My first visit to historic Shem Creek was in the spring of 1983.  The Charleston Chamber of Commerce was recruiting me to merge three local tourism promotion organizations into a single, full service convention and visitors bureau.  The chamber’s tourism manager and I met at R.B.’s Rusty Pelican for lunch.  In 1983, R.B.’s was a building approximately 20′ x 50′, with outdoor seating at picnic tables on a rickety old dock.  The fried shrimp were great and the Bud was ice cold.  Today, R.B.’s is probably the largest restaurant on the creek, but the shrimp platter is still great and the Bud still as cold as ever.

Today, great seafood and the ambiance make Shem Creek a prime destination for locals and visitors, alike.  No visit to Charleston or Mount Pleasant, is complete without at least one meal “on the Creek.”  And by the way, don’t forget your camera.  Boats. Shrimp boats.  Dolphins.  kayakers.  Paddle boarders.  People.  Sunsets.  On Shem Creek there’s always something to photograph.