The Gold Coast of Charleston's Historic District - I know what it feels like to live in the smaltzy, waltzy, glitzy part of town, Chicago's Gold Coast, where the governor of Illinois lives, the home of the Archbishop of Chicago. So it is with the South of Broad, the most exclusive part of downtown Charleston, South Carolina, a prestigious and historic neighborhood located at the southernmost tip of the Charleston peninsula. It is a quiet residential area with many stately, graceful, prestigious and costly homes and gardens lined along East Bay Street, where carriages meander the cobblestone streets and tourists enjoy hearing about the history of the region. The area is bordered by Broad Street to the west and runs east to Charleston Harbor with the Ashley River and the Cooper River serving as bookends. See houses that range from $850,000 to over $20 million, including Rainbow Row, the Nathaniel Russell House dating to 1752, the Edward Rutledge House, the Williams Mansion, the Edmonston-Alston House, the Heyward-Washington Houses Museum, the Miles Brewerton House, the Simmons-Edwards House and the William Gibbes House. Visit Saint Michael's Episcopal Church, the oldest church in Charleston. Stroll through the Battery and White Point Gardens at the very southernmost point of the peninsula, offering a sweeping view of Charleston Harbor and Fort Sumter. South of Broad is more than just a place to live, it's a living piece of American history, like walking through a time capsule, from colonial times and the American Revolutionary War through the Civil War and Reconstruction. It has been the home to Charleston's most influential families since the 1700s, where wealthy planters and merchants built their grand mansions. We're not talking houses here, we're talking statements, symbols of prosperity, influence and architectural innovation with styles ranging from Neoclassical to Colonial to Italianate to Victorian to Federalist to Art Deco. Start with the Williams Mansion, the largest private residence in Charleston spanning 24,000 square feet and 30 rooms. It's a living museum. But a keen-eyed visitor can detect several design elements that are intertwined throughout the neighborhood that make the homes flow seamlessly together. The houses are almost always lined with piazzas in order to create shade and take advantage of coastal breezes. They feature tall ceilings, heart pine and cypress floors, iron gates, intricate gardens, winding alleyways and porches lined with colonnades. While you are admiring the architecture and the stately mansions, find time to stop for lunch or dinner at Iron Rose or Magnolia's or Husk or Oak Steakhouse or Millers All-Day or Sorelle or Poogan's Porch or Brasserie La Banque or Slightly North of Broad.