Charleston has a well-deserved reputation as the cultural and culinary capital of the Carolinas. Great museums, an extraordinary arts scene (epitomized by the Spoleto Festival USA that’s now in progress), and food that you’d walk on your tongue for. Neat, but what about the kids?
Charleston’s got you covered there too. Consider taking a day each to:
- See the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry. Kids get to do more than burn off steam here. They explore the arts, sciences, and humanities through their own interactive experiences. When they grow up, this sort of thing can’t help but prime their psyches for experiences such as Spoleto. Look at the price of admission as an investment. There are eight prime exhibits here, including a Medieval Creativity Castle, a pirate ship, and a Kids Garden.
- Fathom the fascinations of the South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston’s prime family attraction. See an albino alligator up close and almost personal. Watch graceful sea turtles, and revel in the play of river otters. Take some time to really explore the new Madagascar exhibit. Capitalizing on the popularity of the movie of the same name, Madagascar takes you on a trip through a quartet of distinctly different habitats. The conservation lessons your kids will have absorbed by the time they emerge are priceless.
- Let them burn up all that pent-up energy they’ve been stifling by bundling them out to Blackbeard’s Cove, a local family fun park. Go-karts, miniature golf, arcade games, wall climbing, and an indoor playground should properly wear them out for the trip home.
Charleston is nicely connected by air to most of the East Coast. The latest addition to local air service is Southwest Airlines.
(Image: Schlüsselbein2007)
