Discovering Charleston’s (S.C.) Museum Mile
Charming and elegant – a true southern belle – Charleston, S.C., is considered as one of the jewels of the South. It really comes as no surprise that Charleston has secured a place as one of the top 10 domestic travel destinations for the past 15 years by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers Choice Awards.
Withstanding two wars, several fires, an earthquake and numerous hurricanes, each time rebuilding and restoring its historical treasures, these 25 blocks of the city’s historic downtown is an incredible journey through time. The city has more architecturally significant 18th – and 19th – century buildings that any other city in America. As you meander through cobblestone streets or take a horse drawn carriage, you will quickly learn why Charleston is considered a living museum.
The best place to start exploring is on Meeting Street. In March 2008, the Charleston’s Museum Mile was established. Extending from the Charleston’s Visitors Center to Nathaniel Russell House, you can visit an array of historic places and museums. Spend the day visiting such places as the Powder Magazine, the oldest public building in the state, and then head to The Charleston Museum about the Lowcountry. 
Also along the Mile, you’ll find the Gibbes Museum of Art, another place that showcases the area’s history in art and the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, the fourth oldest Jewish congregation in the continental U.S.
Whether you’re visiting Charleston for the first time or fifth time, you can’t go wrong with a stroll down Meeting Street and taking in the many sights. You never know just what you might discover (again.) 
-Apryl Chapman Thomas
Photo credits: All photos are courtesy of The Charleston Museum/Charleston Museum Mile. (top left) Aiken-Rhett House; (top right) Museum Mile South End Banner; (bottom left) Gibbes Museum of Art; (bottom right) Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim.
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