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Charleston City Market, Charleston, SC

Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

ShoppingIconicFreeLocal Gem

Charleston City Market

188 Meeting St · Charleston, SC

Why you should go…

The Charleston City Market was established in the 1790s and runs four city blocks, from the temple-fronted Market Hall on Meeting Street, completed in 1841, through a line of one-story sheds to East Bay Street. You wander the Great Hall and the open-air sheds, where vendors sell souvenirs and Gullah sweetgrass baskets, a style first made to winnow rice. A Certified Authentic Handmade in Charleston seal marks locally made goods. On Friday and Saturday evenings a Night Market of local artists takes over.

  • #historic market
  • #sweetgrass baskets
  • #local crafts
  • #souvenirs
  • #night market

Good to know

General shopping guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Vendor hours are their own thing

    Market stalls and independent sellers keep shorter hours than the building around them, and quiet days end early.

  • Bring a tote and a little cash

    Smaller sellers do not all take cards, and bags are rarely free.

  • Weekdays browse, weekends buzz

    Pick the weekday for a proper look at the shelves and the weekend for the atmosphere.

  • Ask about shipping

    If something will not survive the suitcase, plenty of sellers will send it home for you.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Charleston City Market, ordered by straight-line distance.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Rainbow Row

    Free

    See 13 pastel-painted historic row houses lining East Bay Street between Tradd and Elliott Streets.

    0.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    History Buff

    International African American Museum

    Under $25

    Explore African American history on Gadsden's Wharf, where a large share of enslaved Africans arrived in North America.

    0.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    The Battery

    Free

    Stroll the harbor seawall promenade past antebellum mansions to the oaks and cannons of White Point Garden.

    0.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    South Carolina Aquarium

    $25–$50

    Walk from mountain streams to the open ocean through South Carolina habitats, then touch rays and watch sea turtles in recovery.

    0.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

    $25–$50

    Board the WWII aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and the destroyer USS Laffey on Charleston Harbor.

    1.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    Free

    Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge

    Free

    Walk or bike Wonders' Way across a cable-stayed bridge with two 575-foot diamond towers and wide views of Charleston Harbor.

    1.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing