With its cobblestone streets, rustling palmetto trees, and moss-draped live oaks, a walk through Charleston feels like stepping back in time. Captivating and beautiful, this modern port city with an Old World sensibility has drawn admiration since its foundation by British colonists in 1670. In the following centuries, the patriotic city has managed to preserve its graceful and historically significant architecture even as it has been battered by hurricanes, earthquakes, fire-and war. The city and its residents continue to define Southern hospitality with world-renowned cuisine and a rich cultural heritage. Water is always close by, whether you seek welcoming, pristine beaches or striking views of the now peaceful Charleston Harbor, where the Ashley and Cooper rivers intersect to join the Atlantic Ocean. From a skyline filled with elegant church steeples and elaborate antebellum homes to vistas revealing picturesque plantations and sweeping marsh views, there's so much to discover here.