Founded in 1670 by British colonists and named for King Charles II, this patrician city sits on a sea-level peninsula where the Ashley and Cooper rivers meet the Atlantic Ocean. The entire palmetto-shaded core of Charleston is a National Historic Landmark, with narrow cobblestone streets lined by a living museum of more than a thousand carefully restored churches and homes, including antebellum mansions ringed with piazzas and ornamental ironwork. The city has long drawn Civil War buffs — Fort Sumter is a 30-minute ferry ride from Liberty Square — but more recently, it has blossomed into a major culinary destination. In fact, many people journey to Charleston for the food alone. However, even in the face of increasing tourist crowds, the streets still have an air of elegance. And although the city has a dark side to its history — most of its grand mansions were built, one way or another, by enslaved African Americans — Charleston doesn’t shy away from this aspect of its heritage.