Located just a few miles from Charleston, Mount Pleasant is the perfect base from which to explore all that coastal South Carolina has to offer. Founded in 1680, present-day Mount Pleasant is rife with chronicles of the past. For maritime and naval history, there is the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, which archives the presence of ships and seafaring in South Carolina. Also housed at the museum is the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum. Boone Hall Plantation displays nine cabins that were erected circa 1790; at one time the cabins were used as slave quarters, and today they stand as a testament to the slave trade in the United States. For the athletic traveler, there are golf courses in Mount Pleasant that cater to every kind of links player. A farmer's market is open from April to October, and again in December, allowing visitors to get unique and personal gifts in time for Christmas.