A Deep Dive Into Charleston

Plus, she-crab soup, crab fritters with whipped benne butter, and jasmine-scented streets

Charleston captivated me on my first visit and has led to a lifetime of trips down her sea-scented cobblestone streets. I’m an impossible Southern romantic and a hopeless history buff who drifted into the city’s spell. 

Now, it’s springtime in the Holy City, and the sweet scent of tea olive hangs in the air after warm spring rains.  Light shimmers off little side streets, creating an Old World charm that grabs my senses and refreshes. 

If you want to indulge yourself, spend a night at the Dewberry, a mid-century Southern sensation, at 334 Meeting Street, which puts you right in the thick of everything. If you don’t overnight in the rooms, pop in for a Negroni at the brass bar in the lobby. Keep in mind that the brasserie-style Henrietta’s serves one of the best brunches in town. The perfectly folded French omelette oozes with aged Fontina. It’s a rare treat, centrally located, and well worth the splurge.

Explore the historic residential neighborhood known as “South of the Broad,” which has a slower rhythm. I begin my walk at White Point Garden, located in the heart of the historic district downtown. Centuries-old oak trees shade the grassy lawn, where there is an impressive display of Civil War cannons and several monuments. Charleston Harbor and Fort Sumter, a federal stronghold where the 1st shot of the Civil War rang out, are off in the distance.

At the northwest corner of the park, I follow King Street up to the Miles Brewton House, a National Monument. It’s a Palladio-inspired Georgian home that has remained in the same family since 1769. I noticed a menacing spike on top of its iron fence. Later, I learned these were added following the city’s 1822 discovery of a plot for widespread slave rebellion, a thwarted conspiracy whose mastermind was an ex-slave. Similar ironwork cropped up around town to give slave owners a false sense of security.

As I approach Legare (pronounced Luh-GREE), walking south to north, I admire the balconies of Italianate and Neoclassical villas positioned to catch sea breezes.  I stopped at the Pineapple Gates House at 14 Legare, where undiscovered secrets were trapped deep in the soil.  When current owners purchased this circa-1800 property, they invited local archeologists to search around beneath the lawn and investigate what it would yield.  An unexpected find was uncovered: a shell path outline of an ornate parterre boxwood garden dating to 1818 was discovered and later fully restored.  An 1803 brass slave tag, as well as Revolutionary War cannonballs, Antebellum hair combs, and delft tableware from the 18th century, were uncovered.  Now, they are part of a permanent collection at the Charleston Museum.

Once onto Broad Street you will see the John Rutledge House with its lacy two-story wrought iron balconies.  Built in 1763 by a signer of the Constitution, the building is now a luxury bed and breakfast.  The house is famous for its turn-of-the-century butler, William Deas, who fancied up crab bisque with the addition of bright orange crab roe in anticipation of President Taft’s 1909 visit, thus the origin of one of Charleston’s delicacies, “she-crab soup.”

If you’ve worked up an appetite, head east on Broad and left on King to enter Millers All Day, co-founded by local miller Greg Johnsman. Johnsman is a “miller” because he restores vintage grist mills on his family farm on Edisto Island, where he grows and stone-grinds corn and grain and makes them into some of the finest grits you’ll ever taste. For lunch, I suggest the Sea Island combo of red peas and Carolina Gold rice folded with veggies and broth. You can’t go wrong with that.

Once on King, stop at the Preservation Society store for a fascinating curated lineup of local artisanal products and scores of Charleston cookbooks.  A little further, you will see the steps of the Charleston Library Society, 164 King Street, the second-oldest circulating library in the United States and the South’s oldest cultural institution. It’s a National treasure, and for me, it was love at first sight.

Spend a little time at Bin 152, a sweet, cozy spot in the middle of King Street’s cluster of antique shops. Fittingly, the wine bar also serves as a market and art gallery. It’s a perfect spot to relax with a glass of wine and a platter of charcuterie. Turn left on Queen Street, and you will find three of Charleston’s most famous Southern restaurants: Husk, Pittypat’s Porch, and 82 Queen. Be sure to make a reservation and come back for dinner.

Below are the Four Corners of Law

Hook a right onto Meeting Street, proceeding to the intersection of Meeting and Broad. This is called the Four Corners of Law, referring to the four buildings at the intersection that represent municipal, county, federal, and ecclesiastical law. Here, you will see Gullah basket weavers on the corner. They are descendants of enslaved Africans who maintain an ancient art form passed down through generations. They use a variety of natural grasses to create their bowls and baskets.

Next is City Hall, which has exhibits, including bones excavated from the 18th-century meat market that stood on this spot. Walk to 19 Vendue Range, take the elevator to the Vendue hotel’s rooftop bar, and indulge in crab fritters with whipped benne butter.  The views are worth the trip, and the food is authentic revival, helmed by a chef whose passion lies with resurrected grains.  Hushpuppies here incorporate nearly extinct corns, and their shrimp and grits use rare “forbidden black rice grits” revived by Anson Milles.  There is also a velvety she-crab soup true to William Deas’ 1909 recipe.

It’s a wonderful way to end your day exploring Charleston, where food and history are inseparable.