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When I was in Charleston, South Carolina, I noticed that various tourist attractions love to proclaim that they are the “oldest” or the “first” of something. They are very proud of their long history of establishment.
Four Charleston natives signed the American Declaration of Independence including Thomas Heyward Jr., Thomas Lynch Jr., Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge.
The first musical society in America, the first opera performed in America, and the first permanent theatre in America are all in Charleston. The city embraced the arts early on and continues to champion all types of cultural events and festivals today.
The sounds that define Charleston and its unique southern charm are experienced from jazz, gospel, Gershwin, spirituals, and Civil War songs.
Charleston is home to one of the largest and well-preserved historic districts in America. I was not content to simply marvel at antebellum mansions from the sidewalk. I explored the interior of the city’s vaunted-dwelling-turned-house-museums. I saw how the colonial wealth parlayed into social graces and beloved traditions at these living examples of Charleston history.
Charleston is the birthplace of many early American milestones, including the first museum and the first golf course. Harleston Green was designed in 1786 and the area’s legacy of golf thrives today.
The Charleston Museum is America’s first museum. It was founded in 1773. Its long history hints at the treasures archived inside. The Museum Mile is filled with cultural gems, like the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art and the Gibbes Museum of Art. Both museums draw people from across the nation to visit Charleston.
In 2012, Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina hosted the PGA championship at its famed Ocean Course. It has been named the Number One Island in North America by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler Magazine.
Like the dazzling blue-green-gold plumage of a peacock, sprawling 17th century plantations fan out across Charleston. The groves of azaleas and camellias near those glorious architectures exude a sense of delightful grandeur.
During the height of the plantation age, Charleston was the richest city in the colonies. Successful harvests of rice and cotton turned into worldly displays of wealth. Today, visitors are invited to tour the grounds of surviving plantations, each with its own legacy and story to tell.
Some of the locals I met told me, “Charleston is where history lives.” I believe we are part of our past, but we have to pay attention to the present in order to achieve harmony in our lives.
the Charleston Museum is America’s first museum, founded in 1773
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