I lived in Charleston for a couple years while in the Navy. You WILL find a use for every lens on your “take along” list. When you and your wife venture out for the day, simply think about what you’ll encounter. I personally would would start out with the 24-105 and swap as necessary. A monopod may come in handy and I stress “may”. Don’t forget that you’re there to enjoy yourself not lug stuff. From Mt Pleasant to Charleston to the Ashley River side, you’ll not cover everything. Oh, one more thing, it will be toasty and humid, so prepare for that. Enjoy!

What we used to do is park at the visitors center and buy a trolley pass. You can get on and off the trolley at will all day and not have to worry about parking. Be aware that if the heat is extreme the carriage horses will not be out. Do yourself a favor and go see the Aiken-Rhett house. It is preserved, not restored. The plantations just outside the city are worth seeing also. At the visitors center you can also buy a bundle of passes for historic houses and the plantations if you want to. And the churches are fabulous. Have fun. Stay hydrated!! The 18-140 (Nikon) works well there.

I visited Charleston a few months ago and a friend recommended visiting the nearby Angel Oak Tree. If you decide to visit it, do not dream of taking photographs. The attendant in the gift store came out shouting at me from a distance twice. The first time was for parking incorrectly (I was parked next to 4 other cars) and the second time was for using a tripod. There were no signs addressing either issue and I thought shouting at me in public was completely offensive. She told me where I could use my tripod but that was behind other trees so I simply packed up and left with no photos. Photographer friends of mine have recently told me that this woman is well known for this sort of behavior so behave accordingly. The ships at Patriots Point are pretty good, though, if you're into that.

Visit Angel Oak on John's Island. It is the oldest/largest live oak tree in the Eastern US. You will need a very wide angle lens and proper position on the property to capture the entire tree. I had a 18-270 zoom and had to use the 18mm end to capture the entire tree. You can also get nice shots from segments of the tree, limbs, vertical from underneath, etc. There will be people but the tree dwarfs them and do not affect the shot too badly. Parking will scare you when you come down the road, but keep going to the main gate; someone has always left and opened a spot near the gate.