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Charleston is the closest place I have to call a home. I’ve never received mail to any address here, never attended any schools in the area, never called myself a local. But as a military child, moving every two years and never fully settling down in any location, Charleston became my one and only constant. My mother, unlike me, was born and raised right here in Charleston and my family roots can be traced back generations in the Lowcountry. Growing up with yearly visits to my grandparents’ marsh-adjacent home in West Ashley and my Great Aunt in the heart of Mount Pleasant allowed us to become very familiar with all that Charleston has to offer. It didn’t matter if it took us a whole day of navigating airport after airport to arrive in Charleston from across the country in California or a comparatively short 8-hour car drive from Virginia, we always had the same house and the same people to come back to.
Visits to Charleston increased exponentially when my family moved to upstate South Carolina the summer before my senior year of high school. Soon, Charleston became just like any other destination. It’s a part of life for state residents to take regular and often trips down to Charleston, treating the almost 4 hour journey as if it was a trip across town instead of across the state. But despite the closer physical relationship I had gained with Charleston, the nature of our visits shifted. Instead of spending a delightful vacation of at least a week splashing at Folly Beach in adolescent wonder or exploring one of downtown’s curious museums, visits to Charleston now felt like a business trip my brother and I were forced to accompany our parents on as they addressed family matters in the Lowcountry. Despite the surge in travels to Charleston, we were spending less and less time connecting with the city.
However, my story with Charleston does not end there. A new chapter of life offered more opportunities to visit Charleston and connect with the city in a different way. While my grandparents no longer live in that grand old house off of Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, they still call Charleston home which has granted me a place to stay for my internships the past two summers. For two summers I have had the chance to live in Charleston through internships in the Lowcountry. My first internship, I worked front desk at Wild Dunes Resort on the Isle of Palms. This was my second time working for Hyatt and I absolutely loved every second of working at this gorgeous, coastal resort. This summer in particular, I landed an internship working for Explore Charleston, Charleston’s Convention & Visitors’ Bureau (or CVB). They manage and market Charleston as a travel destination and it might sound odd, but working at a CVB is my dream job. I was placed in the Media Department, a department I knew very little about going into the internship but left with a new career goal by the end of the summer. I absolutely fell in love with working in travel media. Writing pitches, joining media marketplaces, meeting journalists and public relations professionals were just some of the things I got a taste of working as an intern.
It was a busy and exciting summer, to say the least. My first week as a bright-eyed new intern was spent preparing for and attending the department’s annual Media Appreciation Luncheon. I barely even understood what the Media team did but here I was at Hall’s Chophouse, one of the nicest restaurants in Charleston, surrounded by the biggest names in local journalism. Dozens of TV hosts, news anchors, radio personalities, and newspaper writers gathered as Explore Charleston thanked them for their commitment to the local community and success of Charleston’s tourism industry. Imagine my surprise to open the Post and Courier the next morning to see an article on the luncheon written by the lady sitting right next to me! As we dined, presenters showcased the latest statistics on the status of the tourism economy of Charleston. This was one of the few times in my life I have actually enjoyed learning about numbers. The experience was followed up a few months later with Explore Charleston’s Annual Luncheon which gathers over 300 local hospitality professionals over yet another steak dinner to share the state of the industry. It was really incredible that even as an intern, I was able to participate in these programs.
I also got to take part in some very cool things which weren’t all just steak dinners. We were invited on many site visits, openings, media nights, and happy hours which I got to tag along for. This allowed me to discover the city in a whole new light. Most of the employees at Explore Charleston have spent their whole lives here, which means that while they are locals, they might not be as familiar with the tourist attractions and destinations they are trying to sell. Many of them probably have not been back to visit Charleston’s many museums since they went on field trips back in grade school. While some may see me at a disadvantage since I didn’t grow up here, this is where I see a benefit to my unique experience. I’ve been visiting the “tourist” attractions my whole life so not only have I seen them multiple times but I’ve had these experiences at a variety of ages, allowing me to connect with travelers from many stages of life.
My experience was further enhanced with the Explore Charleston VIP Pass which granted me free admission to many of Charleston’s iconic destinations and attractions, a perk of the job. Some I had visited before and some I hadn’t so I was excited to visit as many as I could over the course of the summer. I visited all nine of Charleston’s historic homes and plantations and many other museums showcasing the history and culture of the Lowcountry. I also made it a goal to visit as many new restaurants as I could. Charleston is a world renowned culinary destination but I haven’t been to many of the restaurants Charleston is known for. Usually when we visited my grandparents either they would cook or we would go to mostly local spots, like The Tomato Shed or Bowen’s Island, so it was fun to expand my palate.
The people make the place and while it was peaceful to sit with myself in some of these museums, connecting my loved ones with these shared experiences is invaluable. My time with my grandparents was so sweet and they have provided so much for me these past two summers. I’ll forever cherish our discussions over dinner and our Mexican Train tournaments and for all that they’ve given me to be able to have these two amazing experiences. My parents also came down for a weekend and I got to share some of the new spots I’ve found, including recommending they stay at one of Charming Inns of Charleston’s boutique bed and breakfasts. During their visit, I got to take my dad to a Charleston Riverdogs baseball game as his Father’s Day gift which was really fun. Their stadium is right in the marsh and they had a puppy parade! I also got to experience more of Charleston thanks to some native Charleston friends. My childhood family friend, Maggie, took me to Kiawah Island and Shem Creek for the first time; two iconic Lowcountry spots I had never been before but will definitely be going back to. The fellow interns at Explore Charleston also got to bond together which was really special.
Needless to say, my weekends and time spent outside of work were jam packed, but I had fun in the office as well. The Media department was such a fun place to work and a great department to work with. I truly enjoyed even the most mundane of tasks, the “intern work,” if you will. Every day, I didn’t want to leave when we packed up at 5:00. It’s kind of hard when you experience your dream job at 20 years old while still in college. I didn’t know anything about the world of media going into this internship, and while I learn quickly, there was a lot to learn. I wish I could have this experience again now that I know more, but nonetheless I still tried to make the most out of the summer. I spent lunch breaks across the street eating at Brittlebank Park to soak up all of the summer sun and the sounds of the ocean right outside my work window. This job truly did speak to my soul and showed me an exciting future.
It’s hard to wrap up three transformative months into one narrative, let alone over 20 years of Charleston memories. Rest assured that I will be back in Charleston as there is always so much more to experience. Charleston will always have my heart and I cannot wait to be back exploring Charleston.
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