People move to Mt. Pleasant for lots of different reasons. For some, the short commute to downtown Charleston is the main draw. Lots of Mt. Pleasant residents work on the peninsula at MUSC, the College of Charleston, museums and art galleries, law firms, and other businesses. But, many residents work in Mt. Pleasant as well, and the areas of Mt. Pleasant that are closest to Sullivans’s Island and Isle of Palms are also popular with people who work in the marine and tourism industries.
Beyond work and home life, residents also choose Mt. Pleasant because of the options for dining, recreation, and family-friendly activities in the area. Some of Mt. Pleasant’s (and the entire Charleston area’s) most popular restaurants are on Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant, where residents can drive or boat to waterfront dining. Attending Charleston Battery soccer games is a popular activity as well—the games are exciting, the stadium has food trucks instead of chicken tenders and hot dogs, and the Ravenel Bridge serves as a backdrop to the west-end stands.
Additionally, since Mt. Pleasant is in Charleston County, residents have access to several local parks that are extremely well-designed and well-maintained. For example, Mt. Pleasant Waterfront Park is located next to, and partly under, the Ravenel Bridge. It has multiple playgrounds for children of different age groups, a snack stand with ice cream, and a fishing pier with views of downtown Charleston. Further inland, Palmetto Islands County Park has a large waterpark, trails, fishing dock, kayak launch, boat rentals, and several other amenities.
Eating Out in Mt. Pleasant
There are numerous options for eating out in Mt. Pleasant. As already noted, some of the area’s most-popular restaurants are located on Shem Creek. There are several popular restaurants nearby on Coleman Boulevard as well. Coleman Boulevard is one of the main thoroughfares in Mt. Pleasant, running from the Ravenel Bridge to the bridge to Sullivan’s Island.
Houston Northcutt Boulevard and Johnnie Dodds Boulevard, which are two of Mt. Pleasant’s other main thoroughfares, have several restaurants as well. On the northern end of Mt. Pleasant near the Isle of Palms Connector, Mt. Pleasant Towne Center is home to several well-known restaurants, including popular sit-down restaurant chains.
Along with fine dining and less-refined sit-down restaurant options, Mt. Pleasant also has several coffee shops, smoothie bars, and cafés. With so many local restaurants—and so many things to do—going out to breakfast is popular in Mt. Pleasant as well, and there are several options for getting pancakes, waffles, eggs, avocado toast, and other types of traditional (and not-so-traditional) breakfast fare.
Things to Do in Mt. Pleasant
We’ve touched on many of the things to do in Mt. Pleasant already. These include going to Charleston Battery games, visiting Waterfront Park and Palmetto Islands County Park, fishing and kayaking, boating, and finding other ways to enjoy the Charleston area’s year-round temperate climate. Some other popular places to visit in Mt. Pleasant include:
- Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina (for boat storage and waterfront seafood restaurants)
- Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens
- Dunes West Golf and River Club
- Fort Palmetto Park, Hamlin Park
- Laurel Hill County Park
- Patriots Point Links
- Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum
- Pitt Street Bridge and Picket Park (with views of the Charleston peninsula)
- Shem Creek Boardwalk
For car enthusiasts, Mt. Pleasant Towne Center hosts a Cars and Coffee on Saturday mornings at 8:00am. Mt. Pleasant has farmers markets, historic sites, and numerous other places to visit as well.
Real Estate in Mt. Pleasant
As Mt. Pleasant has grown in popularity, so too has the number of neighborhoods in the area. This number currently stands at well over 100, and is continuing to grow. But, some of Mt. Pleasant’s oldest neighborhoods are both among its most popular and among its best, and the neighborhoods close to downtown Charleston and Patriots Point in particular are extremely desirable.
Some of Mt. Pleasant’s most popular neighborhoods include:
- Belle Hall
- Brickyard Plantation
- Carolina Park
- Cooper Estates
- Dunes West
- Hidden Lakes
- Hobcaw Point
- I’On
- Old Mt. Pleasant
- Old Village
- Oyster Point
- Rivertowne
- Simmons Pointe
Due to its unique geography, Mt. Pleasant has several neighborhoods with waterfront homes. This includes homes on the Charleston harbor, the Wando River, and the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Many homes in these neighborhoods have deepwater docks, and many residents have boats that they moor at home and use to explore Charleston’s waterways, visit waterfront restaurants, and go deep sea fishing in the Atlantic Ocean.
Apartments in Mt. Pleasant
Mt. Pleasant has several apartment communities, including multiple newer communities near Mt. Pleasant Waterfront Park with views of the Wando River and downtown Charleston. Residents can easily walk to the park and run or bike across the Ravenel Bridge. There are affordable and luxury apartment buildings along Coleman Boulevard and in other areas of Mt. Pleasant as well, including areas that are no more than a 10-15 drive to the beach on Sullivan’s Island or Isle of Palms.
