What to See, Do & More
Along with over 300 years of history, Charleston offers many diverse, interesting, and fun things to do for both locals and visitors year round in our wonderful city.
Our Charleston's Finest City Guide provides an extensive "tours and attractions" section to help you plan your trip to Charleston that include harbor tours, dinner cruises, historic forts, historic homes and buildings, historic churches, museums, plantations and gardens, tours for the walkers, riders, private guides, along with specialty guided escorts, not to mention recreational and cultural activities that will delight most visitors.
Shopping in the Charleston Historic District is an exciting adventure for those who enjoy finding interesting and unusual treasures. For the antique and art lovers, Charleston offers several stores to shop along King and Broad Streets, and you will find our antique shops and art galleries listed in our city guide.
King Street is a shoppers delight in the Charleston Historic District, and where you'll find three distinctive areas that runs north and south on the peninsula; the Upper King Street Design and Dining District, in the middle, is the King Street Fashion District, and the Lower area, is where many of the antique stores are located is known as the Antiques District. Spend a day exploring the many shops during your visit to Charleston, and take in the side streets too where you'll find some hidden gems. Our Charleston's Finest City Guide has a special section dedicated to the many businesses on King Street.
And for those who fall in love with our wonderful city, and decide to make Charleston their home, we have a real estate section in our city guide and a site to shop for real estate for both purchasing a home, or finding a rental with the MLS, named non other than Charleston Neighborhoods.com.
Things to do in Charleston
Experience the best of the Charleston art scene by visiting many of our galleries in the historic district of Charleston. You'll enjoy an up close and personal self guided tour of Charleston's most impressive fine art.
Harbor Tours & Dinner Cruises
Charleston harbor tours during the day, and dinner cruises in the evening.
There is nothing like experiencing Charleston SC by water; step aboard, take a seat, get your camera ready to enjoy the Charleston Harbor with its many views on your way to Fort Sumter with Fort Sumter Tours; or spend the evening on Spiritline Dinner Cruise,
Carriage Tours
Experience a horse drawn carriage ride with a private ride for two people or jump onboard with a group of 16 in the regular carriages.
A visit to Charleston is not complete without taking a carriage tour that takes you back in history over 300 years with the clippity clop sounds back to Colonial times. For weddings or special venues the carriage companies work especially hard to make sure your event is a success.
If you are coming to Charleston for the first time, don't miss a eco tour or nature tour of our barrier islands.
Forts and Military Sites
Take your pick during your stay in Charleston to explore the forts and National historic sites.
Charles Pinckney was from Charleston a principal author and a signer of the United States Constitution; Charleston is where the American Civil War Began at Fort Sumter; the first fort on Sullivan's Island Fort Moultrie; the French and Indian War, American Revolution, and War of 1812 Fort Johnson and Battery Wagner.
Historic Churches
Take your pick during your stay in Charleston to explore the wonderful old historic churches.
The historic churches of Charleston is "a must see". Take a walking tour of all the wonderful old churches in the historic district, just print the page at Charleston's Finest City Guide, get your Charleston map, put on your comfortable shoes and stroll the streets of Charleston.
House Museums
Tour at least one historic home museums, and find out how families lived over 300 years ago.
The historic house museums today include the Aiken-Rhett House, Calhoun Mansion, Edmondston-Alston House, Thomas Elfe House, Heyward-Washington House, Joseph Manigault House and the Nathaniel Russell House.
Museums & Other Sites
Don't miss visiting some of the museums and other historic sites. Plan your trip to include those places that interest you most.
In the Charleston Museum's Armory, see excellent examples of historic weaponry, dating from 1750 to the twentieth century, with uses that ranged from military to more personal applications such as hunting and dueling.
Motorized Tours
Stay cool, comfortable and relax while you sit back and learn all about Charleston history in one of Charleston's motorized tours.
Each tour company is uniquely their own, so check them out carefully when selecting the right one for you. Enjoy your stay in Charleston.
Plantations & Gardens
So much to see and so little time. You can always come back to Charleston and map out more of the sites for your future visit.
Charleston offers four beautiful and unique plantations: Boone Hall, Middleton Places, Drayton Hall, and Magnolia Plantations & Gardens.
Private Guides
Visitors and locals alike have the opportunity to experience some great private tour guides that can create a one of a kind tour about historic Charleston.
Whatever your interests about Charleston and how she fared over the last 300 years, a private tour guide might be just the right thing for you. So much history awaits in one of the most historic cities in the United States.
Special Interest Tours
Experience some great special interest tours that are available in historic Charleston.
From the first shots fired at Fort Sumter, civil war and slavery, to pirates and Blackbeard, buried treasure, pub strolls to culinary tours tasting first hand Lowcountry cuisine and Gullah tours exploring the places, history and stories that about the contributions made by black Charlestonians.
Walking Tours
Your time in Charleston may be short, and it will be over before you know it. Memories will last forever.
Make the most of your time in Charleston, our city guide can help you with some of the best walking tour in Charleston. It is a good idea to book your tours before arriving especially in the high season which is Mar-Jun and Sep-Nov. Have a wonderful stay in Charleston!