Charleston is a beautiful city located in South Carolina.The city sits at the Atlantic coast holding a lot of southern history and culture. When South Carolina was founded, Charleston was the state capital.The city is home to the first American museum, the Charleston Museum, the first American theater, the Dock Street Theatre, and many more firsts. Charleston was incorporated as a city in the era of the American Revolution. The Civil War started at Fort Sumter located at Charleston Harbor. The Charleston Harbor is an extremely important port at the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The 1 mi (1.6 km) wide entrance of the port has Morris Island on the south and Sullivan’s Island on the north.Read on to know more about Charleston and if you like this article, then also check out facts about Charlotte North Carolina, and facts about Cheyenne Wyoming.Fun Facts About Charleston, South CarolinaThe largest city of South Carolina, Charleston is full of pastel antebellum houses, horse-drawn carriages, and cobblestone streets. This beautiful city is located slightly south of the South Carolina coastline’s geographical midpoint. Here are five fun and interesting facts about Charleston, South Carolina.The Charleston RiverDogs is the oldest baseball team in the Charleston city that plays in the minor league, Low-A East. However, the interesting fact is that the renowned American actor, Bill Murray owns a part of this team and holds the title, ‘Director of Fun’. Reportedly, he has a home near the city and he can be seen during the opening games of the team. There are pineapple symbols around the city, like at the entrance of some bed and breakfast, or in the smack-dab middle of the city’s Waterfront Park. Don’t worry as it’s a symbol of hospitality for them. In the past, when captains came back home, they put a pineapple on their fence posts as a message to people that they welcome guests to hear his adventure stories.‘The Spoleto Festival’ is quite famous in the city. It was started keeping the ‘Festival of Two Worlds’ which is celebrated in Spoleto, Italy in mind. For 17 days of every spring, the people of Charleston celebrate this festival. They celebrate by filling up their churches, theaters, and other outdoor spaces with operas, music, dance, or plays. If you’re in Charleston and walking on East Bay Street, you might see rows of pastel-colored colonial-era houses. There are many interesting stories surrounding how they came to be, but the truth is actually quite mundane. Some time back in the ‘1930s, Mrs. Dorothy Haskell Porcher Legge, the wife of a judge, painted her house in pastel pink color and their neighbors followed suit.You can see many houses in this historic district accented with a blackish-green color also known as the Charleston Green. At the end of the American Civil War, the Union sent buckets of black color to use for the damage the people had suffered due to the war. However, the people of the city mixed Southern yellow to that Yankee black color and came up with the Charleston Green. Another interesting thing about many houses in Charleston is, you’ll see that these houses are sideways. This is mainly because, during the 1680s, they made these houses thinking of saving space. Additionally, there was no air cooler. Hence, they built the houses and porches strategically facing the west or south side, so that they would get maximum breeze during the hot days.Historical Facts About CharlestonCharleston, South Carolina is known as a historic district and for its historic buildings, like Fort Sumter or Fort Moultrie (previously known as Fort Sullivan) are sure to give you a blast from the history as you’re traveling around the city. Here are a few things that will give you some proof.The history of this city holds many firsts, like the first museum in America, the Charleston Museum was established in 1773 in this historic district. The oldest college in the city, the College of Charleston is the 13th oldest college in America. The founders were signers of the Declaration of Independence. It is believed that the Dock Street Theatre opened in 1736, making it to be the first-ever theater built in America. Harleston Green is considered America’s oldest golf club that was formed in 1786. Along with these, the sad thing is, Charleston also housed America’s first female serial killer, Lavinia Fisher. The Civil War began in Charleston. In 1861, the first shot of the Civil War was fired by the Confederate forces on Fort Sumter situated at the Charleston Harbor.This historic district was first settled way back in the 1670s. The story behind this is, King Charles II of England regained his throne after he was exiled with the help of eight loyal friends. As a result, he awarded them with the territory of Carolina. They set sail in the 1670s and as they arrived, they established the first settlement of the province in Charleston, South Carolina, and named it Charles Town. The name was shortened to Charleston and incorporated as a city in the Revolutionary War Era, specifically in 1783. The city started to become a house for many immigrants from all over the world over the next years. They all brought diverse religious beliefs with them like Roman Catholicism, Judaism, and more. The city has still lived in harmony. For this reason and for its high number of churches, the city gained the nickname, ‘Holy City’. In 1672, this historic district was moved to the peninsula at the convergence point of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers which was called the Oyster Point. Hence, Charles Town back then was also called the Oyster Town. Employees of South Carolina Medical College Hospital went on a four-month strike to better the working conditions and pay for minorities. It became a pivotal moment for the Civil Rights Movement.Facts About Charleston’s ClimateBefore you visit any place, knowing the climate and weather is of utmost importance. Charleston is a coastal city of South Carolina, so you can expect heat and humidity on the higher side like many other subtropical areas.Summer: The summer months are June, July, and August. The average temperature stays around 70-80 °F (21.1-26.7 °C). You can go to the beach islands, like Seabrook or Kiawah Islands, or the waterways to cool off with the ocean breeze. However, remember that afternoon thunderstorms can sneak up on you any day.Winter: The winter months are December, January, and February. The coldest month in Charleston, South Carolina in January, but the average temperature stays around 40-60 °F (4.4-15.6°C) with a rare occurrence of snow. Hence, it’s perfect for people who want to enjoy winter by avoiding snow. The city looks divine as it’s adorned with poinsettias, ribbons, and wreaths, and as the camellias bloom.Fall: The fall months are September, October, and November. At the beginning of the season, the average temperature stays around 83 °F (28.3°C). The mornings are chilled, days are sunny, afternoons are warm, and the air is crisp during this season. The city livens up with activities, like the annual Turkey Trot, tours in horse-drawn carriages, and gardens and homes.Spring: The spring months are March, April, and May. The season starts with a temperature of around 51 °F (10.6°C) and ends with around 79 °F (26.1°C). The beautiful weather helps colorful dogwoods and azaleas bloom. Some perfect activities of this time include Cooper River Bridge Run, exploring gardens of plantations, and strawberry picking at Boone Hall Farms.Facts About Charleston’s FoodThe cuisine and foods of the city of Charleston are quite diverse. The history of the city is full of people from all around the world. Hence, their influence, especially of African, French, and British people in the foods of the city can be seen quite conspicuously.The international restaurants work their best in the Spoleto Festival to provide the best international foods. Mainly because for 17 long days in spring, people from all around the world come down to the city to celebrate with the people of the city. The local cuisine is abundant in seafood cuisine as Charleston is a coastal city of South Carolina. Some seafood that can be found in abundance in the city is bass, wild tuna, creek shrimp, flounder, and blue crabs. Some famous Charleston seafood dishes are shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, special po’ boy of Charleston stuffed with local fried oysters or shrimps, fresh Charleston oysters, Frogmore stew, otherwise known as Beaufort stew or Lowcountry boil, made up of shrimp, corn, potatoes, and sausages, and some more dishes. African cuisine has influenced the dishes with ingredients, like rice, eggplants, sesame, or okra. Including dishes like Charleston red rice, fried okra, a gumbo of okra soup, ‘Hopping John’ which is technically a rice and bean dish, and more. Charleston, South Carolina is also famous for foods like their version of fried chicken and vegetables, South Carolina barbeque, buttermilk biscuits, bread pudding, sweet tea, and various kinds of wines.Many companies in the city provide tourists with Savor the Flavors tours that take them for strolls around the city for two and a half hours to taste city specials, like local gourmet chocolates, benne wafers, southern pralines, and more. Annual food festivals also happen and you can plan your visit accordingly. The five-day Charleston Wine and Food Festival occurs in March, the Lowcountry Oyster Festival occurs in January, and the Taste of Charleston occurs in September.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 111 facts about Charleston, SC to know for planning your next vacation then why not take a look at facts about Denver Colorado, or facts about Baltimore Maryland.
Charleston is a beautiful city located in South Carolina.
