Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island
Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island was used during the colonial days right through WWII. The museum there is interesting and informative. Check out the website for more info https://www.nps.gov/fosu/learn/historyculture/fort_moultrie.htm
South Carolina Aquarium
South Carolina Aquarium: Connect with more than 5,000 animals. At the Sea Turtle Center you can see how they care for sick and injured turtles and visit their current patients. Visit their website for more info. https://scaquarium.org/
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is where the opening shots were fired to begin the Civil War on April 12th, 1861. The fort is only accessible by boat and advanced tickets are highly recommend. Check out the website for more info. https://fortsumtertours.com/
Shem Creek
Shem Creek is an area of Mount Pleasant known for its shrimping boats and many waterfront bars and restaurants. They also offer activities including fishing, boating, kayaking and paddle boarding. At Shem Creek Park there are several boardwalks available to explore the marsh and view perfect sunsets. Keep your eyes open for dolphins!
Shem Creek Park: https://discoversouthcarolina.com/articles/enjoy-the-shem-creek-boardwalk
Shem Creek Boat Rentals: https://www.shemcreekboatrentals.com/
Nature’s Adventures for rentals and tours: https://www.kayakcharlestonsc.com/
Some of Shem Creek’s Restaurants:
Shem Creek Bar & Grill: http://www.shemcreekbarandgrill.com/
Water’s Edge is a more elegant restaurant: https://www.waters-edge-restaurant.com/
Vickery’s Bar & Grill has amazing views of the sunset: http://www.vickerysmtp.com/
Saltwater Cowboys: https://www.saltwater-cowboys.com/
Red’s Ice House for sports: https://www.redsicehouse.com/
Tavern & Table for a date night: https://www.tavernandtable.com/
Boone Hall Plantation
Boone Hall Plantation is a must see! It is one of America's oldest working plantations and one of America’s most photographed plantations. Visitors can explore the Lowcountry Gullah culture, tour 9 of the original brick slave cabins, and tour the plantation home. Boone Hall is also a popular film location for movies such as The Notebook, North & South, American Idol, Army Wives, and many more. https:// www.boonehallplantation.com/
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens is a must see! It is the oldest public tourist site in the Lowcountry and the oldest public gardens in America. They have guided tours of the plantation house and boat tours that cover miles of prime wildlife habitats including marshes, ponds, and forests. There are also slave cabins you can tour and they are home to the Audubon Swamp Garden. https://www.magnoliaplantation.com/
Middleton Place Gardens, House & Plantation
Middleton Place Gardens, House & Plantation is a must see! It is America’s oldest landscaped gardens surviving the American Revolution and Civil War. You can tour the House Museum and see working plantation life where skilled artisans made tools, pottery, clothing and tended an array of livestock. https://www.middletonplace.org/
Historic House Museum Tours
Historic House Museum Tours: There are many historic house tours in Charleston. Visiting one is a must see when in town! Below are some of the historic house tours you can take.
Aiken-Rhett House: http://www.historiccharleston.org/house-museums/aiken-rhett-house/
Calhoun Mansion: http://www.calhounmansion.net/
Edmondston-Alston House: https://www.edmondstonalston.org/
Heyward-Washington House: https://www.charlestonmuseum.org/historic-houses/heyward-washington-house/
Joseph Manigault House: https://www.charlestonmuseum.org/historic-houses/joseph-manigault-house/
Nathaniel Russell House: http://www.historiccharleston.org/house-museums/nathaniel-russell-house/
Carriage Tours
Carriage Tours: A trip to Charleston is not complete without taking a carriage tour. Below are some of the companies you can take a tour with.
Old South Carriage Company: https://www.oldsouthcarriage.com/
Palmetto Carriage Company: https://palmettocarriage.com/
Carolina Polo Company: https://cpcc.com/
Charleston Carriage Works: https://mycharlestoncarriage.com/
Classic Carriage Works: https://www.classiccarriage.com/
Ghost Tours
Ghost Tours: Charleston is one of the most haunted cities in America. Check out one of the ghost tours below. Some of them have family friendly tours during the day.
Bulldog Tours: https://www.bulldogtours.com/
Haunted Harbor Ghost Tours: https://www.sandlappertours.com/ghost-tours/
Old Charleston Walking Tours: https://oldcharlestontours.com/
Old South Carriage Company: https://www.oldsouthcarriage.com/historic- charleston-carriage-tours/#evening-carriage-tours
Harbor Tours & Dinner Cruises
Harbor Tours & Dinner Cruises: Experience Charleston by water on one of these harbor and boat tours.
Charleston Harbor Tours: https://www.charlestonharbortours.com/
Charleston Water Taxi: http://www.charlestonwatertaxi.com/
Palmetto Breeze Catamaran: https://aqua-safaris.com/discover/charleston/palmetto-breeze/
Sandlapper Water Tours: https://www.sandlappertours.com/
Spirit Line Dinner Cruises: https://spiritlinecruises.com/dinner-cruises/
Charleston Historic Walking Tours
Charleston Historic Walking Tours: Experience Charleston on foot with one of these walking tours.
All About Charleston:
Private guided walking tours: http://www.allaboutcharlestontours.com/
Bulldog Tours: https://www.bulldogtours.com/
Charleston Sole Tours: https://www.charlestonsole.com/
Say Charleston: Walking tour & photo shoot https://www.tours-charleston.com/
Shopping
Shopping: Visit Charleston City Markets for over 300 local vendors with handmade items. The Market was established in 1807 and is one of the nation’s oldest public markets. This is a great place to grab a local souvenir. They are open daily from 9-5 and weekends the Night Markets are open from 6-10. https://www.thecharlestoncitymarket.com/
Visit King Street if you like higher end shopping. https://www.charlestonsfinest.com/ sc/exclusking.htm
Head over to Tanger Outlets for some great bargains! https://www.tangeroutlet.com/
Schooner Pride
Schooner Pride is a replica of an 18th century tall ship that once dotted the Charleston Harbor. They offer 2 hour sailing trips or sunset dolphin trips. They also offer private charters. https://schoonerpride.com/
Waterfront Park
Waterfront Park is home to the famous Pineapple Fountain. It is a perfect spot to sit and relax with a picnic lunch or take a stroll while enjoying the beautiful views overlooking Charleston Harbor and the Cooper River. https://www.charleston-sc.com/charleston-waterfront-park.html
Angel Oak
Angel Oak on Johns Island is reportedly one of the oldest living Live Oak Trees and is estimated to be over 400-500 years old! It’s one of the most photographed sites in the Lowcountry. The tree is open for viewing daily 9am-5pm and Sundays 1-5pm. https://www.angeloaktree.com/ or https://www.charleston-sc.com/angel-oak.html
Rainbow Row
Rainbow Row is the name for a series of thirteen colorful historic houses in Charleston. It represents the longest cluster of Georgian row houses in the United States. http://rainbowrowcharlestonsc.com/
Patriot’s Point
Patriot’s Point is home to the Aircraft Carrier USS Yorktown, the Destroyer USS Laffey, and Submarine USS Clamgore as well as a 3 acre Vietnam Experience. This is a great historic site for the older kids! https://www.patriotspoint.org/
The Battery and White Pointe Garden
The Battery and White Pointe Garden: The Battery is famous for its Antebellum homes and history. It is named for civil-war coastal defense artillery battery at the site. The Battery stretches along the lower shores of the Charleston peninsula, bordered by the Ashley and Cooper Rivers, which meet here to form Charleston harbor. White Pointe Garden sits adjacent to The Battery and is a great place to take a walk, have a picnic and enjoy the views!
The Battery: https://travelerofcharleston.com/product/the-battery/
White Pointe Garden: https://www.charleston-sc.com/white-point-garden.html
Charles Towne Landing
Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site is where a group of English settlers landed in 1670 and established what would become the birthplace of the Carolina colony. Charles Towne Landing introduces visitors to the earliest colonial history of Charleston with hands-on exhibits and audio tours on the self-guided history trail. Guests can step aboard and tour the Adventure, Charleston's only 17th-century replica sailing ship, see cannons fired, or take a peek at otters, bears, bison and more at the Animal Forest natural habitat zoo. The grounds also include 80 acres of gardens, with an elegant live oak alley and the Legare Waring House. Check out their website for more info. https://southcarolinaparks.com/charles-towne-landing
The Charleston Tea Plantation
The Charleston Tea Plantation is the only tea plantation in North America where you can see thousands of tea bushes stretching out for almost as far as the eye can see. They offer tours of the tea factory as well as a 45 minute trolly tour. There is no admission charge. They are located on Wadmalaw Island in the heart of the lowcountry just a few miles south of the historic city of Charleston. Check out their website for more info. https://www.charlestonteaplantation.com/
The Charles Pinckney National Historic Site
The Charles Pinckney National Historic Site preserves a portion of Charles Pinckney's Farm plantation and country retreat. Pinckney was a Founding Father and a principal author and signer of the United States Constitution. You can enjoy the grounds, exhibits, museum shop and tour the cottage. https://www.nps.gov/chpi/index.htm
McLeod Plantation
McLeod Plantation is located on Johns Island and was established in 1851. Today McLeod Plantation is an important 37-acre Gullah/Geechee heritage site that has been carefully preserved. You can tour the homes, slave houses and learn about daily plantation life. https://www.ccprc.com/1447/McLeod-Plantation-Historic-Site
Drayton Hall Plantation
Drayton Hall Plantation is America’s oldest preserved plantation house still open to the public. Admission includes a 45-minute house tour, museum galleries, interactive educational program, African American cemetery and self-guided nature walks. Check out their website for more info. http://www.draytonhall.org/
Morris Island Light House
Morris Island Light House can be seen from the northeast end of Folly Beach. Take East Ashley Street until it ends. There is a parking lot there and then it is about a
¼ mile walk to the beach. You can take a boat tour to the light house or a fossil hunting tour on Morris Island Beach from Charleston Outdoor Adventures. https:// www.charlestonoutdooradventures.com/boat-charters/morris-island-lighthouse-tour/. You can read more about the light house here http://www.savethelight.org/
Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon was previously a meeting place for local Patriots. In 1788 the Exchange hosted South Carolina leaders as they debated and approved the U. S. Constitution. Today, the Old Exchange Building is one of only four structures remaining where the nation’s founding document was originally ratified. In 1791 George Washington attended a series of lavish dinners, concerts and dances there. During the American Revolution, British forces converted the bottom floor of the Exchange into a military prison known as the Provost or “dungeon.” Between the American Revolution and the Civil War, the Exchange was Charleston’s most common destination for public slave auctions. http://www.oldexchange.org/
