Join Adventure Sightseeing for our ‘See it all’ city tour and see the best of Charleston! Their relaxing and informative 90 minute bus tour is the best way to be introduced (or re-introduced!) to the Holy City. Professional and knowledgeable guides will share 350 years of Charleston history while cruising through the city’s historic district in cool, air conditioned comfort.

Highlights of the 1.5-hour Historic City Tour may include:

• Select stories from 350 years of Charleston history
• Beautiful architecture in the historic district
• Drive through The Citadel, the South’s most famous military academy
• The Old City Market, lovely gardens, wrought iron art, and many of the city’s 210 churches are just some of the sights you will see!
• Tour around the Battery and stop for a photo opportunity with Fort Sumter in the background
• Many other historic sights of Charleston!

ATTRACTION ADDRESS:
375 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC 29401

Self-guided tours. Last tour begins at 4:15 p.m.

History of the House

Built in 1820 by merchant John Robinson, the Aiken-Rhett House is nationally significant as one of the best-preserved townhouse complexes in the nation. Vastly expanded by Governor and Mrs. William Aiken, Jr. in the 1830s and again in the 1850s, the house and its outbuildings include a kitchen, the original slave quarters, carriage block and back lot. The house and its surviving furnishings offer a compelling portrait of urban life in antebellum Charleston, as well as a Southern politician, slaveholder and industrialist. The house spent 142 years in the Aiken family’s hands before being sold to the Charleston Museum and opened as a museum house in 1975.

When the Foundation assumed ownership in 1995, we adopted a preserved-as-found preservation approach, meaning the structure and contents are left in an “as-found” state, including furniture, architecture and finishes that have not been altered since the mid 19th century. The only restored room in the house, the art gallery, showcases paintings and sculpture the Aiken family acquired on their European Grand Tour.

While many dependency buildings in Charleston have been demolished or adapted, the Aiken-Rhett slave quarters – with their original paint, floors and fixtures – survive virtually untouched since the 1850s, allowing visitors the unique chance to better comprehend the every-day realities of the enslaved Africans who lived on-site, maintained the household and catered to the needs of the Aiken family and their guests.

All-day rental of lightweight aluminum cruisers that can fit riders from 4' 10" to 6' 4". The bikes are single-speed cruisers that are perfect for exploring the historic streets of Charleston or crossing the Ravenel Bridge to Mount Pleasant. Business Hours: 

• Monday – Friday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

What's Included: 

• Same day all-day rental (up to 8 hours)
• Return by 6 p.m. Monday – Friday or by 5 p.m. weekdays.
• Custom maps with safe riding routes.
• Baskets with every bike
• Easy to use locks

Boone Hall Plantation is an iconic landmark site to visit in the Charleston area. Voted #1 Plantation in Charleston by a USA Today readers poll.

Open 7 days a week.

<pTour duration: stay as long or as little as you'd like.

Admission Includes:

• + Entry down the famous Avenue Of Oaks
• + Black History In America Exhibit
• + Plantation House Tour
• + The Plantation Coach Tour (weather permitting. Limited seating available and will be on a first come first serve basis. Please no food, smoking or pets. Coaches leave when full or hourly).
• + The Slave Street and History Talk. Begins at: 12:15, 1:00, 1:45, 2:30, 3:15, 4:00, 4:30. Garden Tour
• + Exploring The Gullah Culture Live! Showtimes are at: 1:15 and 3:15 only
• + The Butterfly Pavilion Open May-Sept.
• + Free Parking

CLOSED THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS DAY

The birthplace of the Carolinas, Established in 1670!

Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site sits on a marshy point, located off of the Ashley River, 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. Interact with hands-on exhibits in the Visitor Center, talk to knowledgeable staff members, and take an audio tour on the self-guided history trail.

Highlights:

• Guests can step aboard and tour the Adventure, Charleston’s only 17th-century replica sailing ship.
• Natural habitat zoo (the only zoo in Charleston area): See otters, bears, big cats, bison and more at the Animal Forest natural habitat zoo.
• Fireable cannons that are fired on the 1st Saturday of each month.
• 80 acres of gardens, with an elegant live oak alley and the Legare-Waring House.
• Miles of trails for walking, biking and exploring.
• Bicycles welcome or you can rent them on-site.
• Pets welcome if leashed.

Park is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Address:
1500 Old Towne Road
Charleston, SC 29407