BY CAITLIN CUNAGIN

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Walk into the visitor center, and you’ll find yourself overloaded with visuals and knee-deep in pamphlets. Do you really want the broken-record spiel from visitor center employees? Or does your skin crawl once you sense you’ve entered a trap swarming with binoculars and fanny packs? If you prefer the road less traveled, ditch that 2013 Official Visitors Guide, and let Pluff steer your discovery of our maritime paradise.

     Let’s start where most visitor center conversations begin: tours. What’s worse than climbing into a stuffy mini bus and listening to a monotone voice over the loudspeaker? Nothing. Avoid these motorized options and opt for something more thrilling. No, we’re not talking about breathing in the stench of horse manure; we’re looking a little higher than that.
     Gawk at the Lowcountry landscape from a bird’s-eye view with Flying High Over Charleston, an aerial company with 25 years of safe flying experience. If you want to scout and take pictures of landmarks, tell your pilot what you wish to see from the air. The coolest part about this see-all private tour: Ask if you can take the controls and get a taste of flying yourself.
     If you had gone the Visitor Center route to plan your stay, the experts there would assume you’ve had your heart set on visiting a plantation or touring an old historic home. Boone Hall Plantation, Cypress Gardens, Aiken-Rhett House Museum and Edmondston-Alston House are popular options the they regularly suggest. Instead, walk to one of the city’s hidden landmarks that’s so tucked away even some locals don’t know about it. Philadelphia Alley, also known as Dueler’s Alley, accessed by Queen Street or Cumberland Avenue, is known for its history of dueling that dates back to 1881. It’s said that there was even a cutout in the brick wall that led straight to the St. Philip’s Church graveyard. For an even eerier experience, venture down to the alley at night. Don’t be surprised if you hear pistol shots, see ghostly visions and smell traces of gunpowder.
     What’s a visit without good food? Chances are you’ve heard Bon Appétit bestowed its Best New Restaurant in America distinction on Husk in September 2011. If you haven’t, well, you may be living under a cobblestone. Regardless, don’t be surprised when you call for a reservation and it’s booked months in advance. No fear, there are plenty of incredible restaurants in Charleston and new ones that open their doors nearly every month. We suggest Robert Carter’s new uptown spot Rutledge Cab Co., Xiao Bao Biscuit, The Ordinary, The Macintosh or Trattoria Lucca. We triple-dog dare you to ask a Visitor Center employee “to cut the bull and demand a name of a restaurant that ISN’T on their ‘Guide to Nearby Restaurants’ pamphlet.” You know you want to.
     We’d be doing you a disservice if we didn’t give you one last tip. If you find yourself in a predicament of choosing whether to drive or walk, always (always) choose your legs over your wheels. You’ll be amazed at the hidden gems you’ll stumble upon when traveling at a slower pace.