Choose Charleston

Charleston is a friendly town but there are a few improprieties sure to irk the locals.

Generally, Charlestonians are a kindly lot but very proud of their history, culture, and architecture. Religion is taken quite seriously in this city, so a certain degree of gravitas is expected while on walking tours of churches and churchyards.

Here are a few errors to eschew and boners to bypass while in town:

1. Not all of the grand houses along the Battery are open for tours. In fact, most of them are private residences. Many a family in the historic district has a tale or two of sitting down for an evening meal only to hear a knock on the door followed by a request to “come in and look around.” The answer is generally a polite, “Uh… no,” followed by equally polite directions to the Visitor’s Center, where information on which houses conduct tours and when can be obtained.

2. Asking locals if it is “always this humid” in the summertime. Yes, it is.

3. Wearing black socks with golf shorts. No!

4. Photographing the sweetgrass basket makers without permission. These are local artisans, not costumed actors, and they can be sensitive about this. Besides, asking permission is just polite.

5. Don’t even think about lifting a “little souvenir” from an archeological site or graveyard. This sort of thing shouldn’t even have to be said, but you’d be surprised…

Charleston has long been nicknamed “The Holy City.” Steeples are the preeminent feature of our skyline and no matter where you stand on the peninsula, a church is within ready walking distance.

Also contributing to the nickname is the fact that older parts of the city retain a continental flavor. I’ve heard more than once of well-traveled folks choosing Charleston as a place to settle at the end of their wanderings because the ambiance is about as close to European as one is likely to find in the United States (New Orleans is sometimes cited as another option).

Plus, we’re polite as all get out.

Except, maybe, when we’re driving.

No walking tour of the historic district would be complete without pausing to appreciate several grand examples of our churches, including St. Philip’s, St. Michael’s, Circular Congregational, Congregation Beth Elohim, First (Scots) Presbyterian, and the Unitarian Church.

Burial grounds maintained by many of the churches offer walking paths where visitors may respectfully appreciate the local history of mortuary art. Students of History, Religion, or American Studies will find much to contemplate in the statuary and symbolism - from cherubs to death’s heads - to be found on grave markers from different eras.