Warehouse in Mount Pleasant, SC

What makes a great coastal getaway? In a word, everything. For the most satisfying vacation, you want shoreline adventures and pristine nature, for sure, but you also want great food, arts, and a warm local culture.

When it comes to delivering on all fronts, few coastal destinations compare to Mount Pleasant in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. It’s all about immersion here. Whether you’re flying into Charleston International Airport for an extended stay or taking a weekend escape from somewhere nearby, you can lose yourself in picturesque views, wildlife sightings, Lowcountry flavors, and living history. Mix in the area’s laid-back vibe and Southern hospitality, and whatever your plans, don’t be surprised if you want to stay a little longer.

Wander by the Water

With tidal creeks and marshes aplenty, Mount Pleasant allows you to see the water at every stage of its journey into Charleston Harbor. At Shem Creek Park, you can walk more than 2,000 feet of boardwalk, traveling over saltwater marshes and back alongside the namesake waterway, ending with incredible Lowcountry cuisine at the vibrant Shem Creek Waterfront.

Pitt Street Bridge no longer connects to Sullivan’s Island, but this historic “bridge” is now a waterfront park that extends from the Old Village Historic District through coastal wetlands and into the harbor. It’s home to some of the most stunning sunsets and sunrises in the state, along with a public fishing pier at its south end.

Paddling

Every Mount Pleasant vacation should include on-water adventure by kayak or SUP. Plenty of outfitters offer rentals and guided trips. And getting on the water is the best way to see wildlife. Whether you travel up Shem Creek or head into the harbor, you could end up paddling alongside locals, like leaping dolphins and coastal birds.

For the surest chance at spying wildlife, let the experts lead the way. Take a guided SUP or kayak tour, or book a wildlife cruise for close-up views of harbor dolphins and the thriving bird colonies of the Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary, a protected island at the mouth of Shem Creek.

Living History

Curious travelers can step into the past in the Old Village Historic District, where the streets are lined with historic homes, quaint shops, and shady Spanish moss. You can also visit a Founding Father’s cottage at the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site or board World War II-era ships at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum.

Some of the best ways to experience history in Mount Pleasant come by way of the Gullah Geechee culture. This distinct African American culture, carried forward by descendants of enslaved people from Central and West Africa, is explored at Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens, where Gullah performers share cultural stories and presentations. You can also visit during the annual Sweetgrass Festival to watch Gullah Geechee artisans at work, weaving sweetgrass baskets as they continue to weave their story into the rich tapestry of Mount Pleasant and the Lowcountry.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) — The town of Mount Pleasant is moving forward with a feasibility study for the Pitt Street Bridge.

According to town officials, the goal is to find a long-lasting solution for improvements while limiting bridge closures.

The study covers parts two and three of the Pitt Street project, which include the seawalls and the fishing pier.

The Pitt Street Bridge is used by many in Mount Pleasant and beyond for walking dogs, bird-watching, crabbing, or sitting and enjoying the marshland.

Celeste and George Hayden, Awendaw community members, said they have visited the bridge for years.

“We’ve been coming here for years. Oh, we used to have our children who are now 40 through 33; we’d come and have picnics, walk it,” Celeste Hayden said.

Craig Howland, a frequent visitor from Lexington, said he tries to come down twice a month to Pitt Street Bridge for crabbing.

“I discovered this crabbing about 2020 during COVID. It’s a hot spot,” Howland said.

Craig Watson, a Mount Pleasant community member, said the bridge serves multiple purposes, as he comes out monthly for birding. He said it’s a great place for seabirds like the gulls, terns, pelicans, and cormorants, but a lot of what people come here for are the shorebirds.

“A lot of people use it for different things, and that’s one of the great things about this place right here,” Watson said.

Mike Tinkey, with the Mount Pleasant Town Council, said safety is the top priority for the project.

“The number one is safety--protect, preserve, and enhance. And ideally, we’ll enhance it in a way that gives homage, celebrates its history,” Tinkey said.

The bridge closed for a period last year for the first part of the reconstruction project, which was focused on accessibility, widening the parking and the entrance of the bridge.

The Haydens said they support efforts to preserve the structure, even if they couldn’t make their frequent trips out here.

“We understood, and we know it’s a big challenge to preserve what we’ve got. Keep at least some of the tabby walls, but they have got to do something that’s stronger to keep the water out,” they said.

Tinkey said he is hoping for protection of the tabby along the seawall, which is a combination of oysters, ashes, water and lime for stability, an older technique seen along the foundation of the bridge.

The Town of Mount Pleasant Bids and Purchases Committee approved the $318,000 study, which will allow contractors to find the best design for the seawall and the fishing pier.

“You know, this is a bridge that spans two bodies of water. We have things called hurricanes here, and we want to know that the hurricane wouldn’t breach it. We want to keep it for a future time, so by doing this, we’ll understand the magnitude of what needs to be done with what’s underground,” Tinkey said.

The timeline for any future closure has not been decided when construction comes. The study must be completed within six months after receiving approval this week.

MOUNT PLEASANT — Emely Yan and Yupeng Lin didn't plan on getting into the restaurant business.

The couple met after both moving from their native China to the U.S. to attend college; Yan earned her master's degree in business analytics from Columbia University, while Lin got his in engineering from Drexel University.

After graduating, they found themselves on a cross-country journey through the Southeast, unsure of where they would end up or what they would do once they got there. Upon landing on Charleston, a city they described as unlike any other in the U.S., they decided to open a place offering the type of dining experience that wasn't widely available at the time: dim sum.

Their restaurant, Chef Loong Dim Sum & Soup Dumplings, has been a smash hit since opening in the West Ashley space previously occupied by Old Li's in 2024. Hong Kong-style Har Gow, scallion pancakes, black truffle soup dumplings, pan-fried pork dumplings and dan dan noodles are among the favorites outlined in a 2025 review of the Savannah Highway original, which is one of the very best Chinese restaurants in the Charleston area.

Now, Yan, 28, and Lin, 32, are preparing to open their second establishment.

Loong Yan, 341 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., will debut within the next month, the owners told The Post and Courier. The restaurant, an extension of their spot at 1662 Savannah Highway, is taking over the space previously occupied by White Duck Taco Shop, which closed in 2024.

The decision to expand will help the couple service more South Carolina residents, some of whom routinely drive from Summerville and even Columbia just to dine at Chef Loong, the couple said. While the Mount Pleasant outpost may feel more upscale following a full renovation of the now-150-plus seat space, Yan and Lin said it will be just as affordable as its West Ashley sibling.

Even as food prices, especially beef, skyrocket, Yan and Lin want guests to be able to get in and out of Loong Yan for $25 to $30.

Though the menu hasn't been finalized, Loong Yan will feature a similar offering as Chef Loong, which serves pan-fried, steamed and soup dumplings, as well as noodles, scallion pancakes, bao buns and more. Beer, wine and sake will be available, and eventually, the restaurant will offer fresh-made gelato.

Yan, who leads the culinary operation, said that the Mount Pleasant spot will lean more heavily into its dim sum experience, which is driven by the dumplings she and a team of chefs painstakingly roll by hand daily. Diners who visit the new restaurant will receive a peak behind the curtain, for a glass window near the well-appointed entryway offers views of employees filling, folding and pinching the plumped half-moons.

"We want to really make sure all the customers can have a really high standard," Yan said. "I think it's the respect for the work and food that brings a really high quality of the food."

The food at both restaurants draws on Yan's upbringing in China, where her grandmother operated a noodle shop. Dumplings are a vessel for bringing people together, especially in Northern China, they said — that's why they want Loong Yan, which is equipped with two private dining rooms, including one with a circular table centered by a Lazy Susan, to be a family gathering place.

"We see (ourselves) as a part of the community who serve the local people," Lin said.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – A long-studied and debated roadway improvement project is moving forward after Mount Pleasant Town Council voted Tuesday evening.

The council voted 5-4 not to withhold municipal consent, allowing development work to proceed in the town and Charleston County.

The plan, also referred to as the “Road to Compromise,” will connect Park West Blvd. to Highway 41, one of the fastest-growing areas in the region. In the near future, Charleston County leaders say more than 12,000 homes are planned in the Cainhoy area, with 25% of expected future trips to and from that area using Highway 41.

Officials and several residents at Tuesday’s 4+ hour town council meeting say it will provide a much-needed alternative for drivers on the highly traveled corridor.

“This compromise is not unreasonable,” Mount Pleasant resident Rodney German said. “I know there’s a lot to be concerned with, the traffic going through Laurel Hill would lighten the load of what’s going through 41.”

Several other residents expressed concerns over the project, as the proposed road would cut through a portion of the historic Phillips community and Laurel Hill County Park.

“Our neighbors, you get to drive through it and complain about it, but we actually live it,” resident Fred Smalls said. “We’ve always advocated for a solution to this problem. One that benefits everyone.”

The Phillips community is a historic town, settled by formerly enslaved people in the 1870s. Registered in the National Register of Historic Places in 2023, the descendants of those settlers still own the land. Many advocates have spoken against this widening project in this area.

Over nearly a decade, Charleston County conducted extensive research on the environmental and residential impacts of the widening project. Hundreds of public comments were heard opposing the widening in the Phillips area. This led County Council to direct the project team to evaluate alternatives to minimize impacts to the community.

And for the affected area of Laurel Hill County Park, the County is minimizing the width of the road through this stretch. The County will also incorporate more than 400 trees into the landscape plan, while improving drainage and reducing the impact on the surrounding marsh.

The project has been in the works for at least nine years, as the County has researched traffic and the surrounding areas.

In total, the County received more than 7,300 public comments, studying 20 different alternatives as a result. The County estimates the project will cost $245 million.

Following the council’s vote on Tuesday, Town Councilman Howard Chapman spoke directly to the hundreds of people in attendance for the meeting, discussing the compromise.

“Thank you to our citizens of the Phillips community for working with us on what we need to do to get better transportation that is safe and useful and doesn’t take property from residents,” Chapman said.

Charleston County and Mount Pleasant will move forward with the project, aiming to award construction contracts as early as Oct. 2026.

MOUNT PLEASANT — The former Bed Bath & Beyond storefront in Towne Centre could finally welcome customers again, with two major tenants poised to move in after the space sat empty for three years.

Preliminary plans submitted to the town’s Design Review Board call for a “façade renovation” for companies Crate & Barrel and L.L. Bean. Local engineering firm Seamon Whiteside submitted the application on Aug. 12 for the project at 1744 Towne Center Way.

Renderings show the store would split the space vacated in early 2023 by Bed, Bath & Beyond, the major home goods retail brand.

Continental Realty has owned the Mount Pleasant shopping and dining complex since 2020, when it paid $147 million for the 51-acre property.

A representative with the investment firm declined to comment.

According to renderings Seamon Whiteside submitted, L.L. Bean, or Tenant A, would set up on the left side when facing the building, taking up 15,483 square feet of space. The Maine-based brand is known for its outdoor gear and classic New England apparel.

The neighboring Crate & Barrel, Tenant B, would occupy the remaining 18,830 square feet with its home goods and furniture selection.

The moves would mark both brands’ entry into South Carolina. The closest L.L. Bean shops are in Alabama, Florida and Virginia. Crate & Barrel’s nearest retail locations are in Atlanta and Charlotte.

Design plans for their newest stores would require demolition and redesign of the front of the building. A new canopy line and other landscaping would be added to complement curb appeal.

Crate & Barrell would get a new entrance, while L.L. Bean would use the same entry location as Bed Bath & Beyond with an upgraded doorway.

Seamon Whiteside said there would not be any changes to the parking lot and that live oaks adjacent to the building will remain in place and preserved with protective fencing during construction.

CRC had previously tried to rezone portions of Towne Centre to allow for housing, offices, greenspace and more as the firm struggled to fill the big-box space. The company created a Plan B should Belk department store and the Regal Cinema theater not renew their leases down the line. Plans were never concrete enough for town’s Planning Committee and were scrapped in August 2025 as time ran out.

Crate & Barrel and L.L. Bean’s entry into Mount Pleasant comes as American lifestyle and retail brand Anthropologie, which is owned by Urban Outfitters, prepares to open at the Fairmount Shopping Center on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.