It’s oh-so-easy to be captivated by Charleston. Between the soft speech inflections, visual history and total Southern food bliss, you’ll be left wondering what other magic could be just beyond the city limits. The short answer is that the Lowcountry spirit doesn’t fade. Within a two-hour drive of Charleston, you can meander through a sun-drenched maritime forest, stroll in centuries-old towns steeped in Gullah traditions or spy dolphins from a sandy beach.
Options include Bluffton; this quieter cousin still manages a thriving arts scene and equally picturesque homes. Across state lines, Savannah, GA, rivals Charleston for allure. Oak-lined squares and cobblestone streets bump into riverside hubbub, weaving plenty of ghost stories in between. And this only scratches the surface of what awaits when you venture outside of Charleston. Buckle up (or, in some cases, hop on the train) and let’s hit the road.
Travel time: 50 minutes
Count on moss-draped oaks and golden marshlands along this quick cruise. Before reaching Kiawah Island's celebrated white sands and golf courses, make a pit stop at Angel Oak Tree on John's Island. Surrounded by a forest of other gorgeous oaks, it’s a 400-year-old mammoth, regarded as one of the oldest living things in the entire United States, and has limbs that span more than 17,000 sq ft.
On Kiawah, unwind at Beachwalker Park, where the sand can’t possibly get softer, and you may see a dolphin cavorting offshore. Pack your golf clubs or rent them for trip down the fairways of Osprey Point, a locally beloved course. To refuel after the final hole, The Atlantic Room has the freshest seafood and panoramic ocean vistas.
How to get to Kiawah Island from Charleston: Take Maybank Highway west to the Bohicket Road Scenic Highway. When you arrive at Freshfields Village, it’s a straight shot to the beaches via the Kiawah Island Parkway.
Travel time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Sleepy Lowcountry towns and salt marshes don the route to Beaufort, setting the stage for the easygoing vibe that awaits. Along the way, detour to the eerie Old Sheldon Church ruins outside of Yemassee. Its brick remnants from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars peek into architectural times past.
Entering Beaufort, you’ve officially made it to Slow Country, with historic homes and waterfront breezes. Dive into Gullah culture on a guided tour from Gullah-N-Geechie Mahn Tours, and you’ll learn why many of the town’s porches are painted “haint blue,” believed by the Gullah to ward off spirits. When hunger calls, the cozy Old Bull Tavern serves a gastropub menu of Southern fare.
How to get to Beaufort from Charleston: US 17 South to SC 21 South will lead you to the heart of the historic district.
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The best time to visit Alaska will hardly be a surprise—it’s when you can get good weather and a lot of sunlight to see and explore everything that the largest state in the United States has to offer. Alaska is one of the Best Places to Go in 2025, as many of the area's signature sites and events like the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and the 1000-mile-long Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race celebrate their 100th birthdays this year. But beyond these milestones, Alaska is still an exciting destination in any year. It’s the matter of what time of year to visit that can help turn your trip from a good one into a fabulous one.
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“I wasn't sophisticated—I was just a knucklehead out there on the road, taking notes and enjoying the fact that people had rearranged my cultural furniture and I was tripping around on things, and I liked that. I liked that a lot.”
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Happy Saturday! Are you in the throes of planning your Spring Break trip? Learn from one mother who planned an epic family vacation for 18 family members that ended up being a "nightmare." Ouch!
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stephen and Joanna Vargha, a married couple who moved from North Carolina to Cuenca, Ecuador, in 2020 after retiring early. Cuenca is located in the Andes mountains and has a population of about 600,000 people. Their interview has been edited for length and clarity.