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Civil War days. From there, you’ll board a boat with Fort Sumter Tours, which will take you to the island fort. When newly elected Abraham Lincoln threatened the institution of slavery and states rights, South Carolina, which had built its rice and cotton plantation culture on the backs of West African slaves, was the first state to secede from the Union, paving the way for the Confederate States of America. After secession, Fort Sumter was in the hands of Union troops until President Lincoln sent a re-supply fleet. Confederate forces fired upon the fort in the early morning of April 12, 1861, the first event that led to the Civil War. Knowledgeable guides walk you through April 12, 1861 as you tour the well-preserved fort.

Back on the mainland, visit the impeccably preserved (not restored) Aiken-Rhett House, an Antebellum townhouse in the center of Charleston with a set of outbuildings, slave quarters (originally called “servants quarters”) and sumptuously decorated European rooms. For the closest feel to a modern hoop skirt-and-parasol experience, dine that evening at Magnolia’s Uptown Down South, acknowledged as kicking off the Charleston foodie revolution of the 1980s. Sure, you could go for the risotto or arugula salad, but this is the place to try classic Southern traditions - pimiento cheese and flatbread or shellfish and grits. A less-expensive lunch option offers sandwiches like fried shrimp po’boy with jalapeño peach coleslaw.

To see a different perspective of Charleston, start your second morning with a Civil War Walking Tour, led by our expert author himself. Meet inside the Mills House Hotel at 9am sharp for the daily tour. A treasure-trove of living history, Jack Thomson’s collection of stories, anecdotes and Civil War photography bring the subject to life for tour participants. Thomson brings along his book, Charleston at War, to show participants that Confederate Charleston buildings are still here. For lunch, try Fast & French, also known as Gaulart et Maliclet, usually filled with more lawyers and office workers than tourists. Diners at long communal tables snack on goat cheese and black olive open-faced baguettes or escargot (vegetarian available!) in buttery garlic.

Take a walking tour of the downtown historic homes, including Heyward-Washington House, known as Charleston’s Revolutionary War house, as it was built in 1772 and rented to George Washington for a week in 1792. Home decor fans will appreciate some of the finest examples of colonial-era furniture in the US. Step forward in time a bit to visit Edmondston-Alston House, the first house built on Charleston’s High Battery, in 1825. The home still has some of its original furniture and silver. On the same lot is 21 East Battery Bed & Breakfast. Brick walls, low-beamed ceilings and a full selection of cheese, fruit and snacks await those looking for a romantic spot. Another historic inn nearby is John Rutledge House Inn, home to a signatory to the Constitution. George Washington wrote in his diary about eating breakfast here, and the restored rooms and elegant common space evoke the colonial time when the inn was built. Dine at Poogan’s Porch, home of everything good about Lowcountry cuisine - fried alligator and she-crab soup, biscuits and Kahlua pecan pie.

For some Revolutionary War history, stop in at the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, which housed both pirates and Revolutionary War heroes in its day. Relax at Waterfront Park along Concord St to picnic, swing or walk along the water (playing in the fountain is encouraged). If you haven’t had enough of the view, stick around for dinner at Fleet Landing Restaurant. The retired naval building dates back to the 1940s as part of the former naval yard, but now enlists diners with crab-stuffed hush puppies and fried oysters in Southern Comfort BBQ sauce.

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“The most romantic Civil War relic ever found is the coin found in the boot of the Hunley’s captain, George E Dixon. Dixon’s girlfriend, Miss Queenie Bennett of Mobile, gave him a 20-gold piece in case he got captured. At the battle