Charleston, SC Brewery District Trolley, Fun, Free and Full

Charleston Brewery District Trolley, Fun, Free and Full

Stopped at Revelry Brewing

Charleston Brewery District Trolley is a free, fun addition to uptown Charleston’s diverse mobility menu used by locals and visitors that continues to grow towards success since returning to operation a year ago.

I rode the Trolley (actually a streetcar style bus) on September 24, 2022 as part of an afternoon which connected me with events across the city using the Brewery Trolley and #20 CARTA Bus Route. Both are free.

I reached Charleston on the CARTA #40 Mt. Pleasant Bus which arrived on time and tracked perfectly on the Transit App. Downtown I dismounted at the first stop on Meeting St., Just North of Huger and walked South and West around the corner to Palmetto Brewing on Huger. The Brewery District Trolley arrived five minutes earlier than expected because I had consulted an old schedule found online. A stop has been added and pushed pickup times on half the route forward five minutes.  Several outdated versions of the schedule persist online.  The current, correct schedule as of Sept. 24, 2022 can be found as an image in this blog.

The Brewery District Trolley picked up about ten passengers at Palmetto Brewing and dropped several off. It headed around the corner to Baker & Brewer for another busy stop.

Passengers included adults and children. There was a goody basket of treats by the door where people boarded. A poll of riders taken after a large group boarded at Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. showed 20% of the passengers were from Charleston. 30% from other parts of the Lowcountry. 20% from other parts of SC and 30% from out of state, including on this occasion Alaska and Massachusetts. Everyone was in good spirits and friendly. There were two family events at the Brewereys that day and all these businesses serve food, so the presence of children wasn’t surprising. The kids were loving the bus.

Trolley Schedule as of Sept. 25, 2022

For someone trying to reach the Brewery Trolley on CARTA Transit, the stop at Baker and Brewer and the Stop at Palmetto Brewing are the closest to stops on the #10 Rivers Ave. and #40 Mt. Pleasant CARTA bus routes. Covered shelters with seating can be found on Meeting with a walk of less than a block required to make the connection.

For those using the free #20 Upper King CARTA bus to reach the Brewery District Trolley from downtown, the Visitors Center and the hotel district, the best places to connect are at Palmetto Brewery on Huger, a half block walk from the #20 Bus on King Street.  You can also connect to the #20 at stops on the North part of that route including Stop ID: 460 at Rutledge Ave / Courtland Ave a half block (320 feet SSE) from Brew Lab or the stop with seating and a shelter a block further South in front of Rutledge Cab Company. Both of these stops are easy, fully sidewalked walk to Brew lab (for reasons I don’t understand, Google shows a walk under I 26 and Back, but it’s a very short walk directly down Rutledge to both stops).

I rode the Brewery Trolley around most of its route visiting Tradesman Brewing, Lofi, Munkle Brewing, and Fatty's Beer works. I arrived at the Conservation organization’s event at Brewlab Charleston. During this short 40 Minutes on Board about 60 passengers rode the bus. The driver said they often have many more.

Most passengers are on board the trolley for only a few stops. They appear to dismount when the brewery the bus arrives at appears welcoming and active. Those breweries which appeared deserted did not draw visitors off the bus.  

Boarding over 25 passengers at Btewlab

After visiting the event at Brew lab, I checked the Transit App and found the #20 was approaching in 12 minutes. I walked down to Rutledge Ave. to wait at the covered stop in front of Rutledge Cab Company. I could have had a shorter walk and waited at the stop at Rutledge and Cortland. The #20 took me down into the City to my stop near Queen Street, in the middle of the Tourist District.

On Saturdays in Charleston, SC, the Brewery District Trolley provides a great option for people who want to enjoy this newer part of the city and the varied options for food, drink and community activity found there now. It’s already popular and successful and sure to continue to be ever more so with locals and visitors. It benefits from the far less congested streets and roads it operates on and was keeping its schedule without a problem. There are good opportunities to connect to local transit, though it doesn’t go far enough South to connect to the free DASH bus system. It does however connect well to the #20 Upper King bus which is also free. It’s a great way to explore a new part of Charleston and the many events happening there on Saturday.

Brewing Up More Impact

Conservation Event at Brewlab Charleston

It would be great if there were a way to track the bus as it moves and signs for where the stops are located which note the stop time.

More awareness about how to reach the Brewery Trolly from the main tourism district on the #20 bus would benefit both transit services.  Event publicity for the many events at these businesses should mention the Brewery Trolley to attract more visitors and relieve their parking struggle. There is already a lot of community activity along this route, but its potential for large scale multi site events like Oktoberfest or a Holiday Festival is huge. We hope this blogpost will help.

We think the driver should have a cheerful trolley bell to ring at stops and a cool hat to wear. We had a great driver and her cheerful, positive attitude lit up the bus. 

If you are running a brewery on this Trolley route, it’s important to understand that the impression you make on a person sitting inside the bus is absolutely connected to making your money on Saturday. A welcoming presence of activity empties the bus. A deserted parking lot without color or seating leaves these fun seeking passengers unmoved. The big group which boarded at Edmond’s Oast emptied out when they saw the lively scene at Brew Lab. If I was running a brewery, I would send a smiling staff member out to wave and welcome the trolley, perhaps with a little tray of tiny snacks on toothpicks.

 Support us and Contact Us

• You can support our continuing efforts for better transit by making a contribution online on Act Blue
• You can reach us by emailing executive director William Hamilton at wjhamilton29464@gmail.com or by calling 843-870-5299.