Archives: Destinations

Lightner Museum

Located in the heart of downtown St. Augustine, Lightner Museum occupies the historic Alcazar Hotel, a Gilded Age resort hotel built in 1888 by railroad magnate Henry Flagler. Founded in 1948, the Museum is home to one of the premier collections of 19th and early 20th-century fine and decorative art in the country. Furnishings, paintings, leaded glass windows, cut and blown glass, and natural history specimens from the Otto Lightner Collection are exhibited against the backdrop of the magnificent Alcazar Hotel. Visitors to the Museum are invited to participate in an immersive experience of art, architecture, and design from Americas Gilded Age.

The Building
Completed in 1888, the Alcazar Hotel was the second grand hotel Henry Flagler built in the city of St. Augustine. Designed by architects John Merven Carrere and Thomas Hastings, the building stands testimony to Flaglers vision to transform St. Augustine into a premiere winter resort for wealthy East Coast tourists.

At the peak of its popularity during the 1890s, more than 25,000 guests visited the Alcazar. A major attraction of the hotel was its indoor entertainment and recreational facilities. The Alcazar boasted the worlds largest indoor public swimming pool at the time, a grand ballroom, sulfur baths, a steam room, massage parlor, gymnasium, bowling alley, archery ranges, tennis courts and a bicycle academy.

The Alcazar Hotel closed during the Depression, and in 1947 the building was purchased by Otto C. Lightner to exhibit his turn-of-the-century collection of fine and decorative art. The Lightner Museum opened two years later. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and today houses both the Lightner Museum and City government offices.

The Collection

Chicago publisher Otto C. Lightner was fascinated by what people collected – a hobby that became his trademark and his passion, which is clearly reflected in the eclectic collection of late 19th-century and early-20th century artifacts on display at the Lightner Museum. Arranged over five floors, the Museum is filled with remarkable artifacts from this dynamic period in American history. Furnishings, paintings, mechanical musical instruments, and other curiosities transport you to the heyday of the Alcazar Hotel and its wealthy visitors. Today, the Lightner Museum offers a fascinating view of how beauty and luxury were defined in Gilded Age America.

Savannah Theatre Show Admission

Notice: This attraction does not have shows daily. Visit their website to see if there’s a show the days you’d like to visit Savannah

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Bicycle Rental | All Day

Rent your bikes and explore Savannah your way!

• Pick-up your bike anytime 9:30am or later or after 11am on Sundays.
• Bike must be returned no later than 5:00 pm that same day or 4pm on Sundays.
• Helmets are included, mandatory for 16 and under, optional for everyone else.
• Locks are included
• Self guided route tour map also included if requested.

Bicycle Guided Historical Tour

You will be led by knowledgeable local tour guides through Savannahs Downtown Historic District over the course of your 2 hour bike tour, plus you can keep the bike as a rental for the remainder of the day. Guides lead you to stops in Savannahs charming squares to share some of the citys history, while your ride allows you to take in the beauty, both natural and architectural, of Savannah in the best possible way. You will see more than a walking tour and get closer to the sites than on a trolley.

Now when you book a guided bicycle tour, you get the bike for the entire day included. That is right. After the tour, keep your bike for the rest of the day and explore at your own pace at no extra charge. Helmets, locks and maps are provided as well.

Tours also include key knowledge of where to ride and what streets to avoid in order to safely ride through the city of Savannah. Helmets are included upon request, mandatory for 16 and under, optional for everyone else.

Notice: Riders must be at least 5 feet 0 inches tall and must be able to ride a bicycle. You can upgrade to an electric bike for an additional fee which can be paid once you arrive (depending on availability). TourPass pays for a standard bike. Any and all upgrades must be paid out of pocket.

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 – January. Available for booking starting in February.

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 SUMTER
Visitors 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