A National Historic Landmark, this former 19th century meat and produce market still bustles as the city’s central city location for social gatherings and retail transactions. Spanning four blocks in Charleston’s, the architecturally significant Greek Revival arcade hall comprises one-story market sheds in continuous stretches, divided only by intersecting streets.
Open 365 days a year—as when it opened over 200 years ago—today’s City Market hosts dining and shopping diversity to please all ages and interests. Slurp local oysters off the shell at eateries lining North and South Market Street and up intersecting routes (ya gotta try Folly River, Beaufort and Bull’s Bay varieties), peruse galleries of fine local art, savor She-Crab soup (made famous by former Charleston Mayor Rhett’s butler, William Deas whose recipe includes roe from female crabs as an essential ingredient), snag a prized cultural handicraft (relying on a 300+ year old tradition, local Gullah artisans handcraft bulrush into durable Sweetgrass baskets), catch a horse-drawn carriage tour, take home some local flavor (Benne “Bantu” Wafers, Carolina Gold rice, and stone ground grits), pop up to a rooftop bar for creative cocktails and skyline steeple views, or simply stroll southern style—hoop skirt optional.
