The best way to experience Charleston is on foot. Distances are modest—the walk from Upper King Street to the South Battery, the full length of the city's historic area, is less than two miles, although detours and dawdling are recommended. The less energetic may prefer to do their sightseeing from a horse-drawn carriage: The best options are the Old South Carriage Company (843-723-9712; oldsouthcarriagetours.com; one-hour tour, $21) and Palmetto Carriage (843-723-8145; carriagetour.com; one-hour tour, $20). Fort Sumter Tours has cruises around Charleston Harbor and out to the island fort (843-881-7337; spiritlinecruises.com; 90-minute tour, $15). Gullah Tours explores the city from an African-American perspective, even incorporating folk tales told in traditional Gullah. Guide Alphonso Brown is highly regarded—so highly, in fact, that his tours were fully booked throughout my stay. (843-763-7551; gullahtours.com; two-hour tour, $18).

Charleston is ringed by numerous and varied barrier islands, which you could spend several days exploring. Sullivan's Island and the Isle of Palms, across the dazzling new Cooper River Bridge, are overdeveloped, but Folly Beach, off James Island, is described as the Edge of America and still has an attractively ramshackle atmosphere, as if the '60s were still going strong.

Inland, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, a number of plantations have guided tours. Drayton Hall is a spectacular Georgian--Palladian mansion (843-766-0188; draytonhall.org; admission, $14). Middleton Place has magnificent landscaped gardens (843-556-6020; middletonplace.org; admission, $25). The Grove Plantation, a few miles from Edisto, is part of the ACE (Ashepoo, Combahee, and South Edisto) Basin Project, whose mission is to preserve 350,000 acres of unspoiled uplands, forest, wetlands, and barrier islands. The most popular tour operator is ACE Basin Tours, which has a variety of options (843-521-3099; acebasintours.com; three-hour tour, $35). The hike through these marshes and woods is unforgettable (fws.gov/acebasin/house.html).

Prices quoted are for August 2008.

Lodging

The Francis Marion Hotel, built in 1924, was once the tallest building in Charleston. The 232-room property has a strong Jazz Age flavor, with windowed ballrooms, wrought-iron railings, and ornate plasterwork. It's also conveniently located near the revived nightlife of Upper King Street (843-722-0600; doubles, $179–$199). The Market Pavilion Hotel, recently built but evocative of a more elegant era, is in the heart of downtown (843-723-0500; doubles, $229–$309). On a more intimate scale, the Planters Inn, in the historic district, exudes quiet distinction. Its Peninsula Grill has a tiny but exquisite bar (843-722-2345; doubles, $225–$295). At the Wentworth Mansion, once a private home and now a Gold List hotel, many of the rooms have hand-carved marble fireplaces and chandeliers (843-853-1886; doubles, $340–$450). Less extravagant, the Elliott House Inn—near St. Michael's Church, in one of the loveliest parts of town—has a peaceful courtyard (843-723-1855; doubles, $189–$199).

Dining

On Charleston's impressive roster of restaurants, three very different tables stand out. Hominy Grill, in an old barbershop, is a no-frills neighborhood hangout with a charming garden. It serves inventive versions of Lowcountry favorites (207 Rutledge Ave.; 843-937-0930; entrées, $8–$15). Fig, a casual bistro, specializes in slow-cooked meats and vegetables from local organic farms (232 Meeting St.; 843-805-5900; entrées, $23–$30). The Peninsula Grill, in the Planters Inn, serves chef Robert Carter's sophisticated and often inspired New Southern cooking in a formal but restful dining room (112 N. Market St.; 843-723-0700; entrées, $23–$35). Mercato, a recent addition to the Charleston scene, has a lively, informal atmosphere and specializes in regional Italian dishes. Centrally situated, it's a friendly place to unwind (102 N. Market St.; 843-722-6393; entrées, $12–$22). For local delicacies, the she-crab soup at Hank's Seafood Restaurant (10 Hayne St.; 843-723-3474; entrées, $19–$29) and the frogmore stew at the Charleston Grill (224 King St.; 843-577-4522; entrées, $26–$48) earn high marks. Burbage's Grocery, a civic institution, is the place to stock up for a picnic (157 Broad St.; 843-723-4054).

Sienna, on Daniel Island, a half-hour drive from town, has its devotees, but the setting, in the middle of a half-completed Stepford-esque development, detracts somewhat from its allure (901 Island Park Dr.; 843-881-8820; entrées, $18–$32). Bowens Island Restaurant, also out of town but much less formal, is actually on James Island. Lowcountry oysters are a source of fierce local pride. At Bowens Island, a cinder-block affair that positively flaunts its absence of style, they're steamed on a metal plate under wet burlap and slammed down, unopened, on your table (1870 Bowens Island Rd.; 843-795-2757; entrées, $6–$18).

On Edisto, a 90-minute drive away, the Sea Cow Eatery, a few yards from the beach, serves a memorable breakfast, starring pancakes made with cinnamon and applesauce (145 Jungle Rd.; 843-869-3222; entrées, $6–$17). For lunch, the Gullah cooking at Main's Market, a roadside joint that also sells garden hoses and household goods, is terrific—especially the barbecued ribs with sides of bread pudding, corn pie, and world-class tomato pie (1084 Hwy. 174; 843-869-1337; entrées, $9–$11).

Reading

Robert Rosen's A Short History of Charleston is excellent, both stylishly written and lovingly told (University of South Carolina Press, $17). Complete Charleston, by Margaret H. Moore, is an exhaustive guide to the city's architecture and is especially strong on long-neglected areas that have undergone recent revivals. Its restaurant guide, however, is undiscriminating (T. M. Photography, $20).

In fiction, DuBose Heyward's Porgy now reads as a period curiosity. By contrast, Josephine Humphrey's 1991 novel, The Fireman's Fair, set in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo, is perhaps the finest novel yet by an always rewarding writer (Penguin, $13).