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2025 Charleston History Guide

Charleston History

Charleston County and the city of Charleston, its county seat, are the most historic locations in the state. English settlers arrived in the colony of Carolina in 1670 and established a town at Albemarle Point on the west bank of the Ashley River...

William Aiken House

Washington Square and Meeting Street visitors are encouraged to take a minute's stroll over to Elizabeth Street to admire the Governor William Aiken House, also known as the Aiken-Rhett House. The sprawling home is a treasure in Charleston, and...

Isle of Palms County Park

Isle of Palms County Park is a welcoming and well-maintained coastal destination that offers everything visitors need for a perfect day at the beach. Managed by Charleston County Parks and Recreation, this popular beachfront park combines natural...

Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon

The Old Exchange is one of the most visited historic sites in Charleston, both for its grand stature as one of the colonies' earliest statuesque public buildings, and its unique array of interior assets - including the famous Provost Dungeon in the...

Charleston, SC Fishing Charters, Guide & More

Charleston, South Carolina is a prime destination for fishing enthusiasts, offering a wide range of opportunities for both fresh and saltwater fishing. Whether you're a seasoned angler or just starting out, this ultimate fishing guide to Charleston...

Mt. Pleasant, SC

The sunny community of Mt. Pleasant is often overlooked by its more famous neighbor to the south, Charleston, but this large suburban town has a wealth of authentic southern charm, history, activities and dining options that are sure to keep any...

Dock Street Theater

Charleston, South Carolina is well-known as a city of "firsts," but one of the most remarkable first sites in this town is the toweringly impressive Dock Street Theatre. Located in the French Quarter of the Historic District, this well-renowned...

Wadmalaw Island

Despite its expansive size and proximity to the major tourist destinations of Charleston, Kiawah Island, Seabrook Island, and Folly Beach, Wadmalaw Island is a refreshingly unpopulated, quiet, and authentically local realm of the South Carolina...

Folly Beach Fishing Pier

Fishing, incredible views, and romantic strolls overlooking the "Edge of America" are all on the agenda at the Folly Beach Fishing Pier, officially known as the more long-winded moniker the "Edwin S. Taylor Folly Beach Fishing Pier." A whopping...

Rainbow Row

Rainbow Row is a famous historical Charleston neighborhood that certainly lives up to its name. The collection of brightly-colored homes, which are stacked side by side, is arguably one of the most photographed sections of the city, and attracts...

Charleston Tea Garden

The Charleston Tea Plantation is a unique attraction along secluded Wadmalaw Island, with an equally unique claim to fame. As the proclaimed "only tea garden" in the United States, and the country's only tea plantation, the site has a long history...

Charleston's Most Beautiful Walk

Lowcountry Walking Tours

Book online
$30.00

Come join us and enjoy this narrated tour of Charleston's most beautiful walk! Tour Times and Duration • 2 Hours • Daily at 10am Tour Summary This approximately 2 hour walk has been curated to incorporate some of the most visually...

Custom Tour Option

Holy City History Tours

Book online
$350.00

This is a customized tour personally suited for you and your group. All details are worked out via email or phone.

Family-Friendly Ghost Tour

Holy City History Tours

Book online
$35.00 - $280.00

It's A Ghost Story! Duration 1.5 Hours Included Admission to the Halsey Gallery of Contemporary Art at 161 Calhoun Street. Admission to the Philip Simmons House at 30-1/2 Blake Street. About It's a ghost tour where you you'll be taught how...

The Complete Charleston Tour

Snap Picture Perfect Tours

Book online
$135.00

Get a complete taste of Charleston's beautiful landscape from downtown to the beaches to the plantations and more! Duration 6.5 hrs Itinerary - Charlotte Street (.4 mile) - Morris Lighthouse (.25 mile to light on paved road, beach at...

Charleston Pirate Tour

Charleston Pirate Tours

Book online
$15.00 - $25.00

Award-winning guides and their parrots companions lead you on a walk through Charleston’s Golden Age of Piracy – stories about Blackbeard, Ann Bonny, Stede Bonnet, and more. Duration 2 Hours About A master storyteller, Eric doesn't...

The Charleston Haunted Jail Tour
Book online
$27.00 - $510.00

The Charleston Haunted Jail Tour Join us for a behind the scenes tour that is sure to frighten all who dare enter the Old City Jail. Dark and sinister, this jail housed some of Charleston's most heinous convicts, slaves and Civil War prisoners. On...

Wine, Tea and a Tree: The Wadmalaw Adventure
Book online
$40.00 - $135.00

Take the road less traveled, into the Lowcounty of Wadmalaw Island! Duration 5 Hours About It's the Wine tastin', tea sippin' and tree huggin' tour! We will visit Angel Oak Park and admire the 500 year old Oak Tree on John's Island. ...

Historic Downtown Tour

Lowcountry Walking Tours

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$25.00

This approximately 2 hour walking tour winds its way through the streets of the French Quarter and ends in the area "South of Broad" Tour Times and Duration - 2 Hours - 10am and 2pm Daily Tour Summary Get to know the historic homes...

Virtual Charleston Tour

Charleston Pirate Tours

Book online
$100.00

Experience the best parts of the city with an award-winning guide using live, video conferencing software. Duration 1 hour About If you can't travel to Charleston, we can bring the best of Charleston to you in a live, virtual experience using...

African American Spirituals with Ann Caldwell and The Magnolia Singers

Join us on December 10, 2023, from 3:30pm – 5:30pm, for our most requested event of the Holiday Season! Duration 2 Hours About Ann Caldwell and The Magnolia Singers will usher in the Holidays with their ancestral hymns. Enjoy a beverage...

Charleston History Highlights Tour

Charleston Pirate Tours

Book online
$15.00 - $25.00

Experience the best parts of the city with an award-winning guide, Eric Lavender. Duration 2 Hours About Founded in 1670, Charles Town became the jewel of the South, but not before a tumultuous beginning. The city started as a bawdy port...

The Dark Side of Charleston Tour (Rated R)

The Dark Side of Charleston Tour (Rated R) >Take an R-rated, adults-only, uncensored look at Charleston's true history, full of corruption, prostitution, crime and sordid affairs. Every city has its dirty secrets. Find out what really goes on in...

Private Event

Lowcountry Walking Tours

Book online
$350.00 - $450.00

Interested in booking a private tour with one of our talented guides? About We are happy to accommodate private groups and can assist you in planning and organizing a truly memorable private experience. Private tours are fully customizable...

The Charleston Stroll - A Walk with History Tour

The Charleston Stroll - A Walk with History Tour >Enjoy the "Old South" as you meander through alleys passing hidden gardens in the historic district. Book now for Savor the Flavors Combo Package/ The Charleston Stroll and save $10 off your entire...

Charleston Stroll | Fort Sumter Tour Combo

Join Bulldog Tours and Fort Sumter Tours for this one-of-a-kind combo tour experiencing the best Charleston has to offer on the water and land. Purchase price includes a tour to Fort Sumter and a historic walking tour, Charleston Strolls. Please...

Signature Experience Tour

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

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$50.00

Explore the Grounds to the Fullest! Duration 1 Hour Rates $50/Person About The Signature Experience will include the Steven and Laura Gates Exhibit Gallery, where guests will be able to see Drayton Hall’s internationally significant...

Secret Strolls

Walk It Charleston

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$30.00

Secret Strolls features Charleston’s tucked away paths and seldom seen locations. One of our guides will take you through alleyways only accessible by foot, past ivy-covered brick, waterfront views, serene churches, and spanish moss draped live...

Candlelight Tours of Drayton Hall

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

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$50.00 - $55.00

Create a very special historic memory this year in Charleston, SC. Take a candlelight tour of Charleston, SC’s historic estate, Drayton Hall ca. 1738. Duration 2 Hours About Beautiful and moving, this eighteenth century historic house is...

Student House Tour

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

Book online
$15.00

Spend a Day Living History! Duration 1 Hour Rates Student/Chaperone: $15 About Students study the history of Drayton Hall and those who lived on the property through several focused tour options (including African American history, the...

Sip & Stroll

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

Book online
$35.00 - $40.00

Duration 2 Hours About Join us for a landscape stroll of the Drayton Hall grounds featuring our new Landscape Audio-Tour. Guests will be served wine and local brews while they walk the grounds and learn about the Historic happenings on the...

Charleston's African American History and Heritage

It's been said that no other culture has contributed more to the heritage and history of the Lowcountry than that of West Africa. Join us to explore the influence and experience of African Americans in Charleston from the brutality of slavery...

Charleston Perspective Walking Tour

Charleston Perspective

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$15.00 - $30.00

Enjoy a history walking tour of Charleston with a local guide Duration 2 Hours About Your local guide will walk you through the historic cobblestone streets, hidden passages and alleys of Charleston. Discover the history, architecture...

One Bar & Tarot Cards

Holy City History Tours

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$45.00 - $280.00

Meet New Friends While Getting Your Tarot Cards Read! Duration 90 Minutes About Join us, and learn the game of connections and communication through tarot, and explore the higher bonds between our spirits, our souls, and the...

Private Historic Walking Tour

Walk It Charleston

Book online
$30.00 - $350.00

Our Charleston History tour explores over 350 years of our city’s past. Discover 18th-century churches, historically significant landmarks, architecturally beautiful homes, and gardens that make Charleston the charming, southern city everyone is...

Group Carriage Tours

Carolina Polo and Carriage Tour Company

Book online
$35.00 - $45.00

Give us sixty minutes and we'll give you Charleston as you've never experienced it before **Description** Experience Charleston’s Downtown Historic District by carriage. Take a relaxing 1 hour fully narrated group tour through the quaint and...

The American Revolution

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

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$15.00 - $23.00

Spend a Day Living History! Duration 1.5 Hours Rates Student/Chaperone: $15 Student/Chaperone with House Tour: $23 About Students will learn about the American Revolution in the Lowcountry and the significant role Drayton Hall played as a...

Behind the Scenes Curator Tour

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

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$175.00

Join us for the Behind the Scenes Curator Tour! Duration 2 Hours Rate $175 per person About - 6 guest minimum. - Curator led tour of the Main House and galleries - Includes a behind-the-scenes look at the archaeological and historical...

Stargazing on the Ashley

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

Book online
$30.00 - $35.00

See the Stars on the Ashley! Duration 2.5 Hours About Drayton Hall and Lowcountry Stargazers are pleased to announce the return of the most brilliant evening event of the year in Charleston, SC: Stargazing on the Ashley at Drayton...

Ashley River House & Garden Combination Tour with Middleton Place
Book online
$16.00 - $50.00

A combination tour with Drayton Hall & Middleton Place. Duration 5 Hours About A combination plantation tour ticket to see both Drayton Hall and the gardens and grounds of Middleton Place with an exclusive Ashley River House & Garden Tour. A...

Children's Treasure Hunt Tour

Charleston Pirate Tours

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$14.00 - $18.00

Interactive history with hands-on activities that make history fun for young children... and their grown-ups! Duration 1 Hour About The kids practice sword drills and make their very own pirate flags during our search for treasure in...

Light to Light Tour

Snap Picture Perfect Tours

Book online
$50.00 - $79.00

Travel to the edge of Folly Island to the edge of Sullivan's Island, to get an up close and personal view of Charleston's beaches and iconic landmarks. Duration 4 hrs Itinerary - Morris Island Light (.25 mile walk to light on paved road...

A Day at Drayton Hall

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

Book online
$85.00

Explore the Grounds to the Fullest! Duration 4 Hours *(Includes a catered lunch)* Rates $85/Person About Spend a day at Drayton Hall, America’s oldest unrestored plantation house. We invite you and your group to experience the...

Charleston Ghost Tour -- 90 minutes

Revolutionary Charleston

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$19.00 - $450.00

Chilling Dark Tales of the Holy City Duration 1 Hour and 30 Minutes About Join us on a 90-minute romp through the side streets of Charleston. Your Charleston ghost tour guide will showcase all the morbid morsels and revolting tidbits of...

A Day in the Life at Drayton Hall

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

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$15.00 - $23.00

Spend a Day Living History! Duration 1.5 Hours *(2.5 Hours w/House Tour)* Rates Student/Chaperone: $15 Student/Chaperone with House Tour: $23 About The objective of this program is for students to better understand the life of the Drayton...

Daytime Ghost Tour

Charleston Pirate Tours

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$15.00 - $25.00

Some of Charleston’s most fascinating ghost stories are in areas that organized tours cannot go at night, so we offer you the chance to see these spooky sites during a daytime tour. Duration 2 Hours About Duels, unrequited love, wars...

Curator Led Walking Tours

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

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$35.00 - $65.00

Duration 1.5 Hours

Small Group History Walking Tour
Book online
$30.00

Our Charleston History tour explores over 350 years of our city’s past. Discover 18th-century churches, historically significant landmarks, architecturally beautiful homes, and gardens that make Charleston the charming, southern city everyone is...

Charleston Walking & Storytelling Tour

Holy City History Tours

Book online
$35.00 - $280.00

Perfect for first-time visitors to Charleston! About The Charleston Walking & Storytelling Tour is an exploration of Charleston that highlights the women and men who helped found Charleston and the United States. Did you know, without the...

Strong Women of the South History Tour

Holy City History Tours

Book online
$35.00 - $280.00

Charleston's Premier Women's History Tour! Duration 2 Hours Included Admission to the Halsey Gallery of Contemporary Art at 161 Calhoun Street. Admission to the Philip Simmons House at 30-1/2 Blake Street. About The Strong Women of the...

Private Tour

Revolutionary Charleston

Book online
$350.00

Set up a custom private tour for you and your family and friends! Duration 2 hours About Give us a call to book a private tour with one of our fantastic guides. We will work out the pricing and logistics of what you want to do and...

Charleston History Walk -- 120 minutes

Revolutionary Charleston

Book online
$19.00 - $550.00

A Wonderful Walking Tour to Learn About the History of Charleston! Duration 2 Hours About Join us for a stroll through the French Quarter, down to Rainbow Row, down to the High Battery. You will view mansions facing the Ashley & Cooper...

Charleston Pirate and Ghost Tour

Charleston Pirate Tours

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$15.00 - $25.00

With more than 300 years of history including the Colonial Period, the Revolution and the Civil War, Charleston has a vast collection of true pirate stories, ghost tales based on historic events, and fascinating legends of Gullah lore. ...

A Day on the Ashley - Package Tour with Middleton Place

Explore the Grounds to the Fullest! Duration 5 Hours *(Includes lunch at Middleton Place)* Rates $100/Person About Charleston’s most historic Ashley River plantations have created a package that invites groups to tour Drayton Hall and...

Boo-Hag and Brews Tour: Ghost and Bar Walk

Charleston Historic Tours

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$35.00

Duration: 2 Hours About This is not an average "sit there and shut up " tour, but rather an opportunity to engage back and forth with a local Charlestonian. As a combined bar and ghost walking tour, guests will not only visit two different bars...

Twilight Tour

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

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$100.00

Explore the Grounds to the Fullest! Duration 1 Hour Rates Private Tours: $100 per person About This private one-of-a-kind experience invites your group to gather at twilight in the magnificent Lenhardt Garden at Drayton Hall, where you...

History and Hops Tour: Bar and History Walk
Book online
$32.00

Duration 2 Hours About Come live the Local Life with Captain Bryan or Guide Adam Moore! This experience is for guests who enjoy sipping their way through a new city full of history. This is not a classic "sit there and shut up tour" but an...

VIP Ghost Package

Bulldog Tours

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$37.00 - $50.00

Rates >• **Adult ages 13+**: $47 >• **Child ages 4 -12**: $37 >• **Wee Ones ages 3 and under**: FREE ______ Duration >**2 hour tour** ____ Details Experience the chilling tales of the city through TWO of Charleston's most haunted...

Joseph Manigault House

A treasure of a home that is managed by The Charleston Museum, the Joseph Manigault House is a prime example of Charleston's hardworking efforts to protect the relics of its lush, although often somber, past. The grand three story home is considered...

City Market

New Charleston visitors are often advised to start their regional tour with a visit to the historic City Market, a massive four block meeting place that sells homegrown goods and exquisitely crafted arts and crafts from all over the low country. A...

Nathaniel Russell House

The Nathaniel Russell House Museum has a reputation that has garnered it both regional and national familiarity and significance, and which has earned it a place of honor as one of the most distinctive buildings in Charleston. Serving as the home...

Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter, a historic site which can be viewed from virtually any point along the Charleston Harbor, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in this history-rich southern city. Easily one of the most famous forts of the Civil War, the Fort...

St. John the Baptist Church

The towering Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is one of Charleston's premier religious structures, and arguably one of its busiest. With daily mass, multiple Sunday masses, and a heavy schedule of calendar of events, this gothic chapel is likely to...

Circular Congregational Church

History is embedded in Charleston's culture, and the Circular Congregational Church is a prime example of how this sometimes stormy and always fascinating history can be beautifully brought to life, and easily enjoyed by any strolling passerby. One...

Middleton Place

Enchanting gardens, interactive history, and breathtaking views abound at Middleton Place, one of the top-ranked attractions by Charleston newcomers and seasoned vacationers alike.

William Aiken House

Washington Square and Meeting Street visitors are encouraged to take a minute's stroll over to Elizabeth Street to admire the Governor William Aiken House, also known as the Aiken-Rhett House. The sprawling home is a treasure in Charleston, and...

Miles Brewton House

The Miles Brewton House may seem, at first glance, one of many impressively grand and antique southern mansions that line the downtown streets of Charleston, but this home is a favorite among any guided or self-led walking tour for both its story...

Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon

The Old Exchange is one of the most visited historic sites in Charleston, both for its grand stature as one of the colonies' earliest statuesque public buildings, and its unique array of interior assets - including the famous Provost Dungeon in the...

Rainbow Row

Rainbow Row is a famous historical Charleston neighborhood that certainly lives up to its name. The collection of brightly-colored homes, which are stacked side by side, is arguably one of the most photographed sections of the city, and attracts...

Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim

The Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue, a famous icon just off of Market Street, has a fitting place among Charleston's long list of historical churches and buildings as the county's second oldest Synagogue, and the oldest Synagogue that remains in...

Art lovers will want to reserve an afternoon or two to explore the acclaimed Gibbes Museum of Art, a stunning addition to Charleston's historic district that is simply impressive both inside and out. Home to an ever-rotating and permanent collection...