Layout 1
Last Updated: 12/18/24
It seems not a day goes by without the Holy City being given another award. It’s getting harder and harder to keep track of how amazing our city is, so I decided to compile a master list for quick and easy referencing. In a nod to Stephen Colbert, one of Charleston’s favorite sons, I’ve borrowed (ok, stolen) the title of one of his popular Colbert Report segments for the title of this list. So, without further adieu, here is “Who’s Honoring Us Now…”
You can see past year’s awards, rankings, and more here: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2010-2013
Click on the accolade to read more details:
- America’s Most Charming Main Street: King Street - MixBook
- # 1 Best City for Renters to Live in 2024 - RentCafe
- # 1 Best City in the United States: Charleston - Travel + Leisure
- # 1 Best Golf Course in SC: The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort - GolfWeek
- # 1 Best New BBQ Joint in the South: Palmira Barbecue - Southern Living
- # 1 Friendliest City in the South - Southern Living
- # 2 Best Children’s Hospital for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery: MUSC's Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital - U.S. News & World Report
- # 2 Best Food Destination in the U.S. - TripAdvisor
- # 2 Hotel in South Carolina: The Charleston Place - U.S. News & World Report
- # 2 Best Place to Live on the East Coast - U.S. News & World Report
- # 3 Best New BBQ Joint in the South: King BBQ - Southern Living
- # 3 Best Pickleball Courts In The South: Crush Yard - Southern Living
- # 3 Growth City - U-Haul
- # 4 Best Family Beach Vacation Spot in the U.S.: Kiawah Island - Travel + Leisure
- # 4 Best Fine Dining Restarant in United States: Revival - TripAdvisor
- # 5 Best Beach of 2024: Kiawah Island's Beachwalker Park - Dr. Beach
- # 5 Best Midsize City for Soccer Fans - Wallethub
- # 5 Best Midsize College City in America - Wallethub
- # 5 Best Romantic Getaway in the U.S. - U.S. News & World Report
- # 5 Best Midsize City for Baseball Fans - Wallethub
- # 5 South Carolina’s Most Walkable Downtown: Charleston - Discover SC
- # 6 Best Dog Park in the U.S.: The Dog Park at James Island County Park - USA Today's 10Best
- # 6 Best Southern Destinations For Spotting Spring Blooms - Southern Living
- # 6 Most Iconic Bridge in America: Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge - Gunther VW
- # 7 Best City for Veterans to Live - Veterans United Home Loans
- # 7 Best City Hotel in the Continental U.S.: The Wentworth Mansion - Travel + Leisure
- # 7 Best High School in America: Academic Magnet High School - U.S. News and World Report
- # 8 Best City for Summer Jobs - Wallethub
- # 8 Best Small Real-Estate Market - Wallethub
- # 8 Friendliest City in America - Conde Nast Traveler
- # 8 Friendliest City in America - LuvLink
- # 8 Top Destination - TripAdvisor
- # 9 Best Island in the Continental U.S.: Kiawah Island - Travel + Leisure
- # 9 Best Warm Destination for Winter Travel - Wallethub
- # 9 Fall Girlfriend Getaway You'll Want To Plan Immediately - Southern Living
- # 10 Best Place to Camp in the Southeast Region: Campground at James Island County Park - The Dyrt
- # 10 Best Small City for Economic Growth: North Charleston - CoworkingCafe
- # 10 South Carolina’s Most Walkable Downtown: Summerville - Discover SC
- # 11 Best Fine Dining Restarant in United States: Peninsula Grill - TripAdvisor
- # 11 Best Golf Course in SC: Osprey Point at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort - GolfWeek
- # 13 Best Place to Live in the U.S. - U.S. News & World Report
- # 13 Most Coveted Halloween Destination - Mixbook
- # 14 Best New BBQ Joint in the South: Rancho Lewis - Southern Living
- # 14 Best New Restaurants in the South 2024: Xo Brasserie - Yelp
- # 15 Best Fine Dining Restarant in United States: Circa 1886 - TripAdvisor
- # 16 Best Fine Dining Restarant in United States: Halls Chophouse - TripAdvisor
- # 16 Best Golf Course in SC: Cougar Point at Kiawah Island Golf Resort - GolfWeek
- # 17 Best New Restaurants in the South 2024: Costa - Yelp
- # 22 Best City in the World: Charleston - Travel + Leisure
- # 23 Best Fine Dining Restarant in United States: High Cotton - TripAdvisor
- # 23 Hotel in America: The Charleston Place - U.S. News & World Report
- # 51 Best BBQ Restaurant in the U.S.: Swig and Swine - Yelp
- # 75 Top Pizza Spot in the US: The Obstinate Daughter - Yelp
- A Hidden Gem Dog Park: Riverfront Dog Park - Technobark.com
- Best Chicken Wings in South Carolina: Kung Pao Chicken Wings at The Grocery - Food Network
- Best Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurant in South Carolina: Dave's Carry Out - LoveFood
- Best Mexican Restaurant in South Carolina: MESU - Lovefood
- Best Texas-style BBQ Restaurant in the Country: Palmira Barbecue - Texas Monthly
- Best of Weddings: Hamby Catering & Events - The Knot
- Bronze medal in Belgian-Style Witbier category: Munkle Brewing's Gully Washer Wit - 2024 Great American Beer Festival
- Bronze medal in International-Style Pilsener category: Munkle Brewing's Munk Lager - 2024 Great American Beer Festival
- Four Diamond Designated Property: The Palmetto Hotel - AAA Newsroom
- Gold medal in South German-Style Hefeweizen category: Holy City Brewing's Washout Wheat - 2024 Great American Beer Festival
- Inducted into Historic Hotels of America: The Mills House - Historic Hotels of America
- Made in the South Outdoors Winner: Burls and Steel - Garden and Gun
- Made in the South Crafts Runner-up: Harland Handmade - Garden and Gun
- Made in the South Drinks Runner-up: Ceebo Brew Co. - Garden and Gun
- One of the 100 Best New Hotels of the Year: The Pinch - Travel + Leisure
- One of the Best Beach Bars in the South: The Windjammer - Southern Living
- One of the Best Christmas Light Displays + Tours for 2024: Nights of a Thousand Candles at Brookgreen Gardens - U.S. News & World Report
- One of the Best Hotels and Resorts in the World (The Gold List 2025): Zero George - Conde Nast Traveler
- One of the Best New Restaurants of 2024: Bintü Atelier - Bon Appétit
- One of the Best New Restaurants of 2024: King BBQ - Bon Appétit
- One of the 50 Best Places to Travel in 2025: Travel + Leisure
- Best Small Towns on the Atlantic Coast to Chill Out In 2024: Sullivan's Island - WorldAtlas
- 15 Most Beautiful Coastal Towns In The South: Charleston - Southern Living
- Most Popular Pasta Dish in South Carolina: Agnolotti at Le Farfalle - Yelp
- One of Fodor's Finest: The Most Incredible Hotels in the World: The Palmetto - Fodor's
- One of the 50 Best Places to Travel in 2025: Travel + Leisure
- One of the Best New Restaurants of 2024: Bintü Atelier - Esquire
- One of the Best New Restaurants of 2024: Kultura - Esquire
- One of the Most Outstanding Hotels in the World: The Charleston Place - Forbes Travel Guide
- One of the Most Outstanding Hotels in the World: Hotel Bennett - Forbes Travel Guide
- One of the Most Outstanding Hotels in the World: Market Pavilion Hotel - Forbes Travel Guide
- One of the Most Outstanding Hotels in the World: The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Forbes Travel Guide
- One of The South's Most Legendary Dive Bars: The Griffon - Southern Living
- One of the Ten Must-Try Southern Sandwiches: Crispy Catfish sandwich at Leon's Oyster Shop - Garden & Gun
- One of the Top 10 Surfing Beaches In The South: Folly Beach - Southern Living
- One of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in America: Livability
- One of the Top 100 Local Businesses in the USA: Candlefish - Yelp
- One of the Top 100 Local Businesses in the USA: Charleston Harbor Veterinarians - Yelp
- One of the Top 100 Local Businesses in the USA: Wild Blue Ropes Adventure Park - Yelp
- One of the Top 50 Haunted Attractions: Boone Hall Fright Nights - Haunted Attraction Association.
- One of the World’s Greatest Places of 2024: International African American Museum - TIME
- Silver medal in American Wheat beer-style category: Hobcaw Brewing Co.'s Mercy Cloud - 2024 Great American Beer Festival
- South Carolina's Most Beautiful Restaurant: Camellias - OpenTable
- South Carolina's Richest City: Kiawah Island - Forbes
- South Carolina's Second Richest City: Sullivan's Island - Forbes
- South Carolina's Fifth Richest City: Isle of Palms - Forbes
- South Carolina’s Most Famous Restaurant: Husk - LoveFood
- South Carolina's Ninth Richest City: Seabrook Island - Forbes
- Three MICHELIN Keys Hotel: HarbourView Inn - MICHELIN
- Three MICHELIN Keys Hotel: Hotel Bennett Charleston - MICHELIN
- Three MICHELIN Keys Hotel: Post House - MICHELIN
- Three MICHELIN Keys Hotel: The Dewberry - MICHELIN
- Three MICHELIN Keys Hotel: The Spectator Hotel - MICHELIN
- Two MICHELIN Keys Hotel: The Loutrel - MICHELIN
- Two MICHELIN Keys Hotel: The Pinch Charleston - MICHELIN
- Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards – Costa
- Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards – Circa 1886
- Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards – Halls Chophouse
- Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards – Magnolia’s
- Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards – Peninsula Grill
- Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards – Sorrelle
- Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards – The Tippling House
- Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards – Water's Edge
- Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards – Wild Common
- Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards – Zero Restaurant + Bar
- WTA 500 Tournament of the Year: Credit One Charleston Open - Women’s Tennis Association
Remember, you can see past year’s awards, rankings, and more here: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2010-2013
