Old City Market

Doesn't Recommend

nwykr

Joined 5 years ago

Need more artists and craftsmen!. Tourists enjoy seeing local artists and craftspeople when they come to Charleston, SC. Unfortunately, there are too many flea-market type retailors in the Market. Maybe this will eliminate the bickering among the vendors presently there...only if we can get rid of them. Need to turn it back into the "Smiling Faces and Beautiful Places" as our license plate says. Thank goodness for a few basket makers and artists, who are surviving these baracudas, and who are struggling for existence there. Bring back the beautiful Market filled with local creative interesting nice people!

Doesn't Recommend

lauracook

Joined 6 years ago

Awful!. I had an awful experience there. I was looking at a spot that sold only T-shirts and came across awful customer service. Most of the people down there are rude and trashy. I saw vendors fighting over tables in the early morning. Some vendors sell over priced things that you can purchase at the visitors center for less or other places throughout the city. It really isn't about historic Charleston at all, its about a bunch of greedy, trashy people.

Recommends

ndmcq6

Joined 6 years ago

Meet the South. If you are making your first trip to the Southeast, you need to visit this attraction. As a former Yankee, this is the place to get a view into what is important in Southern culture. Don't miss it!

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Tourists comb the stalls of this open-air market for that perfect Charleston memento.. The Background
The land on which the market sits was donated by a wealthy Charleston family in the early 1800s to be used as a marketplace. The main building, Market Hall, was erected in 1841. Modeled after a Greek temple, the building houses the Daughters of the Confederacy Museum. Behind Market Hall, four open-air buildings span from Meeting Street to East Bay Street, near the waterfront. The market originally sold foodstuffs, including meat, fish and fresh produce grown locally.

The Appeal
Today, more than 100 vendors sell everything from local foods to souvenirs. The kitsch factor runs high--serious shoppers may have better luck on King Street. It's a lively spot, often teeming with tourists and somewhat difficult to navigate at peak hours. The most celebrated residents are the ladies who weave and sell sweet-grass baskets. The craft of basket-weaving, passed down from West African slaves, is considered one of Charleston's most vibrant traditions.