The Market, Charleston

Colorful indoor market spans blocks in the center of Market Street. The pralines, baskets and handicrafts filled the market. Shops on both sides of market were filled with clothing, tee shirts, collectibles, restaurants & Kilwin's Ice Cream.

Here you'll be able to meet all your souvenir needs. The Old City Market stretches for several blocks and is covered by a roof. It's the perfect place to buy southern sweets such as candied pecans and peanut brittle. You can bargain with many of the merchants.

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The Old City Market is a National Historic Landmark that was constructed to serve the Charleston community in 1841. The location was donated by the Pickney family who gave the property on condition that it would be used only for the city's market. The building was constructed in the Greek Revival style, with a unique yellow exterior and an odd arched entrance at street level. While originally built as the city's main market, the unique building houses the Daughters of the Confederacy Museum in the front, and the back buildings contain some 100 vendors who sell local goods and crafts to tourists. One of the favorite local items is the sweet grass basket, for sale here, and along many of the roads leading into the city.

The market is open seven days a week from early morning until about 6 pm.

People gravitate to the Market to shop and eat - and there's plenty of shops and eats there. The Market's centerpiece is three or four blocks of indoor shopping in a beautiful old building, with stalls set up to suit almost any taste. Check out the arts and crafts, jewelry, t-shirts and other clothing, and so much more. Not only is the shopping fun, but you can escape the heat for a while too.

What give the Market it's special character is the basket weavers, making their crafts for you as you watch them. You may be tempted to take a picture of them - if you do, please be prepared to buy something. It's only fair, right?

There are many other shops lining Market Street; it's the best place in all of Charleston to find souvenirs. Take a break from shopping and try of the many fine seafood restaurants, or buy an Italian Ice from one of the many vendors. I had a blueberry ice - perfect for a hot summer day.

The Market is one place you'll certainly want to visit while in Charleston; maybe even several times.

When in the market be very friendly and DO NOT smirk at a southern drawl. Smile alot even when in a bad mood and you may find new friends and if you are in the market and keep a good attitude and their in a good mood you may find stuff is alot cheaper

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If you want to see Charleston make sure you walk around downtown Charleston.

MARKET ST. - At the beginning of Market St. is The front facade of "the Market" (see pic) it is an amazing grand facade like on an old southern mansion. Behind it are a few indoor shops, but the bulk of the market consists of 3 blocks of open air market. Get there early for parking and the best finds. They pretty much sell everything. The best finds here are the local seagrass baskets weaved by Gullah women (more on that under local customs) and antiques.

Along both sides of the market are North and South Market streets. on both are great restaurants and shops. There's a Ben & Jerry's, The Crab Shack restaurant, a rock shop with gemstones and jewelry, Papillon restaurant, the Peninsula hotel, and many MANY other restaurants, shops and tour companies.

It is a very short walk from Market St. to the St. Phillips church and graveyard. It's absolutely beautiful in this area. I highly recommend losing yourself in this part of town between Market and all the way over to Waterfront Park. The houses are gorgeous and most are mansions or traditional "side houses". There are many small alleyways hiding beautiful courtyards with gardens and statues and cobblestone streets.

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The Charleston Market Hall and Sheds mark the location of the old Market, now a National Historic Landmark. The land was donated by the Pinckney family in 1788, to be used as a market. The first market burned in 1838; the present structure dates to 1841. Fresh meat and produce were sold here.

Today, Market has all manner of goods. This is an excellent place to browse, even if you have no intention of buying anything.

On the second floor is a small local museum, courtesy of the Daughters of the American Revolution. As of this writing, it's currently closed for renovation.

Charleston is a great city to visit. There are so many things to do, but I will talk about the downtown area here. The Market is a great place to start. Park your car and walk around! The open air market is filled with vendors selling lowcountry delights. All in one place you can buy a hand made sweet grass basket, snack on lowcountry fare such as boiled peanuts or pralines and sign up to take a horse drawn carriage tour of the city!