Cannonborough-Elliottborough - Charleston, SC

Originally two separate boroughs, Cannonborough and Elliotborough eventually joined together to become one borough. Historically, Jewish families favored the Elliotborough neighborhood for proximity to one of Charleston’s only synagogues, Brith Sholom Beth Israel. Today, however, the neighborhood is a melting pot of religions, classes and ages. If you are in the mood for history lessons, located within the neighborhood is the Karpeles Manuscript Museum, which has several locations throughout the nation and places important documents and manuscripts on display. A short walk toward center-city takes you to America’s First Museum, the Charleston Museum, which first opened in 1773 and explores the history of Charleston. To truly round it out, the neighborhood offers the Woolfe Street Playhouse, a local theater company featuring regular showings of dramatic, comedic and musical plays.

The Cannonborough-Elliotborough neighborhood features a vast array of dining choices and surprisingly all of them receive outstanding reviews, including the Grocery, Hominy Grill, Barsa Lounge and Grill, Lana, Trattoria Lucca, R Kitchen, Prohibition, HoM, Wildflour Pastry, Dell'z Deli, the Butcher and Bee, and last, but certainly not least, D'Allesandro's. The restaurants spread throughout the streets of the neighborhood with several concentrated along Charleston's famed King Street. Originally known for its retail shopping, King Street now houses some of Charleston's best restaurants. With so much cream at the top, you have to wonder how to choose. Locals think that the creamiest cream of all can be found at the Hominy Grill and the Ordinary. Open for almost 20 years, must-haves at Hominy include the Charleston nasty biscuit and the fried green tomatoes appetizer. Known locally as the big nasty, this fried-chicken, cheddar-cheese biscuit is smothered with sausage gravy. Order extra napkins - it's a hot mess you don't want to miss. Fried green tomatoes are a simple, Southern delicacy and no one does them better than Hominy. With tart tomatoes and tangy ranch dressing for dipping, they do not disappoint. Move on over to Upper King, where at the Ordinary -- things are anything but ordinary. From squid ink tagliatelle to grilled octopus, eclectic gems of the sea are served up to suit. Locals say don't miss the oyster sliders -- crunchy goodness surrounding little brine-filled gems situated on soft Hawaiian rolls. These tasty treats provide every Southern comfort you can imagine. Upper King houses a number of lounges, such as the Belmont and the Cocktail Club. You can certainly have fun dancing and drinking the night away on Upper King. The closest thing to a true club in Charleston can be found in Mynt, which hosts a DJ and several bars inside. Located on Calhoun Street, Mynt's an easy walk for residents of the neighborhood. A number of the bars on Upper King, such as Charleston Beer Works and local dive bar AC's, offer pool tables. The burger bar HoM also serves as a "pong lounge" with a number of ping pong tables at the back of the restaurant.

Pedestrian friendly, Cannonborough-Elliotborough residents love to walk the city’s streets. Whether to the bakery for your morning coffee and muffin or the bar for a tasty brew, everything you could possibly need is within walking distance. If you prefer to take the bus, however, you can catch a ride on Charleston’s public bus system, CARTA, for only $1.75 one way. Up to be driven instead, it’s pretty easy to hail a cab at night on busy King Street. But if you need a ride in off-hours, you are better off to call ahead. Uber is also an option, serving all of Charleston including the Cannonborough-Elliotborough neighborhood. Want to drive yourself? You might snag a metered spot on King Street and, if not, many businesses offer parking spaces for their customers. However, be careful when street parking in Charleston; many areas are for residents only and the signage can be unclear. If you move to the area, getting in and out of Charleston from your pad will be a breeze. Charleston’s Interstate, Highway 26, feeds directly into the busy Crosstown street, which is adjacent to but does not run through the neighborhood. Biking, on the other hand, is not a breeze. While some bike lanes exist, the streets are busy and narrow with bikers and cars jockeying for space. If you want to bike, it’s safest to park the cycle, pick the cruiser and stick to quiet side streets.

Located within the neighborhood, Elliotborough Park provides residents with a green-space, playground and Charleston’s first community garden. Residents grow fruits and vegetables to share with each other and donate some of their harvest to local charities. The neighborhood hosts the annual Halloween in the Boo-Roughs, a festival with a parade that ends at the park with live music, a pumpkin carving competition and costume competition. Just up the street is Marion Square Park, one of the City’s largest parks. Located at center-city, the park is usually full of students and locals laying out, picnicking or tossing a ball. Being owned and operated by the City, both parks are free of charge and always open.

Generally speaking, the cost of living in downtown Charleston will run you more south of Calhoun Street than north of it, where Cannonborough-Elliotborough lies. Rental prices in the neighborhood remain lower than many other parts of the city, and therefore attract many students from nearby College of Charleston. A one-bedroom rental in the neighborhood will run you about $1,055. Charleston’s gas prices consistently average about 30 cents lower than the national average, with prices North of Calhoun being even 10 cents lower. You pay about the same for food and drink at restaurants and bars throughout the city, with the price for a pint of craft beer running between $5 and $6. You can easily walk to many areas in downtown Charleston, but if you want to catch a sunset over the harbor at Battery Park, in Charleston’s far south side, you do best to catch a ride for only $3.50 on CARTA.

Cannonborough-Elliotborough is a few steps away from Charleston’s famed shopping district, King Street. The stores on King Street range from big chain, affordable, such as Forever 21, H&M and Rack Room Shoes, to high-end local stores such as Bob Ellis Shoes and the Finicky Filly. In between, you find Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and the Gap. Directly in the neighborhood, you can visit the Magnifilous Toy Emporium, Mac & Murphy, a stationary shop, or Indigo & Cotton, for high-end men’s clothing. Bi-Lo, a full-service grocer, sits directly within the neighborhood. Stroll up King Street on weekends from April to November and you find the Charleston Farmers Market, which Travel and Leisure Magazine ranked as one of the top 10 farmer's markets in the nation. The market sets up at Marion Square Park, in the heart of the city.