The Case for a Shoulder Season Stay

The Charleston coast has two peaks. There’s the loud one — May through August, packed calendars and beach chairs to the horizon. And there’s the one locals prefer, which starts in mid-September and stretches into early November before it hands off to a mild winter.

Water stays warm through October. Restaurants have their tables back. You can get a walk-in reservation somewhere on King Street on a Tuesday. The light shifts to that particular Lowcountry gold that photographers spend the summer waiting for.

We rate our homes the same in both seasons. Rates soften on the calendar you thought you weren’t allowed to want.