Carriage Tours In Charleston, SC

The Emmy winner reflects on trips to the city and its many layers of history, from waterfront landmarks to a groundbreaking new museum

Charleston means a lot to me in a visceral way, and it continues to play an important role in my films and in my imagination. The first time I visited was in the late 1980s when I was working on my Civil War series. As soon as I got there, I saw the beauty of it with its trees and sea islands and architecture. Charleston locals have such pride about their city; I remember they used to joke that the Cooper and Ashley rivers join to form the Atlantic Ocean. There’s also a complexity to it. The Civil War started there on April 12, 1861, when Confederate gunners bombarded Fort Sumter. The only casualty was a horse, so it was a bloodless beginning to the bloodiest war in America. Over the years, I went out to that spot many times with my little girls, who are now grown and have kids of their own. About 20 years ago, I gave a speech on the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier on the Charleston Bay. Most recently, I was there in the spring for an event promoting my film about the American Revolutionary War. I stayed at the Francis Marion Hotel. As a kid, I worshipped Francis Marion, known as the “Swamp Fox.” He was the elusive rebel Patriot leader who confounded his pursuer, Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, and the British cavalry. There was a Disney miniseries about him that I ate up in the 1950s—and here I was in my 70s, coming back! I’m an early riser and like to walk, so I found myself on the campus of the College of Charleston and scoped it out. It’s a gorgeous place downtown that surrounds Marion Square. Lots of its students are the first generation of their family going to college. During another morning, I got to sneak out and go to the new International African American Museum. It focuses on the last few years of the slave trade and is located on a former shipping wharf. Most enslaved people came through the Port of Charleston and onto the slave market after they had been kidnapped from Africa. So Charleston is really special if you appreciate the dimension of time. You realize that you may be there in the present, but you are walking along the streets thick with resonance of the past. And that past is both tragic and sublime.

Ken Burns is a historian and 15-time Emmy award–winning documentarian. His latest series, the six-part , premiered on PBS in November.

This article appears in the Winter 2025 issue of .

JAMES ISLAND — When Lauren Farrar opened Shirley’s Mercantile, a gift-and-antique shop with a coffee bar tucked beside Terrace Oaks Antique Mall in November, she quickly noticed some surprising customers: younger shoppers sifting through small-batch gifts, antique dishware and vintage books.

While the book titles themselves may stir nostalgia among baby boomers, many younger shoppers are browsing for trendier reasons.

Farrar, 36, said the younger generation is buying books based solely on their cover color — a design trend that creates a visually cohesive bookshelf by sticking to a single hue or shades of one color.

That aesthetic-driven shopping trend is being fueled by Charleston-based social media creators like Maddie Simes, 28, whose Instagram account @maddieincharleston has 26,400 followers.

Simes frequently posts videos of thrift-store visits across the Lowcountry. On TikTok — where she has 11,000 followers — her videos titled “The perfect thrift itinerary in Charleston” and “Where to celebrate National Thrift Day” each have more than 27,000 views.

One clip in her series rating local thrift stores has topped 98,000 views with 9,500 likes and 2,800 shares.

“I think in a world where we are so highly visible, and it's so hard to be original, a lot of people my age are looking towards the uniqueness of pieces found in thrift stores that they can use to decorate their home, or showcase to the world as their fashion sense ” Simes told The Post and Courier. “It gives a sense of originality and difference.”

Farrar said she has noticed that same influence inside her shop, which is open Monday-Saturday.

“Social media like TikTok has made a difference,” she said. “That generation is definitely good at sharing things that spark interest in other people.”

Farrar has sold antiques for a decade, beginning in 2015 with an Etsy shop and booth spaces in two antique malls near Nashville, where she and her husband lived before moving to Charleston in 2021.

When they relocated, she searched for a local antique mall and immediately gravitated toward Terrace Oaks Antiques, the city’s oldest, located along a highly-visible stretch of Maybank Highway.

“Terrace Oaks Antiques felt like the perfect mixture of styles but still true to antiques and vintage pieces,” Farrar said.

She originally applied for a vendor space inside the mall, but by good timing, a storefront once occupied by a seamstress became available — allowing her to open a standalone shop at the end of the building.

Despite some new younger shoppers, the shop’s name is a tribute to her grandmother, Shirley.

The new space lets her blend vintage and local goods with coffee in a curated setting, becoming the second such store to open in the Charleston area this year.

Herbert’s, another hybrid thrift-and-coffee shop, opened in September at 2017 Reynolds Ave. in North Charleston selling vintage clothing, boots and other items.

While Shirley’s Mercantile doesn’t carry clothing, it offers plenty of other vintage items, including home décor, books, and a growing selection of gifts from Charleston-area makers.

Farrar added a coffee bar serving beans from local roaster Foresight Coffee, along with quick bites, allowing her to attract early-bird shoppers and coffee lovers with doors opening at 7:30 a.m.

She sources vintage pieces through estate sales, thrift stores and the occasional online auction. She gravitates toward items from the 1920s to 1940s, restoring furniture the old-fashioned way by preserving original wood and stain.

“I’m not really a ‘paint the furniture’ person,” she said. “I like to keep things true to their original form.”

Charleston, she said, has always been a natural fit for antiques. Tourists come looking for history they can take home and locals have found that antique malls can offer more approachable prices than shops selling modern pieces. According to the U.S. Labor Department, prices on new furniture have gone up 4.7 percent over last year in part due to inflation.

The business is a family affair. Farrar gets help behind the counter from her husband, Andrew, and their daughter, Lumen, now eight, who has been tagging along on antique hunts since she was an infant strapped to her mother’s chest.

With the recent official opening, Farrar hopes the mercantile becomes the kind of old-school community shop Shirley would have loved — a place to grab a coffee, pick up a gift, browse vintage finds and linger. The store has already appeared in a growing number of Instagram posts and reels from young social media creators.

Over in Moncks Corner, another antique store recently opened its doors.

Yesterdays and Todays Unique Treasures at 311 E. Main St., owned by Jenn Grailich, features more than 50 vendors selling clothing, furniture, home décor, jewelry and other finds “with a passion for the unique.”

The 5,000-square-foot shop open Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., offers everything from rustic farmhouse tables to one-of-a-kind accent pieces and seasonal goods.

The store also leans into hands-on creativity, offering regular craft classes such as paint parties and glass art workshops. Many vendors are already taking to Instagram to share videos of the one-of-a-kind pieces they create available at the store, an approach that continues to resonate with younger customers.

CHARLESTON , S.C. (WCIV) — After weeks of online speculation and fears that a longtime waterfront staple had served its final meal, the family behind Charleston’s iconic Marina Variety Store Restaurant says the beloved spot is not closing, it’s transforming.

The restaurant, which shut its doors in November for renovations, will reopen under new management as Finn & Crab, while neighboring favorite Salty Mike’s will keep its name. Despite the change in ownership, the family says the experience customers have loved for decades will remain firmly in place.

Family Legacy, New Chapter

The Altine and Ritter families announced early this year that after 61 years of family ownership, the property had been sold to Safe Harbor Marinas.

That announcement sparked months of questions, and plenty of rumors, about what would happen to the historic restaurant overlooking the marina. But according to two of the original owner’s granddaughters, Amanda and Amber Strickland, the spirit and traditions of Marina Variety Store are not only safe, they’re being carried forward.

“Our grandfather started it,” Amanda Strickland, front of house manager explained. "When he passed, Mike Altine Jr. took over with our cousin Richard Ritter, and they carried it on until Safe Harbor bought it. And now we're with Cindy and James."

For guests worried about losing the restaurant’s heart and history, Amanda says the new owners share the same values. “Cindy and James have the same vision that our grandfather had. We want to keep it family oriented. They're making it a point to carry on traditions with food — like recipes and how we serve it.”

Still, she understands the emotional reaction from longtime customers.

“I know that it's hard to see the Marina Variety Store kind of become no longer, but I do want to reassure everybody the vibes, the feeling, the food, the staff — we are all still here.”

And she wants to clear up one rumor in particular. “I’ve seen a lot of comments about how we've been firing all of our previous staff. They're all still here. They're very excited to welcome you to Finn and Crab.”

Inside the Renovation

The iconic space has undergone a major refresh. Carpet has been removed, natural marina views have been opened up, walls have been repainted, additional bathrooms were added, and dining space has been expanded. But Amanda says returning guests will still feel right at home. “Once they come and visit, they’ll know it’s still pretty much the same place just with improvements.”

Her sister Amber Strickland, longtime server at the family restaurant agrees. “Even though the restaurant may look different, it's still the same exact atmosphere — it has the same bones.” And for fans of Salty Mike’s, she offered the update many have been waiting for. "We do have bathrooms downstairs. Y’all will love that.”

New Owners Embrace the Tradition

New owners Cindy and James Capps aren’t new to coastal dining. They operate a seafood restaurant and market in North Carolina, and Cindy says she felt an instant connection to the Marina Variety Store legacy. “The most important thing for me in any business is the team — the family. And in this case, the family was already here.”

The couple plans to expand the restaurant’s schedule and build on the classic menu rather than replace it. “We wanted to open the space up to the beautiful view and build on the food, not erase the culture,” she said.

“We’d like to take the menu and have a whole section that is just Marina Variety Store.” Some customer favorites already made the cut, including the entire breakfast menu. “We’ve brought back the pimento cheese, the fried green tomatoes, and the shrimp and grits.”

Cindy says guests will still see familiar faces. “Exact same friendly faces they always saw, and hopefully some new ones, because we’d like to expand to seven days a week.” And yes — Salty Mike’s is staying true to itself. “It’s the same bar, same layout, same marlin on the wall just with two full bathrooms now.”

Cindy says she hopes the Charleston community gives the new chapter a chance. "Don’t judge us, come and see us and tell us what we can improve, what we missed, what you want to have come back.”

Opening Soon

Finn & Crab hopes to open its doors to the public this weekend, pending final inspection approvals. And according to the family, what customers loved most about Marina Variety Store, the people, the flavor, the atmosphere, is ready to welcome Charleston back. As Amber put it, “They treat us like family they’re not trying to take our family away from this restaurant.” And in the words of both sisters, “Come and see us. Don’t be scared! It's still fresh seafood, same concept it just looks a little better in here.”

The Colorado Buffaloes (5-3) will meet the Charleston (SC) Cougars (6-1) at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. This contest is available on ESPN+.

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The Belmont Bruins (7-0) will try to continue a seven-game winning streak when they visit the Charleston (SC) Cougars (4-4) on November 30, 2025 at TD Arena.

In its most recent game, Belmont defeated Toledo on Wednesday, 87-72. Tyler Lundblade scored a team-high 22 points (and chipped in four assists and three boards). In its previous game, Charleston (SC) topped Evansville on Monday, 78-59. Its top scorer was Martin Kalu with 21 points.

When is Belmont vs. Charleston (SC) and when does it start?

This contest between the Bruins and Cougars will happen on Sunday, November 30, 2025. Be ready to see the opening tip at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The Bruins and Cougars will hit the hardwood at TD Arena for this matchup on Nov. 30, and if you would like to catch the matchup live, get your tickets now from Vivid Seats!

You can catch this game live on FloCollege.

Belmont Bruins vs. Charleston (SC) Cougars Game Preview

Belmont averages 85.9 points per game (69th in college basketball) while giving up 64 per contest (28th in college basketball). It has a +153 scoring differential overall and outscores opponents by 21.9 points per game.

The 85.9 points the Bruins average are 14.4 more than the Cougars concede.

Belmont knocks down 10.1 three-pointers per game (49th in college basketball), 2.2 more than its opponents (7.9). It is shooting 36.2% from beyond the arc (90th in college basketball) while allowing opponents to shoot 25.6%.

Charleston (SC)’s +19 scoring differential (outscoring opponents by 2.4 points per game) is a result of putting up 73.9 points per game (262nd in college basketball) while giving up 71.5 per contest (145th in college basketball).

The Cougars put up 9.9 more points per game (73.9) than the Bruins give up (64).

Charleston (SC) connects on 5.8 three-pointers per game (333rd in college basketball) at a 25.7% rate (357th in college basketball), compared to the 8.6 per contest its opponents make, shooting 35.4% from beyond the arc.

And for more CBB game previews, NCAA basketball picks or even how to bet on college basketball check out the latest NCAAB lines on Betsperts.