BBQ Road Trip
Routes
Suggested Charleston BBQ routes. Pick a route, hit the road, and explore the best across the metro.
The Charleston BBQ Trail
Tap a route to trace it on the map.
Rt1
The definitive one-day Charleston BBQ tour — hitting the city's most celebrated pitmasters in a logical geographic loop. Start at Lewis Barbecue for brisket and whole hog at lunch, cross to James Island for Melvin's legendary mustard-sauce pulled pork in the afternoon, then end the day on James Island at Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint for whole hog smoked the slow old way.
Rt2
For the serious BBQ pilgrim: a two-day journey from Charleston into the Pee Dee heartland of South Carolina's whole-hog tradition. This is the route that shaped Rodney Scott, the Bessinger family, and the entire SC BBQ canon. Drive north through the Lowcountry, stopping at whole-hog pits along the way, culminating at Scott's Bar-B-Que in Hemingway — the most important BBQ restaurant in South Carolina.
Rt3
A leisurely day trip that combines the best of Lowcountry BBQ with the region's extraordinary natural and historical beauty. Start with breakfast on the Charleston waterfront, hit two BBQ stops, and end the day watching the sunset over the salt marshes of Folly Beach. This is the trip for visitors who want to understand why the Lowcountry is one of America's most distinctive food cultures.