On Visiting Charleston – a Guide to Market Street
Along Market Street, Charleston, South Carolina, between Meeting Street and East Bay Street is a strip of open-air markets, surrounded by two rows of stores and restaurants, filling the street to the brim. Many tourists park their cars a couple blocks down, to walk the street and visit the shops and eating venues. Do they really know the history of the streets they walk?
Market Street’s brick and mortar street originates in the late 18th century, though the buildings were created in the 1840’s. Its original construction was meant to house and sell slaves immediately as they came down from the harbor. Eventually it changed to selling groceries and other products until eventually it became the tourist attraction it is today. It’s been the basis for painters like John Booth, a Charleston favorite, and for the writings of Alexandra Ripley, where Market Street is a center location for Scarlet, the sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind.
Market Street is fronted up the street by the famed, Confederate Museum, a museum of history about the Confederate army and the location of the oldest Confederate flag to date. It also houses hair from Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and other old relics dating back to pre-Civil War times. Tours are open throughout tourist season and beyond, giving visitors just a glimpse at what Charleston looked like before modern times.
Under the brick canopy that centers the street, hundreds of merchants gather bright and early every morning to display their wares to the visiting tourists. Sweet grass basket makers sit along the outer edges, weaving baskets and selling what they make. Candy makers bring out their finest for tasting. Local artists sell their visions of Charleston and local beaches.
Along the outer edges, horse drawn tours and the tram scuttle by with tourists looking for a slower way to travel as well as information on the historical culture surrounding every inch of the street. Open stores welcome guests, with sweet candied fudge, hot oysters and lobster and beautiful clothing, jewelry, practically anything you can think of. There is even a 50’s retro shop.
In the middle of everything, the Market Street Inn sits center stage, providing luxury accommodations and easy access to everything Charleston’s down town historical center has to offer. Carriage tours stop for you outside the front door and by request. It’s literally at the heart of everything.
Charleston itself holds numerous historical attractions around every corner, from the museums, to the forts to the old plantations. None are visited as often by so many tourists as the famed Market Street. If you’d like more information on visiting Charleston, you can contact the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau – Charleston, SC www.charlestoncvb.com/
