Charleston, SC (Photo: Courtesy ExploreCharleston.com)Charleston, SC
Golf and gardens
Warm up to spring, y’all, in Charleston, SC, where visitors find charm, history and plenty of Southern hospitality. Explore an antebellum mansion, go beachcombing along 90 miles of scenic coastline or clip-clop over cobblestone streets in a horse-drawn carriage.
And that's just for starters. Charming Charleston—just voted the nation’s friendliest city by Travel & Leisure magazine-- has something for everyone: Golfers can test their mettle at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, which will host the 2012 PGA Championship in August. Home decor fans can visit Historic Charleston Foundation’s 65th Annual Spring Festival of Houses & Gardens, scheduled for March 22-April 21. Kids can learn about nature at the South Carolina Aquarium, which rescues injured sea turtles.
Don't miss Ft. Sumter National Monument, where the Civil War began, Battery Park and White Gardens, on the shore of the Charleston Peninsula, and the recently renovated Old City Market, where you can find authentic handmade Lowcountry souvenirs. Charleston welcomes four million annual visitors and one of the best times to visit is in the spring, when flowers are in bloom and summer heat hasn't descended.
