QUINTESSENTIAL

South Carolina Aquarium

Featuring more than 60 exhibits, this aquatic wonderland will take a good chunk of time to explore. The aquarium has galleries for each of South Carolina’s five major regions—mountains, Piedmont area (streams and rivers), the coastal plain, the coast and the ocean—as well as a kid-friendly touch tank. Special programs include behind-the-scenes tours of the 385,000-gallon Great Ocean Tank and the Sea Turtle Rescue Hospital. www.scaquarium.org

DID YOU KNOW?
The robust redhorse sucker fish was thought to be extinct for more than 100 years, but it was recently redis-covered in the streams of the Carolinas and Georgia.

CITY MARKET
www.charlestoncity.info
Charles Cotsworth Pinckney ceded the land on which City Market sits to Charleston in 1788, with the stipulation that it be used for a public market forever. Low buildings and sheds were built on Meeting Street (between Market Street and the waterfront) from 1804 to the 1830s. The current Market Hall, located at 188 Meeting St., was built in 1841 and was modeled after a Greek temple. This is the area to visit for locally crafted sweetgrass baskets (some made on-site by Gullah women), clothing, artwork, jewelry, local produce and more.

THE BATTERY AND WHITE POINT GARDENS
In the heart of Charleston’s historic district, you’ll find The Battery, a famous landmark promenade, from which you can take in incredible views of Fort Sumter and Charleston Harbor where the Ashley and Cooper rivers empty into the ocean. Adjoining The Battery are White Point Gardens, home to various historic cannons from the Civil War (the site was the city’s fortification during that time), monuments and statues.

ANGEL OAK
www.angeloaktree.org
Thought to be about 1,500 years old, this native Low Country live oak tree is reportedly the oldest living thing east of the Rockies. Located in nearby John’s Island, “The Tree”—as locals call it—stands 65 feet tall, but even more impressive are its wide canopies that provide 17,000 square feet of shade.

CHARLESTON TEA PLANTATION
www.bigelowtea.com/act
As history tells it, a disagreement over tea was a catalyst to the Revolutionary War. (A brief recap: In what is known as the Boston Tea Party, a group of colonists protested high tariffs by dumping hundreds of pounds of tea into Boston Harbor.) How could one get tea into the US, if not from Europe? As one French botanist discovered, just grow it. And so America’s only commercial tea farm was born. At Charleston Tea Plantation, about 23 miles from the city, stroll beneath the live oaks, learn how tea is made during a factory tour, sip some American Classic Tea and buy some to take home.

GIBBES MUSEUM OF ART
www.gibbesmuseum.org
The city’s premier art museum is home to more than 10,000 works, mostly by American artists with a Charleston or Southern connection. On view through Aug. 31 is “Seeking,” a special exhibit inspired by artist Jonathan Green’s large-scale painting of the same name, which explores the theme of personal discovery through art. And opening Aug. 29 is “Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art,” featuring more than 200 objects, paintings, photographs and more.

THE CHARLESTON MUSEUM
www.charlestonmuseum.org
Founded in 1773, this is America’s first museum—and if you want to learn about the history of Charleston and the South Carolina Low Country, this is the place to go. Exhibits feature everything from George Washington’s christening cup and skeletons of prehistoric animals to artifacts from the eras of rice and cotton. Shoe lovers will go nuts for the special exhibit “History in Every Step,” which presents more than 90 pairs of historic footwear.

Fort Sumter National Monument

On April 12, 1861, civil war broke out between the North and South. The Confederate army opened fire at Fort Sumter, and Union soldiers surrendered 34 hours later. Today, the site— located on an island in Charleston Harbor that’s only accessible by boat—remains a memorial to those who fought in that first battle. You can access the ferry from the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center, located in downtown Charleston (but first, wander around the center, which sheds light on the events leading up to the war). Once you reach Fort Sumter, park personnel provide a brief overview before turning you loose to explore. Outdoor activities include birdwatching, nature walks, fishing, kayaking and more. www.nps.gov/fosu

DID YOU KNOW?
Fort Sumter National Monument has one of the best collections of 19th-century seacoast artillery anywhere in the United States.