Charleston Attractions

A great deal of Charleston’s history is neatly located on the peninsula, and there are many ways to experience it, from walking tours to carriage rides to ghost walks. Charleston’s tour guides are well trained and thoroughly tested; most have a background in history and several have written books.

Rich in History

History seems livelier here, somehow. Just one tour may not be adequate!

The 300-year-old streets are slender and rough, reminders of the time when travel was by foot, horse or boat. A calm carriage ride behind a plodding horse can make you feel like a Rutledge or a Calhoun on your way to church or market. Your tour guide knows the history of each house and family, and will bring it to life for you.

Ghosts?

When you stroll down the streets of Charleston late at night beneath the Carolina moon, it’s far too simple to think you hear footsteps following you...

And what’s that commotion behind the wisteria? Is it Lavinia, the first woman to be hung in South Carolina, after she and her husband calmly murdered a number of unsuspicious house guests? Or maybe it’s one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, who were jailed in the damp dungeon beneath the Old Provost Jail. It may perhaps even be one of Blackbeard’s pirates, who were beheaded and hung over close by creeks as a warning to their mates. But certainly it’s just your mind playing tricks on you…isn’t it?

The Original Charleston Walks offers numerous types of walking tours in Charleston. A popular favorite is Charleston's most haunting legends and folk tales on this walking tour through the historic district. The tour is packed with stories of resident ghosts, haunted inns, Gullah superstitions, and various other ghost stories from Charleston's haunted history. The ghost walk is based on Charleston Ghosts (by M.R. Martin), Doctor to the Dead (by John Bennett), and the rising body of information being combined daily by our own ghost story researchers.

The Original Low Country Ghost Hunt (the initial name of the tour) started in the summer of 1994 as the first year-round ghost tour of Charleston's Historic District. The tour was shown on CNN Travel Guide on October 31, 1994 - just three months afterward. Since that day the ghost tour has been Charleston's most popular walking tour, and guides taught by The Original Charleston Walks have been presented on CNN Travel Guide, The Learning Channel, Charleston's Post & Courier Newspaper, Charleston Magazine, and more.

Magnificent Plantations

Plantation tours are a grand way to experience the appeal of Charleston. They're about a 30 minute drive and you'll want to give yourself quite a few hours to enjoy them. Middleton Place is a wonderful pick and they also happen to have a restaurant and an inn. If a plantation tour is your first selection, and you're only going to be in Charleston for the weekend, you might want to mull over just staying out at Middleton Place and possibly driving in Sunday morning for a tour of the historic district.

Charm

Charleston's historic homes are great attractions and there are numerous ways to enjoy them. A carriage ride will take you through Charleston's historic neighborhoods and nearly everyone enjoys the click clack on the pavement as the horse drawn carriage ambles leisurely down Charleston's Charming and Historic Avenues. If you are fascinated in learning more about Charleston, you might think about a walking tour. They're normally two hours, as opposed to less than an hour for the carriage tour, and each experience is amazingly different. Motor Tours also are two hours, and usually include a stop at White Point Gardens, also called "The Battery" so you can get out, stretch your legs, and take in the stunning view of Charleston Harbor.

Tours

Charleston can also be enjoyed by boat in an assortment of ways. Fort Sumter Tours are the most evident and depart from either the new Wharf area or Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant. Also think about the romantic Charleston Dinner Cruise presented by Spirit Line Cruises.