LOWCOUNTRY COMMUNITIES
Ansonborough/Garden District On the other side of the Market lies Ansonborough, named after the British lord and sea captain who supposedly won its lands in a card game in the 1700s. Ravaged by fire in 1838 and mired in slum conditions in the 1950s, Ansonborough bounced back to become a model of historic rehabilitation. Ansonborough is just across East Bay Street from the Aquarium Wharf area. There, visitors can sample marine life at the South Carolina Aquarium or hitch a boat ride — for a fee — to Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began. A walk up busy Calhoun Street from Aquarium Wharf will take you to the Mazyck-Wraggborough neighborhood, also known as the Garden District. Visitors can relax in the shade of oaks in Wragg Square or take a short walk to the Charleston Museum, founded in 1773, making it the oldest museum in the country. The Garden District lies next to the East Side, originally known as the Village of Hampstead. The neighborhood, ringed by the city’s largest concentration of public housing, has struggled with drug dealing and violence but maintains a tight-knit spirit of community. The Garden District is also close to Marion Square, a popular gathering spot that plays host to sunbathers, the successful Wine + Food Festival, the Charleston Farmers Market and many other events.
King Street and beyond The square serves as an entrance to the bustling King Street corridor. The lower portion has antiques stores, upscale boutique shops and eateries oriented to the college crowd. Upper King is filled with an eclectic mix of trendy restaurants, hip nightclubs, clothing stores and other shops. The surrounding neighborhoods of Radcliffeborough, Cannonborough, Elliottborough and the West Side have seen a surge of reinvestment in the
BRAD NETTLES/THE POST AND COURIER
A seaturtle swims in a tank at the South Carolina Aquarium. past decade. They, along with Harleston Village, are home to a mix of fulltime residents and students attending the nearby College of Charleston and Medical University of South Carolina. Just beyond MUSC lies the Ashley River. A good vantage point and picnic spot is Brittlebank Park on Lockwood Boulevard. The park is just down the street from Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park, a stadium better known as “The Joe.” It’s home to the Charleston RiverDogs baseball team, a Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees. Travel north on the peninsula and you will find yourself in the Neck Area, a roughly two-mile stretch that connects the city with North Charleston. The Neck features a largely industrial landscape peppered with businesses, rail lines, interstate crossings and isolated neighborhoods. ✦
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