Summer in Charleston: Where to go, what to do, and how to survive the heat

Image by Flickr user .mary The view of the Morris Island Lighthouse from the north end of Folly Beach — one of the more serene parts of the island's beach.

With the arrival of each summer in Charleston, the mercury climbs and a new batch of summer guides spring up.

Although we can't do much to stop it from getting so dang hot, we can help with the waves upon waves of guides.

Below is a roundup of the best guide pieces we've spotted thus far in 2011 (and a few from years past), and we'll come back here and update with more good ones as we find them.

Hit the water (and/or sand)

- The Charleston area has several waterparks (Splash Zone, Splash Island, and Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark), and all opened back in May. Get the details.

- From Edisto, to Folly, to Sullivan's, to Bull islands, beach options abound — and each has its own vibe. If you're looking for a particular activity over knowing the details of each beach, check out Charleston Magazine's overview however if you'd rather get the lowdown on each I'll suggest the Charleston City Paper's guide or The Post and Courier's guide

- If you'd like to imbibe some fluids while going to watery beach land, check out the Charleston City Paper's guide to beach bar drinking.

Eat

- From donuts, to BBQ, to Indian, hit up one of Charleston's tasty outdoor mobile food trucks. Get the details.

- There's lots of fantastic local food that grows here, so be sure to check out one of the area farmers markets and don't overlook those tasty heirloom tomatoes

- Charleston has plenty of creative and local ice cream options; details here.

- It's a great time for a short road trip to score some serious BBQ at Scott's or Sweatman's — or, heck, a number of others.

Go for a walk (in the shade)

- Charleston Magazine has a roundup of many spots you can stroll in the area that have plenty of shade; take a read here.

More -- lots, lots, more

If you're just not shore what'd you'd like to do check out the Charleston City Paper's summer guide and for everything in between, check out our summer topic page and our features topic page.

And for general discussion regarding sightseeing in Charleston, hit the tourism topic page.