North Charleston is often overlooked compared to the neighboring city that shares nearly the same name. However, North Charleston's growing dining scene and variety of entertainment venues make the state's third-largest city a destination worth visiting. Park Circle, a burgeoning neighborhood with green space and parks, features a strip of locally owned restaurants, shops and bars along East Montague Avenue.
This lively downtown hosts markets, festivals and parades throughout the year. On Thursdays, visit the city's farmer market, hosted at the new pavilion in the center of the roundabout in Park Circle. Local vendors selling fruits, vegetables and handmade goods set up shop at the market each week.
The market runs from 3-7 p.m. from May to October.
Take in the views of the Cooper River at North Charleston's Riverfront Park. The passive park, near the former Naval Base, features large oak trees and green space. Firefly Distillery has revamped its layout to improve the concertgoing experience.
Firefly Distillery, known for its handcrafted spirits, hosts an outdoor concert series on the back lawn that runs through the fall. Bring a blanket and sit on the grass while a live band performs on stage. Some of the 2024 performers include T-Pain, Band of Horses, Mt.
Joy, Lake Street Dive and Brett Young. The North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center hosts large-scale entertainment events throughout the year, including musicals, comedy acts and monster truck shows. It's also home to the local hockey team, the Stingrays.
For those looking for an evening of laughs in an intimate setting, check out Wit's End Comedy Lounge that opened in June 2024 by local comedian Josh Bates. Tanger Outlets, located in the city's Centre Pointe area, is the shopping hub of North Charleston . This outdoor outlet mall has a variety of name-brand stores selling merchandise at a discount.
From athletic stores and luxury brands to home goods shopping, the outlet mall surely has a place for everyone in the family to shop. For those looking for even more of a bargain, check out North Charleston's thrift stores. Community Thrift Store, off Rivers Avenue, is a bare-bones resale shop that sells a variety of clothing, shoes and furniture.
Closet Case, located on Reynolds Avenue, is a gender-inclusive shop that sells many clothing styles. Aside from clothes shopping, North Charleston has a variety of food markets that differ from standard grocery stores. The H&L Asian Market, located next door to Community Thrift, carries a large selection of Asian products, including boxes of noodles, snacks and sauces.
Fresh fish and produce are also sold at the Asian market . Just down the road on Rivers Avenue, El Molino Supermarket is a full-scale market that sells goods from Central and South America. Housed inside the market, a taqueria sells authentic fare with homemade tortillas.
North Charleston has a flourishing food scene, you just need to know where to visit. Start the morning off with a coffee from Prophet Coffee on Spruill Avenue . What started as a coffee truck and became a pint-sized brick and mortar location in fall 2023, Prophet Coffee serves classic pick-me-ups and baked goods.
For lunch, visit The CODfather, also on Spruill Avenue, for traditional British fish and chips. The menu is simple: flaky North Atlantic cod fillets served on top of chips or savory meat pies. One guarantee is not leaving the restaurant hungry.
BBQ meats on noodles are served at King BBQ on Thursday Jan. 25, 2024, in North Charleston. For dinner, check out one of the city's newest restaurants, King BBQ, a sister restaurant to North Charleston favorite Jackrabbit Filly.
The menu marries Chinatown BBQ with Southern smoke . Creative cocktails, such as Eye of the Tiger and Blinded by the Light, add to the quirkiness of the menu. (Right down around the corner from Wit's End, visit King BBQ before seeing a comedy show.
) North Charleston's brewery scene is up-and-coming with many well-established local spots. For an off-the-beaten path experience with good views, visit Freehouse Brewery. For a popular spot with good food paired with local brews, check out Holy City Brewing.
For those who prefer a cocktail bar over a brewery, check out Sissy Bar in Park Circle that opened in spring 2024..
