East of the Cooper River Day Trip

Area Overview

Most people don't explore a city beyond its downtown when they go on vacation. While the city of Charleston itself could offer you days of exploration and enjoyment downtown, it would be a shame not to explore the town of Mount Pleasant and the beach communities beyond.

Departing from the Charleston Visitor's Center, travel North on Meeting Street until you find the highway 17 northbound ramps which will lead you onto the Ravenal Bridge, across the Charleston Harbor and Cooper River to the pleasant suburbs beyond.

Getting around Mount Pleasant is fairly simple. The major North-South corridor is Highway 17 (Johnnie Dodds Blvd) which extends to the North from the two left-hand lanes at the end of the Ravenal Bridge. The other major thoroughfare in Mount Pleasant is Coleman Blvd which extends from the two right-hand lanes at the end of the Ravenal Bridge toward Sullivan's Island.

Following Johnnie Dodds Blvd to the North, you will pass a variety of motels, fast food, dine-in restaurants, and other commercial areas. It offers access to the I-526 bypass, as well as the Isle of Palms (IOP) Connector to the North.

Coleman Blvd takes you past Patriots Point, Shem Creek, the Old Village, and across the intracoastal waterway to Sullivan's Island.

Isle of Palms is accessible either via the IOP Connector from Highway 17 or directly from Sullivan's Island via the bridge over Breech Inlet.

Now that you have your bearings you can set out to explore Mount Pleasant.

Attraction	ETA
Boone Hall	9:00am
Isle of Palms	11:30am
Lunch	1:00pm
Patriot's Point	2:15pm
Mount Pleasant Old Village	5:30pm
Old Pitt Street Bridge	6:00pm
Dinner	6:45pm

The Day Trip

A good way to begin your day in Mount Pleasant would be with a visit to the historic Boone Hall Plantation. To get there, follow Highway 17 North from Charleston until you get to the traffic light at Long Point Road. Make a left onto Long Point and you will find the entrance to Boone Hall on your right. The Plantation is open by 9am Monday through Saturday. Boone Hall is one of America's oldest working plantations, so you will be able to see not only historic grounds and African American slave cabins, but also actively harvested fruit and vegetable fields. Allow yourself approximately 2 hours to explore the Plantation.

When you leave Boone Hall, return to Highway 17 and make a right heading back to the South.

You will come to the Isle of Palms Connector on your left. At the traffic signal, turn left onto the IOP Connector which will take you across the intracoastal waterway and onto Isle of Palms. If you continue straight through the traffic signal, you'll find the IOP County Park on your left, and the shops, restaurants, and bars of Front Beach along Ocean Blvd. which curves around on your right. There is plenty of public parking offering you easy access to the beach along any of the well-marked public access paths. Allow yourself an hour or so to explore the beach and the specialty and gift shops along Ocean Blvd.

The IOP County Park offers parking as well as public restroom facilities within easy access to the beach. The beach is wide, with sun-kissed sands and many tidal pools, making it good for walks and shelling.

You may either choose to remain on Isle of Palms for lunch, or you can return to Mount Pleasant for a variety of lunch options along Coleman Blvd. On Isle of Palms you will find light cuisine at the Barefoot Bistro located right on Ocean Blvd. To get back to Mount Pleasant, follow Ocean Blvd a couple of blocks down to 10th avenue, make a right and follow it to the intersection with Palm Blvd. Make a left onto Palm and follow it across the bridge at Breech Inlet, onto Sullivan's Island and all the way down to the intersection with Ben Sawyer Blvd (Station 22 1/2.) Make a right, which will take you onto Ben Sawyer Blvd and across the bridge where the street becomes Coleman Blvd.

Along Coleman Blvd, you'll pass a variety of drive-thru and fast food restaurants, but we suggest dining in at one of the great local restaurants. Once you get to Shem Creek Bridge, there are several restaurants along the creek to your left, including two of our favorites: Vickery's and RB's Seafood. Further up Coleman, you will find Boulevard Diner on your left, Andolini's Pizza on your right, and Metto's Coffee and Tea on your right. If you continue up Coleman to the intersection of Houston-Northcutt Blvd and make a right, this will take you to Melvin's BBQ as well as other fast food options.

After lunch, continue up Coleman Blvd to the intersection with Patriot's Point Road and make a left at the traffic signal. Follow the signs to the parking area for Patriot's Point on your right. Allow yourself about three hours to explore the ships in the Patriot's Point collection. You can easily spend the full three hours exploring the exhibits aboard the USS Yorktown, so be sure to keep track of your time. Patriot's Point closes at 6:30pm.

When you leave Patriot's Point, return to Coleman Blvd and make a right.

Bearing to the right off of Coleman Blvd onto Whilden Street, just past the Shem Creek Bridge, will take you into Mount Pleasant's Old Village. The Old Village is the historic heart of the town of Mount Pleasant. It is made up of beautiful, old homes along oak-draped streets that face Charleston Harbor. Continue along Whilden Street until you come to Venning Street on your right (about 4 blocks) and make a right. This will take you down to the intersection with Pitt Street, where there is a quaint "downtown" storefront area, which offers a couple of restaurants as well as an old-fasioned general store.

If you curve around to the left onto Pitt Street, you can follow it to its end where you will find yourself at the Old Pitt Street Bridge, which used to connect Mount Pleasant to the islands beyond. It has been turned into a public park area, which offers benches, a paved walkway, and a fishing pier that extends across the marsh toward the intracoastal waterway. From here you will find remarkable views of Sullivan's Island, the lighthouse, the intracoastal waterway, the surrounding marshland, as well as the Harbor and downtown Charleston. With a little luck you may find yourself here around sunset (depending on the season.) This will provide you with a great perspective of the sunset over downtown Charleston, offering great photo opportunities.

If you are here during the summertime when the sun goes down later, you may have better luck viewing the sunset during dinner on Shem Creek. You can follow Pitt Street, which will become Church Street (you have to bear right then back to the left at the Venning Street intersection) straight up to the parking area for RB's Seafood. Alternatively,return to Whilden Street and back onto Coleman Blvd and across the Shem Creek Bridge. Make a left at the first light into the parking lots for Waters Edge restaurant and Vickery's on Shem Creek. Any of these choices makes for fine dining and excellent views of the waterfront along Shem Creek. The outside decks at Vickery's offer an unparalleled view of the sunset. To get back to Downtown Charleston, follow Coleman Blvd back to the Ravenel Bridge, and take the Meeting Street exit.

Other options for dinner in Mount Pleasant include Sticky Fingers and Zeus, both located back up on Highway 17. If for some reason you are not in the mood for seafood, Sticky Fingers offers bbq ribs and Zeus offers Greek fare with a few local twists. To get back to Downtown Charleston, follow Highway 17 back to the Ravenel Bridge, and take the Meeting Street exit.

Alternative Attractions

If any of the above attractions does not appeal to you, you might also find a visit to Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island enjoyable. From Ben Sawyer Blvd on Sullivan's Island, make a right onto Middle Street and follow it down the island to the Fort Moultrie Visitor's Center. The Visitor's Center is free to explore, however entrance to Fort Moultrie is $3 and can be purchased at the Visitor's Center. The fort is located directly across the street. Battery Jasper is located to the rear left of Fort Moultrie and is also fun to explore. There is an excellent view of the ocean and harbor, as well as Fort Sumter, from atop the Fort and the Visitor's Center observation deck.

The beach on Sullivan's Island is generally quiet and parking is available at the gravel lots located at the end of many of the stations (streets) on the island. Be sure to check out the lighthouse although it is not publicly accessible.