Everything You Need to Know About King Street, Charleston

August 7, 2024

King Street is one of Charleston’s major thoroughfares. It runs from the southern tip of Downtown Charleston, starting at White Point Garden, all the way up to the northern edge of the city, where it turns into King Street Extension — and eventually Route 78.

This street is home to some of the city’s most luxurious stores, restaurants, and hotels.

You can’t visit Charleston without running into King Street, and we don’t recommend missing this area of the city on your trip.

Here is everything you need to know about this major thoroughfare, including some information on King Street’s history, as well as the best way to see it when you visit.

King Street History

King Street’s history dates back hundreds of years. It was named after King Charles II of England and was originally called Charles Street.

It’s one of Charleston’s prettiest streets and quickly became the main shopping district in Charleston by the mid-1800s.

King Street has undergone several periods of revitalization, including in the 1950s and the 1990s.

Photo of King St published 1900-1915

Source: Detroit Publishing Company photograph collection (Library of Congress)

Best Way to Visit King Street

The best way to visit King Street is on a walking tour!

Not only will you learn about the history of this major Charleston thoroughfare, but our tour guides can also give you tips on where to eat and shop.

If you want an overview of Charleston’s history, including King Street’s historic importance, we recommend taking our Charleston History Tour.

Though you’ll also pass King Street on our Alleys and Hidden Passages Tour, this tour is mostly focused on some of the quieter areas of the city.

Both tours offer a great overview of Charleston’s History, but our public history tour covers more King Street attractions.

Of course, you can always book a Private Tour if you want a more in-depth overview of this famous street.

Things to Do on King Street

Just a few of the sites you’ll encounter on our public history tour include some of the following activities.

Yet, you can also opt to go it alone — or take our self-guided tour of Charleston. Either way, you won’t want to miss any of these stops.

White Point Garden

Also known as The Battery, White Point Garden sits on the southern tip of Downtown Charleston.

Many tourists visit this park because it offers stunning views of the Charleston Harbor, including the Ashley River (which can be seen on the west) and the Cooper River (which is situated on the east of the city).

Yet, there’s a lot to learn about this historic Charleston landmark. In the 1800s, it was the site of a public bathing house, and it hosted freed African Americans on Independence Day to commemorate the end of slavery.

There’s also a storied military history associated with White Point Gardens. It’s still one of the best spots in Charleston to get a view of Fort Sumter National Monument.

White Point Gardens at sunset

Shopping

Even though there’s so much history behind King Street, this thoroughfare is probably most famous for its shopping. So much so that it was awarded the title of one of the “10 Top Shopping Districts in the USA” by Forbes Traveler.

Here, you’ll find both high-end chain stores as well as locally-owned boutiques. In addition to fashion, you can shop for books, home goods, and handmade candles.

Just a few of our favorite shops include Blue Bicycle Books, George C. Birlant & Co. antiques, and M. Dumas & Sons menswear.

If you’re wondering what to wear in Charleston or hoping to find clothing to fit in with the locals, make King Street one of your first stops.

The Riviera Theatre

The Riviera Theatre is a historic Art Deco Charleston theater that was built in the 1930s and added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1997.

Other buildings on this registry on King Street include the Radcliffe-Aimar Building and St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church.

Although it was closed to the public for many years, it reopened as a music hall in 2021.

The best way to visit the Riviera Theatre is by buying tickets to a show. Famous musicians, such as Natalie Merchant and Ryan Adams play shows here, and there’s also live jazz music.

There have been a lot of movies filmed in Charleston, and this theater played a prominent role in the film, The Notebook — so you might recognize the exterior when you meander by.

The Riveria

The Notebook scene filmed on King St. Photography courtesy of SC Film Commission

Patrick O’Donnell House

Located at 21 King Street, the Patrick O’Donnell House is one of the largest examples of Italianate architecture in the city.

Although it’s called the Patrick O’Donnell House, it’s unclear if anyone by that name ever lived here. Legend has it that O’Donnell purchased the home for a woman who rejected his proposal, giving it the nickname “O’Donnell’s Folly”.

Yet, we do know that it was once home to Josephine Pickney, a famed Charlestonian poet and novelist, who played a major role in the Charleston Renaissance.

Sadly, it’s a privately owned home, so you can’t take a tour of this famous Charleston site. Yet, you can still appreciate its architecture from the street.

The Patrick O’Donnell House

Hotels

King Street is home to many famous Charleston Hotels, including The Charleston Place, Hotel Bennet, and The Vendue — which is home to one of our favorite Charleston rooftop bars!

If you decide to stay at one of these hotels, you’ll be in one of the best locations in the city. It’s a short walk to Meeting Street (Charleston’s oldest street) and borders Marion Square on the west.

Restaurants & Bars

There are dozens of restaurants and bars on King Street, each featuring a different type of Lowcountry cuisine.

Some of our favorites include Felix, King St Grille, The Belmont, Charleston Grill, and The Darling Oyster Bar.

If you want to learn more about Charleston’s food history, we recommend booking a tour with our partner, Charleston Culinary Tours, which offers one of the most highly-rated food tours in the city.

You can even get a combo discount when you book a tour with Walks of Charleston and one of our partners.