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…