Find cheap flights to Charleston (CHS), United States

Though it may be tempting to spend your Charleston vacation noshing on shrimp and grits, sipping mint juleps and napping on porch swings, you won’t want to pass on the opportunity to see some of the city’s historic sites. Be sure to take the boat ride out to the Fort Sumter National Monument for a riveting guided tour of the fort where the Confederate Army fired the opening salvo of the Civil War. See the Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, the area where the first English settlers arrived and put down roots in the Carolinas, and where reenactors now demonstrate the colonists’ daily lives. And for a glimpse at one of the most significant artifacts in naval history, head to the old Charleston Naval Base to see the H.L. Hunley Confederate Submarine, which was lost shortly after sinking a Union vessel in 1864. It was found more than 130 years later and excavated in 2000, and its restoration continues today.

For more contemporary cultural and educational attractions, try the South Carolina Aquarium and Gibbes Museum of Art. Take advantage of the best Charleston hotel deals, then bring the money you saved to the Old City Market, an open-air marketplace with dozens of local artisans and vendors who sell unique gifts. And make sure you dine out in at least a few of the great local restaurants like Anson Restaurant for regional favorites and Hominy Grill for a gut-busting Sunday brunch.