Be charmed by a Southern Belle

A direct flight has made this historic city’s allure even harder to resist, says Chris Leadbeater

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While no traveller should ever be put off by the prospect of changing planes en route to somewhere interesting, there is something about a direct flight that makes a destination more enticing. Charleston (charlestoncvb.com) – a city that has adorned the face of South Carolina (discoversouthcarolina.com) since it was founded as an English settlement in 1670 – was already an essential part of any trip to the American South before the arrival of a non-stop British Airways service in April. But the twice-weekly link from Heathrow (March-October, from £407 return; ba.com) has given an extra gleam to a place that, though alive with history, generally had to be reached via Atlanta (in Georgia) or Charlotte (in North Carolina) before this spring.

BA’s new route makes Charleston a feasible start-point for road trips into both these next-door states - but there is much reason to linger too. Not just the 349 years of heritage, but also the Fall Wine Festival (October 12; charlestonwinefestivals.com) and the scares and screams of its annual Halloween Fest (October 27; lowcountryhalloween.eventbrite.com).

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A boutique retreat within a line of

18th- and 19th-century warehouses at 19 Vendue Range, The Vendue (1) (telegraph.co.uk/tt-venduecharleston) revels in art (hosting temporary exhibitions) as well as accommodation (doubles from £147, room only).

Nearby at 205 Meeting Street, Charleston Place Hotel (2) (telegraph. co.uk/tt-belmond-charleston), is part of the Belmond stable, all quiet grandeur in its Thoroughbred Club bar, and doubles for $419 (£341; room only).

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Meeting Street provides a crosssection glimpse of Charleston as it forges south towards the tip of the peninsula – delineated by the Ashley and Cooper rivers – on which the centre stands. The occasional nickname “The Holy City” refers to the number of churches (some 187) in this historic core, and one of the most striking – the First Scots Presbyterian

Church (3) (first-scots.org), a neoclassical delight completed in 1814 – waits at number 53. A door on, at 51, the Nathaniel Russell House (4)

($12, historiccharleston.org) speaks of the wealth that flowed into Charleston in the 19th century – its spiral staircase recalling the merchant (and slave trader) who built it in 1808.

Continue to the waterline at White Point Garden (5) – a lovely leafy spot (charlestonparksconservancy.org) where oak trees provide shade from the southern sun. It will (perhaps) not surprise you to find that the space’s main statue, a female figure of liberty, is dedicated to the “Confederate Defenders of Charleston” – the city having, famously, been the location where the first bullets of the US Civil War were fired in 1861.

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Meeting Street has two other big points of interest. The Charleston Museum (6), at 360 (from $12, charlestonmuseum.org), charts the city’s back story via exhibits on its seafaring past and tribulations during the Civil War. The Gibbes Museum of Art (7) (gibbesmuseum.org; $12), at number 135, showcases four centuries of work by (mainly) American painters – the likes of Charles Fraser and Thomas Sully.

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The City Market (8) (thecharlestoncitymarket. com) has dominated the block between North and South Market Streets at Meeting Street since the 1790s. It has changed its game since it was a hub for the local beef trade in the 19th century and there are likeable souvenirs to be bought, including paintings and woven baskets. It stays open until 10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays (April-December).

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If ever a city suited the chintz of a carriage ride, it is Charleston. Palmetto Carriage Works (9)

(8 Guignard Street; palmettocarriage.com) runs group horse-drawn tours from $18 a head, and private journeys from $200 for up to four people.

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The Gin Joint (10) (theginjoint.com) lives up to its name at 182 East Bay Street, with a drinks list that changes with the seasons, and a 5pm-7pm happy hour (cocktails for $5). The Vendue (1) has a rooftop bar that serves a vodka-heavy Cranberry Mule for $11.

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Hyman’s Seafood (11) (hymanseafood. com) is a Charleston institution, offering unfussy fish dishes (such as shrimp and grits for $9 at 215 Meeting Street. The name is similar – but Hank’s Seafood (12) (hanksseafoodrestaurant.com) chooses a more gourmet path at 10 Hayne Street, proffering oyster stew for $17 and rare seared tuna for $33.

OFF THE MAP

The site of the Civil War’s opening hostilities lies not in the centre of the city, but three miles to the south-east in Charleston Harbor. Fort

Sumter (nps.gov/fosu) was in Union hands on April 12 1861 – but was bombarded into submission by Confederate artillery in an attack that began four long years of bloodletting. Tours (fortsumtertours. com), including boat out, cost

$23 a head.

STEP CHANGE The spiral staircase of Nathaniel Russell House

HOLY ORDERS Charleston is well known for its many churches