Your Charleston CME conference.

Charleston after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Charleston time. Explore Charleston suggests a stroll down East Bay Street to Rainbow Row, a lineup of Colonial-era town houses, and on to the Battery at the tip of the peninsula. Joe Riley Waterfront Park has a large pineapple sculpture, a symbol of hospitality. Explore Charleston’s itinerary describes the Battery as a promenade lined with antebellum homes on one side and Charleston Harbor on the other. Leave time for summer heat and afternoon thunderstorms, and keep an indoor option ready.

Travel, lodging and attraction entry are arranged on your own. The city is the setting for a study day you run yourself, so choose one outing per afternoon rather than trying to cover the whole peninsula.

Streets for a slow walk

Explore Charleston describes Broad Street as Gallery Row, with about 15 galleries and roughly two dozen more on nearby streets. Chalmers Street is one of only eight remaining cobblestone streets in the city, and the Old Slave Mart Museum is there. Church Street has the Dock Street Theatre, described as the nation’s first permanent playhouse, and St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, built in 1835–1838. Its churchyard holds the graves of John C. Calhoun, Edward Rutledge, Charles Pinckney and DuBose Heyward.

King Street is the shopping street: lower King is an antiques district and upper King is a contemporary design district. Tradd and Legare streets are described for their gardens, piazzas and carriage lanterns. Check any museum’s open days against your 2:00 PM finish.

The City Market

Market Hall and the open-air sheds sit on Market Street between Meeting and East Bay Streets. The National Park Service calls the complex a National Historic Landmark and the only surviving market buildings in Charleston. The Pinckney family donated the land in 1788, and the present buildings date from 1840–41, after a fire in 1838.

The Greek Revival hall has a portico of Tuscan columns, and the sheds behind it hold individual vendors selling Low Country arts and crafts. Explore Charleston points to the market for souvenirs such as sweetgrass baskets. Explore Charleston also lists the Charleston Farmers Market among its events, running April through December; confirm the day and location before you go. Vendor lineups change, so treat the market as a browse rather than a shopping list.

Harbor forts and the water

Two forts guard the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter sits on an island and, according to the National Park Service, can be reached only by the concession-operated ferry from Fort Sumter Tours; ferry tickets can be bought in advance. The park describes it as the place where the Confederacy fired on the U.S. garrison on April 12, 1861, opening the Civil War. Check the ferry schedule against your 2:00 PM finish before you plan the afternoon.

Fort Moultrie is on Sullivan’s Island and has 171 years of seacoast defense history and began as a palmetto log fort, where patriots defeated the Royal Navy in 1776. For time on the water, Explore Charleston lists harbor cruises aboard Schooner Pride, an 84-foot, three-masted wooden schooner that sails past Civil War landmarks and barrier islands.

Beaches, an old oak and the plantations

Explore Charleston names Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Folly Beach, Kiawah and Seabrook among the area’s beach communities. Explore Charleston also lists the South Carolina Aquarium among its attractions, a possible indoor choice for a rainy afternoon. Charleston County Parks notes that its beach parks see more visitors during spring break and warmer weather, so an arrival after your study day may mean sharing the sand.

Angel Oak is a southern live oak at 3688 Angel Oak Road on Johns Island, estimated at 300 to 400 years old, about 65 feet tall and shading roughly 17,000 square feet. The city’s park around it has a picnic area, is open seven days a week and closes on holidays. Discover South Carolina puts it about 12 miles from downtown. Explore Charleston also lists Middleton Place, Boone Hall and Magnolia Plantation and Gardens for landscaped grounds; confirm each site’s days and entry arrangements before you go.

When to visit Charleston

Explore Charleston describes a subtropical climate with about 230 days of sunshine a year. Spring runs from early March into early June, with temperatures from 58 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit and azaleas and dogwoods in bloom. Summer averages 78 to 82 degrees, with coastal breezes and passing afternoon thunderstorms. Autumn runs 58 to 76 degrees with clear skies, and winter averages 47 to 52 degrees, with a chance of snow flurries in late December or early January. Check the forecast before planning outdoor time.

Getting to Charleston and your study setting

Charleston International Airport (CHS) is at 5500 International Blvd. in North Charleston. Its website lists rental cars, parking and ground transportation. The downtown peninsula, the barrier-island beaches and Johns Island are separate parts of the area, so choose accommodation with your afternoon plans in mind.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.