To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, home again, home again, jiggety jig. To market, to market, to buy a fat hog, home again, home again, jiggety jog. To market, to market, to buy a plum bun, home again, home again, market is done. This nursery rhyme came to mind when I thought of writing about the Old City Market. Now I don't know about buying fat pigs, fat hogs, and plum bun, but the Old City Market originally sold foodstuffs, including meat, fish and fresh produce grown locally.

Today, the City Market is definitely the center of attention and on any given day, especially the warmer months with cruises in port and tourists in abundance, quite crowded. Many of the carriage rides begin their tours here and on both sides of the Old Market numerous specialty shops and restaurants cater to the many visitors needs and wants. Locally crafted sweetgrass baskets, clothing, artwork, jewelry, local souvenirs, perfumes, food, T-shirts, and other gift items are displayed by numerous vendors.

Coming down Meeting Street from the interstate there is no mistaking you have arrived at Old City Market because Market Hall stands out rather distintively compared to the surrounding structures. It was built in 1841 from a design by Edward Brickwell White and is a copy of the Temple of the Wingless Victory in Athens, Greece. Charles Cotsworth Pinckney ceded the land to the City of Charleston in 1788. So far his wishes that a public market be built on the site and remain in use as a public market into perpetuity has been honored. The low buildings that stretch from Market Hall to the waterfront have survived fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and bombardment.

Even now, as a resident, when taking new visitors or relatives to Charleston I invariably end up at the Old City Market like it is "Go" on the Monopoly Board. All my favorite restaurants and sites are a short walking distance. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co is there with their "Bucket of Boat Trash" and at one time offered you a chance to embarass yourself or show off your hula hoop skills at its entrance. Around the corner on East Bay Street is Southend Brewery where I stop for a sidewalk lunch and sample their great microbrews. Charleston Place, one of Charleston's finest hotel venues graces this area and also the Market Pavilion Hotel with its rooftop bar overlooking the Market where on a hot, humid evening you can catch the slight breeze coming off the bay while leisurely consuming a cool alchoholic concockshun.

The Old City Market is an intricate piece of the Charleston experience. Parking can be a challenge and patience is a must if you are looking to park on one of the streets, but there are lots and parking garages in the area as an alternative. By the way, if you see a man hosing down the street creating a sudsy, foamy looking substance, don't ask him what he is doing. Looking forward to seeing you hobnobbing around beautiful Charleston.-Vacation Rick Travel Charleston

Article by Rick Dunbar first published on vacation blog Vacation Rick. Check out all the other articles on what to do and see in Charleston and more.

Charleston has become a favored tourist attraction and destination over the years. Rich with history, sandy beaches, walking tours, ghost tours, carriage rides, galleries, museums, shopping, and of course, fine dining. Charleston has become "one of the South's important culinary capitals."

It has a long list of restaurants and eateries offering a variety of cuisines blended with Charleston's own multicultural heritage. Bocci's has become one of my favorite and for a nice lunch and brew outside on the sidewalk, Southend Brewery. The Pavilion Bar on the rooftop of the Market Pavilion Hotel offers a scenic view of the Market and Charleston Bay at night. The night breeze, the achoholic tease, some light conversation please, are all a part of the experience. No doubt you have your own favorite, but the common fascination is Charleston.

Charleston at one time was not the bustling attraction it is today. Here are some interesting facts you may not know. The Vendue Inn and Rooftop Bar in the lengendary French Quarter was a warehouse. The Magnolias on East Bay Street was a building with its windows knocked out and full of debris before its renovation. Charleston Place and Charleston Grill on Meeting Street was a huge, sandy lot where a JCPenney once stood. Bocci's was built in 1867-1868 by the Molony family and home to Charleston’s first Irish Pub. Hurricane Hugo came calling on Sept. 21, 1989, hammering the Lowcountry with 135-mph winds and washing through downtown with 15 feet of seawater. Since Hugo, Charleston rapidly was transformed into the attraction-destination it is today. Between 1995 and 2000, some 2,600 new hotel rooms opened in Charleston County giving proof of that growth in the travel market.

Cypress, Robert's, Magnolias, SNOB, High Cotton, Grill 225 are just a small sampling from a long list of fine dining Charleston offers to its visitors. What I like is how each establishment utilized the old characteristics of its buildings interior and structure to create the feeling that its heritage was respected and thoughtfully preserved along with a balanced blend of the new. SNOB, Post and Courier's "Restaurant of the Year" 2006, did not get that name because it is uppity and presumptuous. The service is friendly and top notch. It is the acronym for Slightly North of Broad.

SNOB features an open kitchen, but don't be dissappointed if you don't get a table with a view, the food is all the same. Award-winning executive chef Frank Lee and his staff's use of local and seasonal ingredients make the Maverick brand of southern cooking what you will come to love and bring you back time and time again.

If you read the reviews on SNOB the majority are upbeat and positive spattered with a few negatives. C'est la vie, you can't please everyone, and let's face the facts, not all palates are the same. Oh, by-the-way, SNOB was an old 19th century warehouse. Location: 192 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC. Also, try High Cotton and Old Village Post House. Bon appetit. Suggestion, check out  Pat Conroy's South of Broad Walking Tour .-Vacation Rick Travel

Article first written by Rick Dunbar on Vacation Rick blog. Check out all the other articles and travel ads.

It was a beautiful sunny day in the Historic District of Charleston. We were sitting at a table outside of the Southend Brewery and Smokehouse absorbing the festive atmosphere and the happy people parading past us along the busy sidewalk. A gentleman sporting a very unusual bushy mustache walked past. My daughter couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a picture of this individual who politely obliged.

The waitress brought out the menus and asked us what we would like to drink. My daughters suggested I should try the brewery's sampler of the eight different microbrews it offers, to which I agreed. They each ordered a Bloody Mary. We took our turns posing for some quick family pictures and a few moments later the waitress returned with our drinks. While we waited for our orders we sipped our drinks and shared some laughs. My nineteen year old son snuck a few of my samplers. A good start to a delightful lunch.

The Southend Brewery and smokehouse is located in the historic Wagener Building downtown on East Bay Street close to the famous Rainbow Row and Waterfront Park. The first thing you notice upon entering the brewery is a distintive three story atrium housing large copper and stainless steel brew tanks. The presense of the tanks and open atmoshere heightens your dining experience. There is not just one, but three floors of dining space accessed by Charleston's only indoor glass elevator.

The indoor glass elevator will wisk you up to the third floor Southend Harborview Bar where you can have a brew, play pool, shoot darts, or watch sports. If Charleston's nightlife is your thing, Southend Brewery is the place for after-hours entertainment. All attire is appropriate and perfect for bringing the family or a date. Southend offers a diverse menu of regional American lowcountry cuisine. A full description of the menu offering oak-smoked and grilled dishes can be viewed by clicking on this link. Oh, just one more thing. While sitting at your table you might be surprised to find a stranger has joined your dining party. The building has a long fascinating history and is now featured on local ghosts tours. Enough said, come and see for yourself.