What should I pack for Charleston?

Charleston's historic district runs on 300-year-old brick sidewalks, oyster-shell tabby paths, and cobblestone alleys south of Broad Street. Fashion sneakers won't last 2 days here. You want supportive walking shoes with thick soles, the kind that can handle the uneven flagstone around St. Philip's Church on Church Street and the gravel paths if you ferry out to Fort Sumter. Flip-flops work for Folly Beach, about 20 minutes south, but they'll twist your ankle on Church Street before lunch. Pack 2 pairs of moisture-wicking socks. At 89% humidity in August, your feet will be damp by 10 a.m. regardless of the shoe.

Pack for 25-35°C with air that feels like a warm wet towel on your skin from May through September. Three lightweight shirts in cotton or linen. Synthetic athletic fabric traps the Lowcountry humidity against your body and gets clammy fast. One pair of light long pants for dinner. Restaurants like FIG on Meeting Street and Halls Chophouse on King Street still expect collared shirts for men at dinner, and some turn away tank tops. That said, daytime is shorts-and-t-shirt territory everywhere below Calhoun Street. One light cardigan or long-sleeve layer for restaurants that crank the AC to 18°C. The temperature swing from 33°C outside to frigid dining rooms catches first-timers every time.

Afternoon thunderstorms roll in off the Ashley River 4-5 days a week from June through August. They're loud, warm, and over in 40 minutes. A packable rain jacket beats an umbrella here because the wind off the harbor turns them inside out on the Battery promenade. Bring reef-safe SPF 50+. The sun reflects hard off the pastel stucco walls along Rainbow Row, and the UV index sits at 10-11 through mid-September. Don't skip the portable battery pack. Between Google Maps navigation through the one-way street grid south of Calhoun Street and photographing the iron gates on Legare Street, your phone won't make it past 3 p.m. on a single charge.

Skip packing bug spray. Charleston sits on a peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers, and the no-see-ums and mosquitoes get serious at dusk near Waterfront Park. A can of OFF! at any downtown drugstore costs $5-7, half what airport shops charge. Same for sunscreen and aloe. The Charleston City Market on Market Street sells sweetgrass baskets and palmetto-frond roses, but not practical supplies. For cheap beach gear or replacement sunglasses, head to the stores along upper King Street north of Calhoun. Worth noting, the Piggly Wiggly on East Bay Street stocks coolers, ice, and snacks at about half the price of the convenience stores on Meeting Street.