Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Lying below the steeple-rich skyline of Charleston is an architecture buff's dream. Founded in 1670, the port is now host to eight distinct building styles. It also claims the country’s first museum and the harbor where the first shots of the American Civil War were fired from Fort Sumter, accessible via a pleasant ferry ride. Antebellum history is revealed at Boone Hall Plantation, famous for its stunning avenue overarched with moss-draped live oak trees more than two centuries old. A saunter down King Street is also a must; the area regularly shuts off to traffic and becomes a pedestrian mall where locals walk pets, listen to live music and sip wine at sidewalk tables. The Upper King area adds a fresh spin with modern eateries, bars and shops north of the historic district. A new wave of restaurateurs has made Charleston a culinary capital, putting mouthwatering low-country cuisine on the world stage.