Charleston’s momentum is palpable, from harbor cranes to daring hotels to vital museums (for which it ranks #12). Charleston International logged a record 6.3 million passengers in 2024, is already sketching a bigger terminal, and just welcomed the Element Charleston Airport and Drury Plaza hotels this spring. In town, the six-story, 191-room Cooper debuts on the harbor this fall with five restaurants and its own marina.
Charleston’s newest and most important draw is the $100-million International African American Museum on the former site of Gadsden’s Wharf, the disembarkation point into American slavery for an estimated 100,000 African people over centuries—the largest such port in the country. A new genealogy center helps visitors research their own history. The modern waterfront is moving forward with the Union Pier redo, unlocking 65 acres of waterfront parks, flood-proof streets and mixed-income housing beside the French Quarter. Investment is flooding in, with Google breaking ground on two $2-billion data center campuses in Dorchester County and investing another $1.3 billion into its Berkeley site. Hundreds of high-wage cloud jobs should come online as a result. King Street retail is equally hot (Shopping ranks #19) with Gucci’s new 4,200-square-foot flagship just opened in Charleston Place.