Top Rated Parks to Visit in Kiawah Island

"Riley Waterfront Park, located on the east of the Charleston peninsula a little beyond the end of Broad Street, is a more recent addition to the city’s downtown park space. Originally known simply as Waterfront Park, it was later renamed in honor of former Mayor of Charleston Joseph P Riley, Jr. It is most notable as the site of Charleston’s Pineapple Fountain (the pineapple is the symbol of hospitality) but is also an ideal spot for a picnic or a rest while sightseeing, providing a shaded place to sit alongside the river."

"Bordering the Charleston Harbor, this impressive park is a great place for a scenic stroll, picnic, or to cool off in one of the fountains on one of Charleston’s sultry summer days!"

"Located in Charleston’s popular Hampton Park Terrace neighborhood, you’ll be wowed by the Spanish moss covering the trees in this historic park. Ideal for grabbing that perfect picnic photo under the wisteria, you’ll have a difficult time choosing the best spot – there are just so many!. 30 Mary Murray Drive, Charleston, SC 29403"

"So if you’re looking for a Charleston nature spot, there’s no better place!. Hampton Park has the best and biggest flower displays of any of Charleston’s many parks. Many of the flowers are seasonal, but there is also a historic rose collection."

"Set on the very same land where the Carolinas' first permanent British settlers made their homes in the year 1670, this extensive 664-acre park offers not only beautiful natural surroundings but a living history lesson for the whole family. A natural habitat zoo featuring area wildlife that these early colonial settlers would have encountered, along with a replica sailing ship, an experimental garden, and an authentic replica common house can all be found and explored on this historic site. Along with these, you'll find picnic areas, hiking and biking trails, and beautiful regional plant life, including azaleas, camellias, and sprawling live oaks."

"Charles Towne Landing is a rare piece of Charleston history. Located about 15-20 minutes from downtown Charleston, it preserves the original site of the first permanent English settlement in the Carolina Colony in 1670. It sits on the Ashley River and is an absolutely beautiful piece of marshy land with a visitor center, walking and running trails, beautiful gardens and nature (oak trees, magnolia trees, camellia trees, etc.), and historical markers for settlements as well as the horrible realities of South Carolina’s past like slave quarters."

"You’ll get a dose of history and nature on a visit to this over-600-acre park on the site of the original Charleston settlement, where English explorers landed in 1670. These days, you can walk onboard a 17th-century replica ship, wander the gardens, or check out the Animal Forest of native bears, alligators, and wading birds."

"Battery Park is the quintessential image of Charleston for most Holy City locals. Walking along East Bay Street, with the famous Battery mansions to one side, the Charleston harbor to the other, you'll be able to spot Ft. Sumter in the distance, and imagine the first shots of the Civil War that took place here in 1861."

"White Point Garden is the Charleston park we spend the most time in because we head here so frequently on walks with and without our dogs. It is a little park at the very bottom of the Charleston peninsula that is filled with beautiful live oak trees. It is a marvelous place to stroll, read a book, or enjoy a picnic!"

"You can marvel at several Civil War canons and monuments throughout the park. Look for the Pirate Monument, my favorite structure in White Point Garden (and a local favorite too). It tells a really interesting story about the Confederate Pirates."

"The Memorial Waterfront Park is a beauty to look at during the sunset. There is a small pier that is dedicated to those who love fishing. If you want to buy some souvenirs, you will notice that there is a small gift shop right near the entrance."

"This is a great park to stop and play right near the Battery and Rainbow Row. There is a playground, picnic area, tennis and basketball courts, a soccer field, dog park, and a restroom."

"What makes it great: This park, in the heart of the peninsula, included tennis courts, restrooms, drinking fountains, picnic tables, and more!"

"I'm not the best #frisbee catcher yet but I'm working on it!. At least my misses are funny to see?"

"Collins Park is tucked away behind a residential community, but features a playground area, community center, tennis courts and large baseball fields for advanced play. Collins Park has hosted the Dixie Majors World Series several times."

"This 1,255-acre park includes a 1½-mile-long beachfront with some of the area's best shelling, marshland, and tidal rivers, and a lush…"

"Located in historic downtown Charleston, this charming bakeshop makes all kinds of delicious sweet treats, from cookies, tarts and cupcakes. Their cupcakes are incredibly moist and scrumptious and may ruin you for any other cupcake you try after Sugar Bakeshop. Get the Lemon Curd or Red Velvet cupcake for a sumptuous dessert you won’t soon forget."

"With big oak trees out front and cool pastel walls inside, bakeries don’t get much sweeter than Sugar. Former New York architects Bill Bowick and David Bouffard keep fans coming back to Cannon Street with daily displays of old-fashioned cakes, pies, tarts, and cupcakes topped with candied lemon slices and sugared berries."

"Located steps away from King Street you’ll discover the sweetest bakery in Charleston. Sugar Bakeshop sells fresh baked cupcakes, sugar cookies, and more. Make sure to grab a few of their lemon blueberry cupcakes for your photo!"

"About: Drayton Hall is an 18th-century plantation located on the Ashley River about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Charleston, South Carolina, and directly across the Ashley River from North Charleston, west of the Ashley in the Low country, sometimes called (Low Country.) An outstanding example of Palladian architecture in North America and the only plantation house on the Ashley River to survive intact through both the Revolutionary and Civil wars, it is a National Historic Landmark. An architect by profession, writer by passion, Aishwarya Hoonur has a vivid curiosity to observe common man’s situations, Penning these experiences down is her obsession. A girl next door who believes that, ‘in the world of crude construction, architecture is a musical reverberation.’"

"Situated in Charleston’s “Low Country,” Drayton Hall endured through wars to become one of the most monumental pieces of Charleston history. There’s also the Palladian design of the house, a style that still holds up as a piece of architectural beauty. Constructed in the first half of the 18th century, Drayton Hall counts itself as the lone survivor of plantation homes that made it through the American Revolution as well as the American Civil War."

"Drayton Hall is an 18th-century plantation located on the Ashley River about 15 miles northwest of Charleston, South Carolina, and directly across the Ashley River from North Charleston, in the "Lowcountry."

"Set on the very same land where the Carolinas' first permanent British settlers made their homes in the year 1670, this extensive 664-acre park offers not only beautiful natural surroundings but a living history lesson for the whole family. A natural habitat zoo featuring area wildlife that these early colonial settlers would have encountered, along with a replica sailing ship, an experimental garden, and an authentic replica common house can all be found and explored on this historic site. Along with these, you'll find picnic areas, hiking and biking trails, and beautiful regional plant life, including azaleas, camellias, and sprawling live oaks."

"Charles Towne Landing is a rare piece of Charleston history. Located about 15-20 minutes from downtown Charleston, it preserves the original site of the first permanent English settlement in the Carolina Colony in 1670. It sits on the Ashley River and is an absolutely beautiful piece of marshy land with a visitor center, walking and running trails, beautiful gardens and nature (oak trees, magnolia trees, camellia trees, etc.), and historical markers for settlements as well as the horrible realities of South Carolina’s past like slave quarters."

"You’ll get a dose of history and nature on a visit to this over-600-acre park on the site of the original Charleston settlement, where English explorers landed in 1670. These days, you can walk onboard a 17th-century replica ship, wander the gardens, or check out the Animal Forest of native bears, alligators, and wading birds."

"In the midst of Christian churches stands one of the United States’ oldest Jewish congregations. The Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim is the country’s second oldest Synagogue and the oldest in continuous practice."