Though hooves on cobblestones and southern accents abound in this town, they'll feel like a distant memory when you step inside Merci. Squeezed onto the corner of Pitt and Montagu, this little bistro is seriously dreamy (we never look as good as we do when lit by the honeyed glow of Merci's flickering candles and dear little table lamps). Book early or chance the walk-in. This place books up fast.

In the less-tourist-led neighbourhood of Harleston is a luxury mansion house, originally owned by Francis Silas Rodgers in 1886. Now, it's a 21-room historic hotel in downtown Charleston. It's grand, to say the least, complete with stained-glass-panelled doors, marble-fronted open fireplaces, and antique mahogany furniture.