Want to occasionally get away from campus and enjoy the great outdoors? You're not alone. College of Charleston students love to enjoy Charleston's temperate weather and one-of-a-kind geography. Three beaches are within a 20-minute drive, and it's not unusual to see students strapping surfboards to their roof racks and head out to funky Folly Beach. Some College students even started a surf club, and travel the East Coast to compete.

Exercise enthusiasts at the College enjoy jogging along downtown streets and the Battery. Some even work up the stamina to cross the Cooper River on the beautiful Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. For more natural settings, joggers, hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians can travel trails in nearby county and state parks or national forests.

Those who enjoy time on the water can sail in Charleston Harbor, or explore the area's many tidal rivers and creeks by kayak or canoe. A short drive south of Charleston is the ACE Basin - 300,000 acres of wetlands and wildlife refuge chock full of former rice plantations.

For more serious sportsmen, there's ample fishing opportunities, whether in the marshes and rivers, or offshore. Hunters can enjoy pursuing deer, duck and turkey on nearby state-maintained refuges such as Bear Island and Donnelly Wildlife Management Area.

There's really no excuse not to get outside and make the most of your time in Charleston.