best times to visit. The weather cools down a bit and the skies are typically blue and clear. In addition there are many great events, festivals and the large crowds of summer have gone back to school or work. For more info on visiting in the fall, checkout this article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-12-things-to-do-fall/
There are so many great things to do that it’s difficult to narrow the list down. This article does a great job with figuring out the must do things to do in Charleston
The consensus is a minimum of 3-days is needed to settle in and experience Charleston. For instance, many people take 2 days exploring downtown and another day visiting sites outside of downtown such as the plantations, Angel Oak Tree or beaches. Checkout this page for a list of tours and attractions:
Downtown Charleston was made for walking and for sure one of the best way to soak up and experience the history first-hand. This article goes over getting around Charleston with and without a car as well:
We’re of course partial to Charleston, but here’s the truth. There are many similarities however there are some differences in our opinion:
Both cities are historic and beautiful.
Both cities are extremely walkable. Savannah, with it’s park-like squares maybe more walkable than Charleston.
Charleston has a more established and food scene with many more options.
Charleston has better hotels and shopping.
Both cities have equally good tours.
Charleston has better beach options. Savannah has Tybee which is great, however it’s 1 beach vibe versus Charleston which has 3 beaches with different vibes. Checkout this Charleston beach guide article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/
In Savannah you can walk with alcoholic beverages on the street. This is not allowed in Charleston. This can be good or bad depending on your stance.
There are always great and world-class events happening in Charleston. For a calendar of events and things to do in Charleston, checkout our online calendar of events: https://travelerofcharleston.com/events/
Charleston has some fantastic can’t miss tours such as Fort Sumter, carriage, ghost, harbor, historic and culinary tours. For a full list with more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/attractions/
