Founded in 1670 at the point where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers meet the Atlantic, Charleston is the oldest and second biggest city in South Carolina. The historic downtown area offers beautifully preserved architecture and the low-rise skyline is studded with church steeples, lending it the nickname ‘The Holy City'.
Head to Liberty Square and you can visit the South Carolina Aquarium and enjoy magnificent views of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge before catching a ferry to Fort Sumter, the island where the Civil War began. Or you can cross the bridge to see the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant.