Located in the heart of downtown Charleston close to the Old Provost Dungeon and Powder Magazine…read morenamed this is one of the many public parks that highlights downtown. As you enter through the gates there's a Statue of George Washington and a Marker that marks the site of the Centennial Fort Sumter Time Capsule. In the center of the park is an obelisk-shaped memorial to the Washington Light Infantry, a military and social organization located in Charleston. One of the oldest militia groups still active in the United States, it was founded in 1807. Made of Carolina gray granite, the 42-foot high memorial, a smaller model of the Washington Monument in Washington DC, which was unveiled in 1891 and is inscribed with the names of important military battles. Along the east wall of the park is a monument to Confederate General Pierre Beauregard, who was in charge of the city's defenses during the Civil War in 1862-1864 It's an absolutely beautiful park with so much history. We stopped at a bench and enjoyed the park for about 20 minutes before heading down to Rainbow Row which is a social media site for colorful fun photos. Note- There is a farmers market held walks away from here. It's located in Marion Square (see my review). It's every Saturday from 8AM-2PM & and tons of high end retails stores to browse ALL the way down King St.

Great green space in the middle of downtown Charleston that provides a nice respite from the sun…read more There is plenty of shade and several benches to relax on. During Piccolo Spoleto they even have a sundown Poetry Series here! Nice statue of George W here as well!

The building that stands at 80 Broad St. now was built between 1800 and 1804 to serve as a bank…read more However, the bank failed and by 1818 it had become City Hall. It is a fascinating building and one that most people probably do not think to set foot in for something other than City business. It's really worth the visit. The most famous piece of art is a painting by John Trumbull of George Washington during his visit to Charleston in 1791 -- and, very significantly, Washington's horse. Incidentally, City Hall is part of what Robert Ripley (Yes, folks same Ripley's Believe it or Not! fame) called the "Four Corners of the Law." The four buildings on each corner of Market and Broad represent four different arms of the law- 1. City Hall (local), 2. The Charleston County Courthouse (state), 3. The U.S. Post Office and Federal Courthouse (Federal), and 4. St. Michael's Episcopal Church (ecclesiastical). Admission is free and restroom too ;)

Charleston City Hall is the oldest, continuously used city hall building in the United States. It…read morewas built in 1801 originally as a branch of the National Bank of the United States. It is architecturally beautiful and is open to the public for limited tours of the City Council Chambers which includes beautiful, historic artwork on the walls. There are also very nice public bathrooms on the ground level including a water fountain. Adjacent to the building is Washington Park, a historic centuries old park commemorating President George Washington's visit to Charleston in 1791. Behind City Hall is the South Carolina Historical Society Museum which is absolutely also worth a visit if you are into historic buildings and artifacts.

Beautifully written review by Richard R. which will tell you everything you need to know about this…read morehistorical marker. While I can't improve upon it, I did want to note that the area is currently under construction. Normally, you would access this bench from the Fort Moultrie National Historic Park at the back of the main parking lot. Because it is blocked, to access the bench you need to take the road just prior to the fort (Station 13 Street where it intersects with Cove Avenue) and walk behind the gates to reach the bench. If nothing else, please read Richard R.'s review and the understand the importance of these type of memorials. Not everyone's history is as well documented and heralded in this area, but it is no less important.

Hello yelp friend and readers. Thank you so much for visiting my page and checking out my reviews!…read moreIt means a great deal to me and I do my very best to introduce worthwhile places to visit with a dollop of historical details for knowledge. FEBRUARY is traditionally honored as Black History Month and last year in 2021 I decided to do a month long series where every day of the month I posted a new review either highlighting a black-owned business or Black History landmarks. I've decided to extend that series to 2022, so please come on a journey with me for the next 28 days as I explore the food, history and significant offerings of a rich culture of people. FIRST UP is Toni Morisson's BENCH BY THE ROAD #1 *** Born Chloe Ardelia Wofford, Toni was an American novelist who wrote the critically acclaimed Song of Solomon and won a Pulitzer Prize for the book Beloved in 1988 whom Oprah made into a movie 10 years later in 1998. She was most notably awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. She met Harold Morrison (a Jamaican architect) while teaching at Howard University and married him in 1958. The 'Bench By The Road' Project was launched on February 18, 2006, on the occasion of Toni's 75th Birthday to alleviate the absences of historical markers that help remember the lives of Africans who were enslaved. She said: "There is no place you or I can go, to think about or not think about, to summon the presences of, or recollect the absences of slaves . . . There is no suitable memorial, or plaque, or wreath, or wall, or park, or skyscraper lobby. There's no 300-foot tower, there's no small bench by the road. There is not even a tree scored, an initial that I can visit or you can visit in Charleston or Savannah or New York or Providence or better still on the banks of the Mississippi. And because such a place doesn't exist . . ." *** The VERY FIRST bench placed by the Toni Morrison Society honors the memory of both the enslaved Africans who perished during the Middle Passage as well as those who arrived on Sullivan's Island, a major point of entry for Africans who entered the United States during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. About 40 percent of African-Americans alive today can trace their ancestral roots to West Africa through the arrival of slaves @ Sullivan's Island. I won't go into grave detail about the conditions of slaves during the passage, but if you are interested, here is a link to a narrative describing the voyage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmQvofAiZGA It was not uncommon to feed slaves who were sick to the sharks, because a sick slave was ZERO profit for the transporters, but a slave who died during transportation was insured and worth more dead than alive :-( The remainder of them often arrived here on the shores of Sullivan Island, where they had no control over staying with their families, many of whom were separated forever. Children were often separated as young as 3 years old. Fathers who protested were treated cruelty to subdue any uprising or sold away from their families entirely. Confusion and fear were the main measures of control. Lineage and tradition were often lost and African cultures combined to form GULLAH-GEECHEE traditions, a melting pot of their various indigenous African traditions from cooking and music, to arts and crafts, to spiritual traditions. They also created a creole language known as Gullah that is not spoken anywhere else in the world and it all began here upon arrival @ Sullivan Island. The significance of this entry point and the culture created in this specific corridor (from Jacksonville, FL to Wilmington, NC) is still alive and celebrated today in Gullah Geechee festivals, folklore, foods & time honored traditions. The bench rest in a quiet area behind the Fort Moutrie Visitors Center, beneath an outcrop of small trees overlooking the Sullivan Island Cove. Many will find this space to be filled with a quiet reflective reverence as you sit and connect with the past in a tangible way, knowing the ancient footsteps who walked here long before us were having a far different experience. I found myself wishing I had brought a single rose, so I could have scattered its pedals on the waters. *** FINAL THOUGHTS If I'm being honest, it is very emotionally draining for me to produce a months worth of Black History that you will often not find in typical American schoolbooks. This series is a labor of love for me and while taxing, I hope to enlighten my yelp family to the glory of a magnificent people. Where we have been, where we are and where we are going with no shame to anyone. I am a black man in American, and through these stories of endurance, I find strengthen and meaning. I hope you will continue all month long with me as I dive deeper into American History of the Black Experience AND celebrate those who are making their way in business and innovation while remembering the past, lest we forget. 2022 / 33

If you are wanting to do Fort tour ( which is something well worth doing once), doing it out of…read moreLiberty Square is the place to do it. The local area and grounds are so much better then Patriots point. You can park at Aquarium or use street metered parking- keep in mind street parking is free on Sundays and Holidays. Just avoid the shady gravel pat by plate parking lot vendors who will only take advantage of you.

Liberty Square, located on 340 Concord St, is a very nice area. It is conveniently located next to…read morethe aquarium. There is garage parking nearby. We all had a wonderful time during our stay in South Carolina. I recommend coming to Liberty Square. There is so much around to explore and enjoy.

St. Philip Courtyard on the campus of the College of Charleston is a nice spot to have a seat and…read moreget away for a minute or two during the middle of the day or have a picnic. This courtyard is separated from the street and the building by a wall and is lower than the rest of the area so it feels out of the way, but still in the middle of everything on the campus. There are plenty of benches, picnic tables, and other places to sit depending on which kind of seat you prefer. This is also a good place to have a business meeting and catch some fresh air. This area is very clean and well maintained and it also has cool landscaping and sculptures around the courtyard that really add to the experience.

Ms. Donna was really great- amazing-this way back almost an year ago - i forgot to write…read more Now i took pictures for the June 11 2022 Celebrations..then i realize and i should write her name... Have few pictures of 50th year celebrations- nice one from City Hall Good people Nice place

This is the hub of shopping and retail in the tricounty area. Tons of parks like Wanamaker and the…read morePark circle area are surrounded by natural beauty and many cultural and ethnic restaurants.

Lawrimore Park at the corner of Meeting Street and Broad Street at the Charleston Judicial Center…read moreis a nice park and quiet area that is good to have outside of the courthouse. During a stressful and busy day it is nice to have this space to clear your head and get some fresh air, but still not be too far away that you have to worry about getting back and not making it. It is a good area to have a quick business meeting or take a phone call and has plenty of benches to sit down on and plenty of shade to relax in. This area is very nicely maintained and taken care of and it is great to have and comes in handy on many days.

Near a busy intersection, this marker points out some post-Civil War history. It is easy enough to…read morestop and read the marker, especially if you're headed to Folly Island Beach. It reads on the front, "This site once belonged to Hunter's Volunteers, an African American militia est. on James Island by 1877. Part of the S.C. National Guard, the unit kept an enlistment of 30-40 men tasked with helping preserve civil order. Most of them were farmers or laborers. The unit was disbanded in 1891 after trying to stop the arrest of a Black man while in Charleston but was reinstated in 1892." And on the reverse, "In 1899, the Volunteers bought this site from Sarah Grimball and Henry Grimball. Over time, the unit became more of a mutual aid society and social club than a military outfit. In 1897, a year after being disarmed by the state, members chartered the Hunter Volunteer Charitable Society. A two-story wooden building razed in the 1960s served as their lodge and may have originally been an armory." [Review 19463 overall - 1037 in South Carolina - 433 of 2023.]