West Ashley refers to the area west of the Charleston peninsula, bordered by the Ashley River and Intracoastal Waterway. A large selection of moderately priced homes in desirable neighborhoods is available as well as executive homes on lots that front on the Ashley River, tidal marshes, and creeks. New construction of marsh homes is ongoing. West Ashley is the oldest suburb in Charleston and the closest to town. There are many neighborhoods with golf, tennis, and swimming. Boating on the Ashley River is popular, and homes on deep water lots are in high demand.

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History comes alive at Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, located on Route 171 on the very spot where the English colonists in 1670 established the first permanent European settlement in the Carolinas. Among the park's unique features is the Animal Forest, a zoo that's home to species the settlers would have encountered. There's also the Adventure, a life-size reproduction of a 17th-century trading vessel.

In addition to learning about maritime trade, visitors can tour the actual landing site and explore how Charles Towne established itself as a permanent community and eventually became one of the wealthiest colonies in America. Interpretive panels along the self-guided walking trails help visitors gain insight into the relevance of this historic site.

Located along Ashley Road are three historic plantation houses--Drayton Hall, Magnolia Plantation and Middleton Place. Drayton Hall, the construction of which was completed in four years by European and African-American craftsmen, is the South's oldest surviving example of Georgian-Palladian architecture. Still without running water, electric lighting or central heating, the house remains much the same today as it was when completed in 1742. Magnolia Plantation,built in the 17th century, boasts the oldest garden in America (c.1680) and contains one of the country's largest collections of azaleas and camellias. Having been open to the public since the late 1860's, it is also the oldest man-made attraction in the United States.

Magnolia Plantation has been the ancestral home to the Drayton family for over three hundred years. Middleton Place, the former home of Henry Middleton, President of the First Continental Congress, is a carefully preserved 18th-century plantation. Included in the plantations' collections are works by Benjamin West, Thomas Sully and Audubon. Visitors may watch the blacksmith, potter, carpenter and weaver recreate the activities of a lowcountry plantation.