Kayak Rental on Shem Creek | 2 Hours
Includes a 2-hour rental in single person kayak. If you would prefer a tandem kayak, simply ask when you arrive (dependent on availability). Children under the age of 14 are not allowed to participate. Children 14 – 17 years old must be accompanied by someone 18 years or older. Zero exceptions allowed. Lifejackets and basic instruction is included.
One of the most wonderful ways to discover the secrets of Shem Creek’s tidal marsh or any number of other waterways in Charleston is from the seat of a single or tandem kayak. Renting a kayak will give you ample opportunity for exploring almost all of Shem Creek, Bayview Creek, and possibly (with the tide’s cooperation) also Crab Bank Island’s surroundings just outside of Shem Creek. Kayaking offers good times for Mount Pleasant groups large or small. Drift away on the tides and breeze, or make an athletic excursion of your paddle to cover as much area as you can- the experience is what you make it. Either way, we recommend closely following the advice of your experienced ramp guides to determine the best routes based on current conditions.
Historic Shem Creek With its rich history, it’s no wonder that Shem Creek is considered a landmark locale in the Charleston area. A long-time commercial fishing and shrimping lane, Shem Creek has plenty of “big fish” stories to tell. The sights you see along your adventure will be uniquely crafted to accommodate tides, weather conditions, and the paddling preferences of your group. Calmly swaying alongside the upper creek are majestic Live Oak trees. Gliding by, you may see American Oystercatchers, Great Blue Herons, and Great Egrets, and depending on the timing of the low tides, even remnants of rice mills can be seen. Witness the varied wildlife in the pluff mud along the creek’s edges hunting for a meal among the oyster beds. Making your way down the creek toward the Charleston Harbor will guide you to the iconic Red’s Ice House, which in the height of Shem Creek’s commercial days provided ice for roughly 120 fishing and shrimp boats daily. Another iconic scene you won’t want to miss is Crab Bank Island, a protected band of sand falling under the jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Resources. Migratory birds mate on this island from mid-March to mid-October annually, and accordingly, no human foot traffic is allowed during this season. On the shallow side of the island near Mount Pleasant, you can often find jumping mullet, playing dolphins, and even manatees meandering about in the warm water. From this very spot, you can also enjoy the landscape with such sights as the Ravenel bridge, the downtown Charleston peninsula, Mount Pleasant Old Village, and historic Fort Sumter, Fort Johnson, and Castle Pinckney.
Joseph Manigault House
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 the leading families in South Carolina. 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 the death of Henrietta, 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.
Heyward Washington House
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.
Schooner Pride Afternoon Sail
Notice: DEPARTING LOCATION CHANGE. This tour does not operate for the months of December – February. Available for booking starting in March.
Experience the wonder of sailing Charleston Harbor on a classic 84 foot tall ship. As you depart, help the Crew hoist the sails if you wish, and then sit back and watch the wind fill them, moving the Schooner Pride through the waters and past some of the most historic sites in the country such as Ft. Sumter where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.
Discover the tranquility of cruising the historic Charleston Harbor on a genuine tall ship, powered only by the wind in our sails.
While this is not a narrated cruise, the Crew is happy to answer questions and point out landmarks and you’re welcome to help raise and trim the sails or you may sit back and enjoy the ride!
Sail through waters that Blackbeard once anchored in, relax on deck and imagine a time when the harbor was filled with these majestic ships. There is no set route; the boat just follow the winds wherever they take us.
The Schooner Pride, is an 84-foot, three-mast schooner modeled after the classic coastal trading schooners. She is an authentic tall ship and possesses all the character and class of a ship designed during the great days of sail. She is USCG certified to hold up to 49 passengers.
Key Points About This Tour:
- Often observe dolphins playing and racing across the bow and frolicking in the harbor.
- Pass Patriots Point and see the USS Yorktown, an Essex class aircraft carrier which played an important role during WWII.
- See the beautiful homes that line the Battery.
- See Ft. Sumter and one of the forts that fired upon it during the first battle of the Civil War, Ft. Johnson.
- Watch pelicans perform diving acts.
- See the impressive Arthur Ravenel Jr. bridge, one of the longest cable stayed bridges in the Western hemisphere.
- Soft drinks, beer, wine, champagne and water will all be available for purchase while we explore the harbor. Although we do not serve food on board, we welcome you to bring your own snacks. You will arrive back at the dock two hours later feeling refreshed and relaxed, with a new perspective on this historic harbor.
This tour operates seasonally and reduces the schedule in the late fall and winter seasons.
Hunley Submarine Tour
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.
Fort Sumter Tours
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
Drayton Hall
NOTICE:
Closed on Tuesdays. The entrance gate closes at 3.30 pm daily and the exit gate closes at 5:00 pm daily. Drayton Hall asks that you arrive by 1:45 pm to complete the audio tour.
Founded in 1738, Drayton Hall is the earliest example (in the USA) 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:
- Self-paced Audio House Tour: Offered daily from 9:00am-1:45pm. The main house tour is an audio tour, please bring earphones or earbuds. Interpreters 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; 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.
- The Gates Gallery: Drayton Hall Preservation Trust’s collections are on public display at the estate for the first time in history. The Gates Gallery includes rotating exhibitions of decorative arts objects that once belonged to the Drayton family, archaeological artifacts related to the estate and its inhabitants, as well as archival materials and architectural fragments.
Aiken-Rhett House Museum
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.
Spirits of Magnolia Cemetery Tour
The Spirits of Magnolia Cemetery Tour gives you exclusive access to the most hauntingly beautiful Victorian burial grounds in Charleston.
Originally a 1790 era rice plantation, Magnolia Cemetery was founded in 1849 on the banks of the Cooper River in Downtown Charleston. Home to 35,000 permanent residents, including authors and poets, artists, Confederate generals and soldiers, prominent politicians, bootleggers, prostitutes, and socialites. Magnolia Cemetery served as a Confederate encampment to defend the city from the Union bombardment during the Civil War. Over 2,000 Confederate soldiers lay at rest in Magnolia, including the eight-man Hunley crew, eighty-four soldiers who fought in the battle at Gettysburg, and six confederate generals.
This nighttime tour is the first official walking tour of the historic site, previously off limits to commercial tour companies. The 90-minute walking tours promise the best of Magnolias history, mystery, and spirits. You will hear startling stories such as an unsolved murdered socialite, an outraged politician that ordered his butlers execution and scandalous tragedies that are never told in history books.
Do not forget your flash cameras! You never know what phantom images you can capture.
Haunted Yorktown Tour
- Maritime Superstitions
- Unusual Ship Christening
- Captain Jocko Clark
- Smokey Stover
- Mysterious Sailor Disappearance
The USS Yorktown Ghost Tours meet at 40 Patriots Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant. All tours meet at the booth located right inside the admission gate 15 minutes prior to tour time.
