The storm began as a cluster of thunderstorms over West Africa, strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane over the Atlantic, and on September 21, 1989, slammed into South Carolina with unprecedented fury. Hurricane Hugo was 250 miles across—as big as the entire state—and devastated the Lowcountry with 138 mph winds and unmatched storm surge. Charleston, its beach communities, and much of the Lowcountry were crushed. But the old adage “it’s an ill wind that blows no good” proved true. Insurance money began flowing in, allowing owners to upgrade their properties and unexpectedly accelerating Riley’s vision. “People had the money to do what they always wanted,” says Explore Charleston president and CEO Helen Hill, who has guided the city’s tourism push since 1989.
Homes, including the mansions south of Broad Street and residences throughout downtown, began to be spruced up, putting a polish on the city’s colonial charm. Shops began popping up in renovated buildings on lower King Street, building on the Charleston Place development. East Bay Street, renewed by the new Waterfront Park, saw the birth of signature restaurants like Magnolias and Slightly North of Broad. Innovative chefs refined the West African traditions of the Gullah Geechee culture to offer a unique Lowcountry cuisine that attracted foodies like flies to buttermilk. And Spoleto brought Charleston international recognition as a center for the performing arts.
By 1993, news stories about the resurgence spurred national interest in the old port town. Readers of influential magazine Condé Nast Traveler named Charleston one of the best small cities in America. The elevated lodging, shopping, and dining experiences, coupled with national media acclaim, expanded Charleston’s draw beyond a Disney-esque vision of the Old South. “Before then it was all moonlight and magnolias,” Hill says. The new level of sophistication “changed who we could sell to.”