New York Times: 36 Hours in Charleston, S.C. – Things to Do and See

When most people think of Charleston, South Carolina’s oldest city, they often picture its walkable downtown, with its cobblestones, Colonial architecture and horse-drawn carriages. But beyond the historic district, you’ll find small islands with coastal views and waterways, and neighborhoods with their own wealth of history. While the city’s pivotal role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade continues to spark debate about how much to focus on that narrative for visitors, an answer has arrived in the International African American Museum, a $120 million project that opened in June after 20 years in the making. Charleston has been accused of being obsessed with history; in reality, it’s an evolving city amid a tourism boom that is striving to use the past to inform its future.