In addition to old Charleston near The Battery and Fort Sumter (the target of the first shots of the Civil War, fired by the cadets of the Citadel), consider Patriot's Point ( http://www.patriotspoint.org/ ) for an unguided tour of some really interesting naval vessels including the USS Yorktown carrier (complete with many great restored vintage airplanes on the below flight deck), a wonderfully complete WWII submarine, The Savannah (first nuclear-powered merchant ship), a Fletcher-class destroyer, and others. Also the Citadel and their Friday afternoon parade if you're there on a Friday. Then there's the Charleston Museum and the H.L. Hunley (Confederate submarine) at the Lasch Conservation Center. Pat Conroy's "The Lords of Discipline" is good background reading, and perhaps they're still showing "Dear Charleston" at the museum, a great short film made by my friend Mark. Lots to see in Charleston...