Charleston Highlights

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Walking is the best way to experience Charleston. Or ride a sightseeing trolley or carriage; they depart from the Visitor Center (375 Meeting St. +1 843 853 8000), located in an antebellum railroad depot. Across the street, the Charleston Museum (360 Meeting St. 843-722-2996. Adm. fee), with a Confederate submarine moored at its entrance, encompasses the stern, neoclassical 1803 Joseph Manigault House (350 Meeting St. +1 843 723 2926. Fee for tours). Costumed guides greet visitors at Market Hall (Market St.), a Doric building where Rebel soldiers enlisted. CONTINUED

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A line of cannons rests under an overhang at Fort Sumter National Monument.

Photograph © Kevin Fleming/Corbis

Palmettos brush the balconies of the ornate mansions overlooking Charleston Harbor; there, a park marks the April 1861 day when Confederate troops bombarded and captured Fort Sumter, launching the Civil War. Boats embark from City Marina or Patriots Point (+1 843 722 1691. Fare charge) for the Fort Sumter National Monument (+1 843 883 3123), with a museum in the restored fort.