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Where to Shop in Charleston

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You can truly shop ’til you drop in the Lowcountry. We have some create shopping centers, malls and plenty of local boutiques to keep your bags filled (can’t say the same for your wallet, though!).

Downtown Charleston

Spend the day walking King Street with its clothing boutiques, shoe stores, gift shops and more. Start near Charleston Place Hotel and head toward Calhoun Street for a wide selection of local boutiques, gift shops and national retailers. If you’re in the market for rare finds, make your way down Lower King Street (south of Market Street), the city’s antique district.

City Market
City Market

The City Market stretches from Meeting Street to East Bay Street and is home to more than 100 vendors – plus dozens of businesses and restaurants line Market Street on either side of the City Market shed. This is a great spot to pick up souvenirs, sweetgrass baskets, artwork and jewelry.

Summerville

Summerville’s Town Square is filled with local boutiques and shops, including 12 antique stores, a children’s book store and one of the top 10 quilt shops in the country.

Mount Pleasant

Towne Centre on U.S. Highway 17 is home to national retailers plus several local boutiques, including Palmetto Moon, Hairy Winston Pet Boutique, KikiSol Resort, Teal and The Southern Curator.

Belle Hall Shopping Center is located on Long Point Road (just off Interstate 526). Stop by Wonder Works for a large selection of children’s toys and gifts or visit Princess of Tides for costumes and tutus. Carolina Girls carries gift items, jewelry and stationery. The Coastal Cupboard has a large selection of specialty food items and cookware.

West Ashley

Citadel Mall, located off Interstate 526 and Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, includes mostly national retailers like Belk, Dillard’s, Sears, Target and JCPenney plus an IMAX Theater.

North Charleston

Northwoods Mall on Rivers Avenue has more than 120 stores, including Belk, Dillard’s, Sears, Palmetto Moon, Books-a-Million and Bath & Body Works.

Tanger Outlets has dozens of nationally known retailers offering apparel for adults and children, shoes, accessories, housewares and jewelry. Tanger is easily accessible from both Interstates 526 and 26.

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Charleston FAQ's

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/

Charleston, SC is full of historical things to do. Everything from museums, to public sites and free landmark sites such as Rainbow Row and the Battery can be seen. For more info on Charleston’s top historical sites visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/places-to-learn-about-charleston-sc-history/

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/

There’s so many  things you could do in Charleston it can be overwhelming. We recommend that first time visitors, checkout the ultimate first-time visitor guide here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-first-time-visitors-guide/

Spring in Charleston, SC is an amazing time of year to visit. The flowers are blooming and the weather is mild and sunny. For more info, check-out our spring guide to Charleston here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-springtime-in-charleston/

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: 

Our 10 Favorite Summer Activities in Charleston

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

7 Can’t Miss Reasons to Visit Charleston, SC Now

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: 

Charleston’s Top Tours & Attractions | Things to do

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: 

Getting Around Charleston, SC

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. 
  • Savannah is more affordable.
  • TourPass offers all-inclusive passes in both cities: https://tourpass.com

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/

Of course there are free money-saving coupons that you can use. Visit the coupons page for a bunch of ways to save: https://travelerofcharleston.com/coupon/

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/

Checkout the Charleston Relocation Guide page which will guide you during your move: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-sc-relocation-guide/

Additional Places to Explore

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