SMACKDOWN

Photos: Charleston and Savannah

March 2012 issue | Subscribe to the magazine

Source Article: Southern Smackdown: Savannah vs. Charleston

A Victorian mansion in Charleston, South Carolina.
(Christian Heeb/Redux)
No self-respecting history buff would miss Fort Sumter, where the Civil War's first shots were fired.
(Courtesy TranceMist/Flickr )
It's no secret that Charleston is a hotspot for African-inspired, seafood-rich Lowcountry cuisine. Now the city is also a hub of New Southern dining, thanks in part to chef Sean Brock's restaurant Husk. The James Beard Award winner promises that every ingredient hails from the South.
(Courtesy Husk Restaurant)
A three-year, $5.5-million renovation has left Charleston City Market feeling more like a boutique than the tourist trap it once was. It's still a go-to spot for classics like benne (sesame) wafers and sweetgrass baskets.
(Michael Smith/Dreamstime)
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Reform—a Jewish Synagogue in Charleston, South Carolina. The city has over 400 places of worship.
(Courtesy ChurchesOfAmerica/Flickr )
Four of Savannah's 22 public squares date to the city's founding in 1753. This cast iron fountain in Forsyth Park isn't quite that old—it dates from 1858.
(Heeb/Redux)
Savannah has been a regional art hub since 1886, when the Telfair Museums opened as the South's first art museum.
(Courtesy J. Campbell/Flickr )
Even queues around the block won't keep fans from dinner at Paula Deen's The Lady & Sons. For dessert, follow another Deen cue and head to Back in the Day Bakery, where Paula says the old-fashioned cupcakes taste just like her grandmother's.
(Courtesy bymylaces/Flickr )
For unique souvenirs, head to shopSCAD, which sells Savannah College of Art and Design student-fashioned pieces like ceramic skull tumblers and pyrite earrings.
(Courtesy Amy Zurcher/shopSCAD)
Buried under a parking garage for 50 years, Ellis Square was restored in 2010 as a sleek plaza with an interactive, kid-friendly fountain.
(Courtesy philmarq/Flickr)