50 places of a lifetime: America

The Charleston, SC area receives distinction in the October 2001 issue of National Geographic Traveler, as one of the “Top 50 Places of a Lifetime: America.” The travel magazine revels in the world of travel, and in this issue it “goes red-white-and-blue—with 50 American places you should see before you hang up your traveling shoes.

”National Geographic Traveler, magazine recognizes Charleston as one of the country’s top 10 urban spaces, listing Charleston under the title of “Ten American Cities that have a defining character, a uniqueness and an influence beyond its borders.” In addition to Charleston, National Geographic Traveler, recommends nine other cities nationwide to spend travel time including: Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Seattle, Austin, TX, and Washington, DC.

Author Allan Gurganis (Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All and The Practical Heart: Four Novellas) writes, “Like Venice, Charleston is a habitable monument to the sea’s moods and tantrums. Maybe the founding families’ gift for location, location, location helps explain why they are still so worshiped here.”He continues with more descriptive copy saying, “After four centuries’ practice, the city has perfected her ability to seduce by not seeming to want to…We visitors to Charleston come to eat well and look hard, for this is one city as lovely as its natives all believe.”

Robert L. Freeman, chairman of the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau says, “The Charleston area cherishes our strong sense of character and uniqueness that separates us from any other American destination. The National Geographic Traveler honor helps confirm that Charleston continues to charm our visitors from all over the country and world.”

The U.S. focused edition of “50 Places of a Lifetime” arrived at its picks by basing nominations received from National Geographic Society staff and contributors. From there, they selected hundreds of entries, surveyed writers and travel authorities, consulted their advisory board, then made the final cut.

National Geographic Traveler, magazine has a circulation of 728,541. Features focus on domestic and foreign destinations, personal travel reflections, food and restaurants, great places to stay, road trips, cultural events and rewarding getaways that address readers’ travel styles and interests.