LI VIN G IN SWEEST C TIASHL ON EY NAME Photo/Ryan Wilcox
is a state park. When getting around by car, main highway corridors in West Ashley are U.S. 17, called Savannah Highway, and S.C. 61, also known as Ashley River Road. The two highways are connected by S.C. 7, also called Sam Rittenberg Boulevard. Interstates 526 and 26 connect West Ashley to North Charleston to the north and Mount Pleasant to the east. For those interested in seeing West Ashley by foot or bike, the West Ashley Greenway is a good option. This 10.5-mile walking and biking path weaves among residential areas and shopping centers and
through small marshy areas and swaths of trees. The trail starts near the South Windermere Shopping Center and stretches to Johns Island. Shopping is plentiful in West Ashley. The area is home to Citadel Mall, one of the area’s two enclosed malls. Shopping centers anchored by national retailers and restaurants surround Citadel Mall, which is located just inside I-526 near the intersection of U.S. 17 and Sam Rittenberg Boulevard. West Ashley also includes eclectic shopping strips filled with many locally owned stores and eateries, such as the Avondale shopping area along U.S. 17.
Photo/Leslie
Photo/Kim McManus
in recent years, especially past the western boundary of Interstate 526, in neighborhoods like Shadowmoss and Carolina Bay. Long-ago residents of West Ashley have left behind several historic plantations and gardens that have been preserved and are open for tours. Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Place and Drayton Hall Plantation allow visitors to learn about the architecture and life of South Carolinians in the 1700s and the centuries following. Another historic destination in West Ashley is Charles Towne Landing, the site of the English settlement that would become the Carolina colony. The 664-acre attraction
Top: A beautiful sunset along the West Ashley Greenway
Burden
Left: A frog blends in at Magnolia Plantation. Right: The Oak Barrel Tavern is a regular stop for the residents of the Avondale neighborhood.
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