Staycation in Charleston, SC – Free Treasures (Pun Intended)

By Mark A. Leon

So, when was the last time you had a true staycation?  Let us add a little more juice to the question.  What if you had to spend a weekday in Charleston with a budget of under $20.00, what would you do.  We tested the waters and found a nice way to step back in time and learn about our heritage.

The day started with a visit to Tapio and Wild Flour on Spring Street.  If you don’t have bubble tea from Tapio and a turnover or mini key lime pie from the best bakery in all of the Charleston, you won’t get the full experience.  This is a must.

Right across the street, in an old Methodist Church, is the Karpeles Transcript Museum, one of fourteen in the United States.  Doctor David Kapeles has one of if not the largest historical documentation collections in the world.  He donates on a quarterly basis, a new collection to feature.  On this day, we saw documentation outlining Russian history from the 1700’s to the early stages of Russian Space travel.  A true journey through history in the words of those that lived it.  Now, many documents were in Russian so we had to read the translation to fully understand.

Next we headed to Broad Street, sat on the steps of the old Post Office and ate our turnover.  Then we proceeded into the Post Office where there is a free postal history museum room.  How much fun was that!  We saw postcards from the early 1900’s, old typewriters and stamping machines and thoroughly enjoyed reading the guest book.

Finally, we journeyed to the visitors center area, between John and Ann after battling a quick Charleston rainstorm and spent some time with The Best Friend.  If you are a locomotive train fan or a fan of industrial growth, this is a site to see and a wonderful story to be learned.  This train was pivotal in raising our local economy and putting our port business on the map.

Just to recap our journey (Total Cost:  $11.00)

• We saw one of only fourteen transcript museums in the United States
• One of the oldest Postal Museums in the United States
• The second oldest locomotive train and the victim of the first US train boiler explosion (added fact)
• Had great food and drink

The kicker is, most locals, may know of these places, but have never spent some time.

I did mention weekday early on.  The Kapeles is only open on weekdays.  That is a key point of reference.

I hope you enjoy our little journey and guide to some of the free hidden treasures Charleston has to offer.

Bonus: Charleston Cheap – Daily Food Beverage and Attraction Deals