CHARLESTON SC THINGS TO DO
CHARLESTON
TourPass
1 Pass 1 Price | Choose from 41 attractions full admission is included
Save up to 40% or more visiting Charleston's top attractions
More than pays for itself by visiting 2 attractions per day!
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Day #1 Example Itinerary
- Choose a total of 2 Featured Tours + Visit as Many Standard Attractions as You Wish for 1-Day.
- The selections below are an example. You can choose whatever you want from the available tours.
Price w/o Tour Pass
Totals
1-Day per Person Savings = $64
Save 41% Off of Retail Ticket Prices
Day #2 Example Itinerary
- Choose a total of 3 Featured Tours + Visit as Many Standard Attractions as You Wish for 2-Days.
- The selections below are an example. You can choose whatever you want from the available tours.
Price w/o Tour Pass
Totals
2-Day per Person Savings = $111
Save 44% Off of Retail Ticket Prices
Day #3 Example Itinerary
- Choose a total of 4 Featured Tours + Visit as Many Standard Attractions as You Wish for 3-Days.
- The selections below are an example. You can choose whatever you want from the available tours.
Price w/o Tour Pass
Totals
3-Day per Person Savings = $159
Save 48% Off of Retail Ticket Prices
Stress Free Touring Convenient Organized Easy to Use We Handpicked the Top Tours Make Instant Reservations Saves Money Includes 100% Admission Instantly Receive After Purchase
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- 100% full admission to the top tours and attractions.
- Over 40 attractions to choose from (view included tours below).
- Same tour…same experience as if buying direct from the tour company.
- Easily make reservations for tours in advance after purchase with the Mobile Pass you’ll receive.
- Skip the ticket lines access. Just present your Mobile Pass!
- There are 2 categories of tours, Featured and Standard:
- Featured: The number of feature tour reservations per person allowed is determined by the number of day pass you purchase (1 day – 5 days). Number allowed is in total…not per day. (For example: 3-Day Pass choose a total of 4 featured…not 4 per day)
- Standard: Visit as many as you wish (no limit) for the number of day pass you purchase (1 day – 5 days).
- See chart below
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- Within seconds after purchase you’ll receive the Mobile Pass which helps you organize, plan and make reservations before you arrive.
- It’s best to make reservations as early as possible to secure the most desirable tour times which can fill up fast. Instantly after purchase you can make tour reservations for when you’re visiting.
- View tour availabilities before purchasing a pass. Visit this page and search the dates you’ll be visiting: Featured Tour Availability Search
- Only certain Featured Tours require reservations. Standard attractions do not require reservations. Just show your pass for entry!
Save up to 40% or more off retail ticket prices
- You can save 40% or more off of retail ticket prices by visiting a reasonable number of tours.
- View saving example
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Break-even by visiting just 2 attractions per day.
- The more you do the more you save.
- It’s easy to visit more since Charleston attractions are close to each other.
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Stress-Free Touring
- Everything is paid for with Tour Pass. Don’t worry about what an attraction costs to visit..just go and have fun.
- No research needed. Only the top tours are allowed on Tour Pass.
- Stay organized with the Mobile Pass you’ll receive where you can make reservations, includes maps and detailed info.
Tour times can fill up fast. With Tour Pass you can make tour reservations now for when you’re visiting.
Featured Attractions
Most featured require reservations and are limited by # of day pass purchased
- Reservations are typically required which are easily made with the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- The number of featured tour reservations per person is determined by the number of day pass purchased (see chart below).
- Transportation to attractions is not provided. You can use the free trolley bus to visit attractions in the Historic District. If attractions are outside of the Historic District you will have to arrange transportation.
All Gray Line of Charleston tour vehicles are climate controlled. The comfortable 20 to 25-passenger minibuses are specially designed to traverse downtown Charleston’s narrow historic streets. Accessing cobblestone streets and alleyways provides close-up views of some of the citys most significant details that large buses often miss. Highlights Include:
- Charleston historic homes
- The Battery sea wall
- Historic churches
- Old Market area
- Four Corners of Law
- Rainbow Row and many more sites
Their fleet is carefully maintained and regularly updated for passenger comfort and safety and is the only tour bus company in Charleston that offers a handicap-accessible vehicle. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to tour departure time.
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
The Ghosts of Liberty Tour is the only tour in town dedicated to the men and women who gave their lives in defense of freedom and America. Charleston has played an integral part in many of the events that led up to the founding of our Country. You will hear about those people, the events, and their ghosts on the Ghosts of Liberty Tour.
You’ll see some of the most historic buildings in Charleston and learn about the secrets that these locations hold.
Starting in the heart of the Haunted Historic District, your tour guide will lead you through the streets of Charleston as you uncover the unique ghost stories that make Charleston one of the most haunted city in America. Bloody battles? Check. Restless spirits? Check. Be prepared to see Charleston as you have never seen it before on this all ages Ghosts of Liberty Tour.
Additional Tour Details:
- Family friendly but geared towards all ages and adults will enjoy the stories as well.
- Visits 6 to 8 of the most haunted locations.
- Tour begins at the Waterfront Park fountain (Vendue & Concord Streets).
- Tour Duration: 90 minutes.
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
Tour Duration: 90-Minutes.
Your Charleston ghost tour guide will showcase all the morbid morsels and revolting tidbits of Charleston’s eclectic history on this ghost tour. Hear tales of pirates, lost loves, ghostly specters, burial practices and oddities. Enjoy the darker tales of the city’s history on this walking tour.
More Information
Our tour guides are not only licensed with the City of Charleston and versed in Charleston and American History. They also are showmen, have backgrounds in theater, directing, writing and entertaining. No drab lectures will be tolerated on these tours.
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
Come and walk with us when the sun goes down. The Charleston Ghost and Graveyard Tour gives you an exclusive opportunity to walk inside the gates of one of Charleston’s oldest graveyards after dark. When all the other walking tours are looking in through the wrought iron fence, you’ll be on the inside. Explore the graveyard’s dark corners, closely inspect the headstones to see what you might learn, and take a moment to step across the graves — if you dare.
Learn about the history of Charleston’s graveyards, and hear the stories of the famous individuals who found their final resting place in the Holy City. You’ve heard the spooky Charleston ghost stories, right? Well, now you can experience them on this up-close-and-personal tour that takes you where others won’t. Graveyards are endearing pockets of Charleston — so much so that they are often referred to here as simply “gardens.” We love them — they’re full of history, intrigue, and tales of love and loss.
Hear about Charleston’s spirits and gruesome tales:
- The ghost of Sue Howard, a grieving mother who prays at the grave of her dead child from the spirit world. We’ve got the picture to prove it!
- Tales of being buried alive! Doctors in old Charlestowne didn’t take chances with contagious diseases. Fall unconscious in a hospital, wake up in a grave!
- Learn why the terms saved by the bell and graveyard shift were coined. You’ll be glad you weren’t around when they were!
Don’t forget your flash cameras! You never know what phantom images you can capture.
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
Come explore the Holy City’s oldest streets, cemeteries, churches, and its pre-revolutionary dungeon along the dark edges of Charleston’s Haunted Historic District.
Our experienced guides will chill you with stories of:
- Lowcountry superstitions of night time spirits like Plateyes and Boo Hags. Find out how to protect yourself from being followed home or ridden in your sleep.
- Haunted houses and structures like the South End Brewery where a famous Charlestonian tippler committed suicide after watching his family fortune burn and sink to the bottom of the harbor. Learn what the owners of the brewery had to do for him to save their business…
- Criminals, pirates, and others, including Revolutionary hero Isaac Hayne played by Mel Gibson in The Patriot. After the British hanged him for treason, he haunted the home of his daughters until December 20, 1860. Find out why he stopped on that fateful day.
- Charleston’s ghosts, poltergeists, and spirits doomed to the realm of mortals.
Tour departs from:18 Anson Street, Charleston SC 29401
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
ACCESSIBILITY LIMITATIONS AT FORT SUMTERVisitors must use a flight of steps to travel between the boat and the Fort due to rehabilitation work on the Fort Sumter Dock. There is no ramp. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Fort Sumter Tours is the only authorized concessioner for the National Park Service and actually docks at Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter Tours offers year round trips to Fort Sumter that departs daily from Liberty Square in Charleston (340 Concord Street) and Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant (40 Patriots Point Rd). On the ferry ride to and from the fort, visitors will enjoy spectacular views of Charleston’s famous Battery with its antebellum mansions, the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge, Castle Pinckney, the USS Yorktown, dolphins and more.
Tour Tips:
- Please arrive 30 minutes early for ticketing and boarding
- Please call with accessibility questions
- Note: Tours leave promptly at scheduled tour time
- Total tour time is 2 hours and 15 minutes
- Includes approximately 1 hour of a self-guided Fort tour
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
NOTICE: Closed on Tuesdays. Entrance gate closes at 2.30 pm daily.
Founded in 1738, Drayton Hall is the nation’s earliest example of fully executed Palladian architecture and the oldest preserved plantation house in America still open to the public. Because of our preservation philosophy, all imperfections and changes over time have survived to the present.
WHAT IS INCLUDED:
- House Tour: Offered hourly from 10 am – 3 pm and last about 45 minutes. The main house tour is an audio tour, please bring earphones or earbuds or you may purchase them inexpensively on site. Guides are stationed in the house to answer questions.
- African American Cemetery: Drayton Hall’s African American Cemetery is one of the oldest documented African American cemeteries in the nation still in use. The earliest surviving record describes its use as a “burying ground” and dates from about 1790, indicating this sacred ground may be even older. In keeping with the wishes of Richmond Bowens, a descendant of the enslaved at Drayton Hall, the cemetery has been “left natural,” not manicured or planted with grass or decorative shrubs.
- Self guided nature walks: See layers of history carefully preserved on the 125 acres that surround the main house: the central axis and clear view to the Ashley River, planned by John Drayton over 265 years ago; the striking, defined allée of azaleas conceived by his 20th-century descendants; Richmond Bowens’ camellia; the reflecting pond; the site of the former garden house or the 18th-century live oaks which continue to provide the structure to the Drayton estate.
- Museum Shop: From high-end art reproductions to pieces inspired by the Drayton Family’s extensive porcelain collection to local food favorites, The Shop at Drayton Hall has something special for each and every one of our visitors.
- Lenhardt Garden: The garden’s plantings are historically inspired, with horticultural specimens related to John Drayton’s botanical lists. The courtyard has a selection of benches to best enjoy the seasonal flora and fauna.
- Caretaker’s House: The exhibit in the caretaker’s house highlights the post-Civil War period and the 20th century at Drayton Hall. Learn about the African American community that formed because of the phosphate mining industry and kept the property alive for 100 years after the Civil War. Constructed in 1870, the caretaker’s house was built for a caretaker to watch over the main house and grounds while phosphate was mined on the property. The house has been rehabilitated to serve as a conditioned exhibit space, creating opportunities to see layers of its construction and decorative materials.
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
Standard Attractions
Reservations NOT required. Visit as many as you wish 1x for # of day pass purchased
- Visit as many Standard Attractions as you wish for the number of day pass purchased (see image below).
- Standard Attractions do not require reservations…just walk-in and show your pass.
- Transportation is not provided. You can use the free trolley bus in the historic district.
Included with Tour Pass: Half off Tour & Tasting and Souvenir Shot Glass. Reservations are NOT required, go when they are open. Simply present your Mobile Pass to redeem.
During Prohibition, bootleggers made their own booze by burying grapes underground or catching moonbeams in a jar of water. Taste booze made professionally with Firefly Distilleries.
Proud of its southern roots and famous for its sweet tea vodka, Firefly Distillery delivers quality spirits, most of which are distilled four times and sweetened exclusively with Louisiana sugar cane. At the Distillery, Visitors can learn more about the hands-on distilling process and the scores of industrious tea-swilling worker elves behind it. All ages are welcome to the property, but only those 21 and over are eligible for the tasting.
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
A bustling seaport in the 1700s, Charleston was a melting pot of cultures, religions, and traditions. Powered by the rice and indigo trade, and slavery, it was the 4th largest city in America in 1790 – and the wealthiest. Like Philadelphia, Boston and New York, what distinguished Charleston then – was art.
While we were home to some of Americas earliest art, collectors, artists, who made the City both muse and subject – and taken our turn as one of the nations richest cities – in money and culture – so were we also home to Americas original sin, slavery – and a war that divided our nation.
In 1888, when Charleston was financially and culturally on its knees, benefactor James Gibbes left a bequest to the City to build an art museum.When the Gibbes Museum opened in 1905, the nation celebrated what Charleston has always understood: the power of art – to inspire our imagination, heal our hurt, revel in our experience, rebuild what’s broken, nourish our souls, and release all that holds us back. Through our complicated history, through light and shadow, we have persevered – humanity intact. Art is the reason
Charleston will endure. In Charleston, we believe art is the difference between merely existing and being truly alive. That’s why we immerse ourselves in every part of it – from fine art to craft – from nurturing its creation and celebrating its multicultural presentation – to inviting its interpretation and ensuring its preservation. Because when we open ourselves to art, we open ourselves to the world – to people and ideas, to beauty, craft, process and detail, to different cultures, to pain and pleasure, to questions, expression and emotion, to truth and transcendence.
In the presence of art, we have the opportunity to see inside someone’s heart, mind, and soul and feel what they felt. That understanding and compassion make us more understanding, compassionate people, who, in turn, create a more compassionate, understanding world. That is art’s gift.
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
INCLUDED WITH TOUR PASS: 1 Free Doughnut per Person up to $5 in value. To redeem, simply present your Tour Pass ID at the register. Featured by the Food Network, Cooking with Paula Dean, BuzzFeed (33 Doughnuts You Have to Try Before You Die), Traveler of Charleston Magazine, Zagat, Delish, USA Today and countless others….Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts is recognized as a leader in this tasty pastry worldwide
Their ingredients are natural, the glaze, filling and pastries are homemade. Their dough is made in house. They don’t use any frozen or premade dough. There are no preservatives or additives whatsoever. Espresso drinks are also offered.
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
A quick-casual Southern lunch spot putting a twist on the average by introducing our Grit Bowls amongst other more traditional Southern lunch offerings.
The Grit Counter, brought to you by Grace & Grit Restaurant, focuses on fresh local seafood while keeping the menu familiar and approachable. Guests enjoy an abundance of fresh local fish and shrimp, bacon smoked in house, and seasonal produce. With flavor packed into every dish, southern staples like cornbread, collards, butterbeans, fried chicken, and of course grits, take center stage as a reminder of the Lowcountry’s roots.
Charleston Tour Pass is accepted for lunch only.
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
Charleston’s Revolutionary War House
Built in 1772, this Georgian-style double house was the town home of Thomas Heyward, Jr., one of four South Carolina signers of the Declaration of Independence. A patriot leader and artillery officer with the South Carolina militia during the American Revolution, Heyward was captured when the British took Charleston in 1780. He was exiled to St. Augustine, Florida, but was exchanged in 1781. The City rented this house for George Washington’s use during the President’s week-long Charleston stay, in May 1791, and it has traditionally been called the “Heyward-Washington House.” Heyward sold the house in 1794 to John F. Grimke, also a Revolutionary War officer and father of Sarah and Angeline Grimke, the famous abolitionists and suffragettes. It was acquired by the Museum in 1929, opened the following year as Charleston’s first historic house museum, and was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1978. Here you will see a superb collection of historic Charleston-made furniture including the priceless Holmes Bookcase, considered one of the finest examples of American-made colonial furniture. The property also features the only 1740s kitchen building open to the public in Charleston as well as formal gardens featuring plants commonly used in the South Carolina Lowcountry in the late 18th century.- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
On February 17th, 1864, the H. L. Hunley became the first successful combat submarine in world history with the sinking of the USS Housatonic. After completing her mission, she mysteriously vanished and remained lost at sea for over a century. For decades, adventurers searched for the legendary submarine. On February 17th, 1864, the H. L. Hunley became the first successful combat submarine in world history with the sinking of the USS Housatonic. After completing her mission, she mysteriously vanished and remained lost at sea for over a century. For decades, adventurers searched for the legendary submarine.
Over a century later, the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), led by New York Times-bestselling author Clive Cussler, finally found the Hunley in 1995. News of the discovery traveled quickly around the world. A ground breaking effort began to retrieve the fragile submarine from the sea. The Hunley Commission and Friends of the Hunley, a non-profit group charged with raising funds in support of the vessel, led an effort with the United States Navy that culminated on August 8th, 2000 with the Hunley’s safe recovery.
She was then delivered to the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, a high-tech lab specifically designed to conserve the vessel and unlock the mystery of her disappearance. The Hunley has since been excavated and proved to be a time capsule, holding a wide array of artifacts that can teach us about life during the American Civil War. The submarine and the hundreds of artifacts found onboard are currently undergoing preservation work while archaeologists use the historical clues they have found to piece together the final moments of the Hunley and her crew.
The Hunley’s journey through time has been marked by innovation, courage and tragedy. Her against-all-odds tale has spanned the centuries and is one of the greatest maritime mysteries in recent history. This website follows the pioneering vessel from her inception during the American Civil War to the modern-day efforts surrounding her preservation and study.
- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
Charleston’s Huguenot House
A striking spiral staircase accents the impressive central hall, and many of the rooms are restored to their original color schemes. All feature historic pieces from the Museum’s collections including a selection of American, English and French furniture dating to the early 19th century. Outside, a classical Gate Temple overlooks a period garden, and the locations of adjacent historical outbuildings (e.g., kitchen and slave quarters, stable, and privy) are marked with interpretive signs. Descending from French Huguenots who fled religious persecution in Europe in the late 1600s, the Manigaults prospered as rice planters and merchants during the 18th century and became one of South Carolina’s leading families. Joseph Manigault inherited several rice plantations and over two hundred slaves from his grandfather in 1788, and also married well. Arthur Middleton, father of his first wife, Maria Henrietta Middleton, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Following Henrietta’s death, he married Charlotte Drayton, with whom he had eight children. The Charleston Museum purchased the house in 1933, and has preserved and interpreted it ever since.- Number of Featured allowed is determined by pass duration purchased more info
- Reservations are typically required for Featured Attractions.
- You can make reservations in advance of arriving which are easily made from within the Mobile Pass you’ll receive after purchase.
- View tour availability before purchasing TourPass
- No reservation is required, just show up and present your Mobile Pass for entry.
- Visit as many as you wish 1x.
1-Day Pass Saving Example
Day #1 Example Itinerary
- Choose a total of 2 Featured Tours + Visit as Many Standard Attractions as You Wish for 1-Day.
- The selections below are an example. You can choose whatever you want from the available tours.
Price w/o Tour Pass
Totals
1-Day per Person Savings = $64
Save 41% Off of Retail Ticket Prices
2-Day Pass Saving Example
Day #2 Example Itinerary
- Choose a total of 3 Featured Tours + Visit as Many Standard Attractions as You Wish for 2-Days.
- The selections below are an example. You can choose whatever you want from the available tours.
Price w/o Tour Pass
Totals
2-Day per Person Savings = $111
Save 44% Off of Retail Ticket Prices
3-Day Pass Saving Example
Day #3 Example Itinerary
- Choose a total of 4 Featured Tours + Visit as Many Standard Attractions as You Wish for 3-Days.
- The selections below are an example. You can choose whatever you want from the available tours.
Price w/o Tour Pass
Totals
3-Day per Person Savings = $159
Save 48% Off of Retail Ticket Prices
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Charleston Frequently Asked Questions
There is never a bad time to visit Charleston, however it is much more hot and humid in the summer season of course.
Most consider spring (March – May) and fall seasons (September – November) to be the best because of the more temperate climate.
Charleston, SC is known for many things such as:
- History: from Colonial times to Revolutionary War, the Civil War and Fort Sumter along with it’s unfortunate connection to the Slave trade.
- Food, culinary experiences.
- Amazing tours
- Beaches (Isle of Palms, Sullivans Island, Folly Beach and Kiawah)
- Kiawah Island and the championship golf course.
- Amazing weather and climate
- Charleston Harbor and water activities
- Manners: Charleston has won awards for the most mannerly city in the U.S.
- The Ports: Charleston has one of the busiest ports on the east coast.
You can certainly visit a handful of Charleston’s famous sites in 1-day, however the general consensus is that a minimum 3-days is the optimal time to really experience the city.
Yes Charleston is walkable. We recommend parking near the historic district in Charleston or at this parking garage (25 Prioleau St, Charleston, SC 29401). Start walking east, towards the Battery. There you’ll find antebellum mansions, rainbow row and a network of very walkable historic streets.
TV Shows & Movies filmed in the Charleston, SC area:
- The Notebook
- North & South
- The Patriots (featuring Mel Gibson)
- Ace Ventura
- Cold Mountain
- Halloween
- Outer Banks
- Army Wives
- Southern Charm
- Vice Principals
- The Righteous Gemstones
- Die Hard with a Vengance
- The Legend of Bagger Vance
- The Inspectors
That all depends on what your budget allows. If budget or cost is not an issue then we recommend the following in order:
- Downtown Historic District: This area allows for easy walking to all the top attractions, restaurants and nightlife. (20 minute drive from airport).
- The Beaches: There’s nothing better than staying on or near the beaches. There are 4 beaches to choose from: Isle of Palms, Folly, Sullivans and Kiawah, with Kiawah being the furthest away from downtown.
- Mount Pleasant: safe area just minutes away by driving across the picutresque harbor to downtown…and close to the Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island beaches.
- West Ashley: safe area as well that’s closer to Folly Beach.
- North Charleston: fairly safe and located within minutes of the airport. We recommend staying near Tanger Outlets in this area.
- Summerville: safe and newer properties, however almost 30 minutes away from downtown and the beaches.
Yes, Charleston is known as a safe city. The historic district is extremely safe along with Mount Pleasant and the beach area. As in every metropolitan area there are areas that are not recommended for Visitors, however you would have no reason to visit since attractions and hotels are not located in those area.
It’s always best to be “street-smart” and be aware of your surroundings no matter where you are in an unfamiliar city. Don’t get overly intoxicated or walk alone at night and ask hotel staff of areas to avoid if concerns persist.
Yes, Charleston has the following beaches nearby:
- Isle of Palms: 15 minutes from downtown.
- Sullivans Island: 10 minutes from downtown.
- Folly Beach: 25 minutes from downtown.
- Kiawah Island: 40 minutes from downtown.
Not necessarily since downtown Charleston has a free trolley that transports visitors around the Historic District. If you would like to visit the beaches or plantations then transportation will be needed. Charleston does have Uber and Lyft service.
For more information read this article which includes printable maps
Charleston, SC isn’t more or less expensive than most other popular tourist destinations such as Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head or Savannah. To save money on the top tours and attractions, buy a Charleston TourPass which includes the best Charleston SC things to do
