City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 9158 Markeleys Grove Blvd.
77. Architectural Walking Tours
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (843) 893-2327, (800) 931-7761
Address: 173 Meeting St.
Description: These are 2-hour tours of Charleston’s remarkable architectural heritage. Your guide through 7 local public buildings is Fern Williams Tuten, a local art historian and licensed city guide. The tour of 18th-century buildings begins at 10 a.m.; the tour of 19th-century buildings is at 2 p.m. Both tours depart from the Meeting Street Inn, 173 Meeting St. (tours depart 10 minutes earlier from Hawthorne Suites). No tours are offered on Tues or Sun. The charge is $20 a person. Special theme tours and group tours are available with advance notice. These include a house museum along with public buildings.
78. Charleston Strolls Walk with History
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (843) 766-2080
Description: This is the walking tour recommended by the New York Times and Southern Living. It operates Mon through Sat all year long, leaving from outside the Palmetto Cafe in Charleston Place at 9:30 a.m., 9:40 a.m. from the Days Inn, and from the Mills House Hotel at 10 a.m. A personal guide brings to life Charleston’s history from colonial days through the Civil War to the present. You’ll stroll cobblestone streets, find hidden gardens, walk in famous footsteps, and much more. Rates are $18 for adults and teens, and $10 for children 7 to 12; under 7 are admitted free. Reservations are accepted, but not required.
79. Charleston Tea Party Walking Tour
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (843) 722-1779
Insider Pick:
Description: This 3-hour tour ends with a tea served in the private garden of your guide after a walk through the oldest section of the historic district. The tour includes colonial and 18th-century architecture, Civil War history with quotations from diaries, church history, Charleston gardens and interiors, plus insight into Charleston’s preservation story. Tours begin at the King’s Courtyard Inn, 198 King St., and cost $25. The 9:30 a.m. tour is offered daily except Sun. For a private 3-hour tour by van to private historic homes followed by lunch at your guide’s own home, call (843) 577-5896. The fee for this special guest experience is $100 each. Reservations are required.
80. Charleston’s Original Ghost Hunt Walking Tour
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (843) 813-5055
Description: Here’s another offering for those interested in chasing down Charleston’s famous ghost stories. These “adventures” come in a number of guises these days, and this is one of the best. The tour departs from the sidewalk area in front of the United States Custom House on the corner of South Market Street and East Bay at 7 and 9 p.m. (weather permitting). The tour is appropriate for adults and teens only (no children under 12) and the fare is $13. A late-night tour (at 10:45 p.m.) is offered on weekends. Reservations are required.
81. Civil War Walking Tour
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (843) 270-2417
Address: 17 Archdale St.
Description: This walking tour departs from the Mills House Hotel lobby, 115 Meeting St., at 9 a.m. daily. You’ll hear the personal accounts and colorful anecdotes of the late Charlestonians who lived through it all. The tour includes comparisons of photos of Charleston from the 1860s with those of today. Reservations are appreciated. The adult rate is $20. Children under age 12 are free. Group rates are available, and the route is wheelchair accessible.
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
83. Ghost Walk Tour
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 1448 Village Rd.
Description: This one-and-a-half-hour Ghost Walk tour is an eerie visit through 18th- and 19th-century historic district neighborhoods—this one with tales of ghosts, the plateye, voodoo, graveyards, and “Hags & Haints.” Old stories and legends of paranormal experiences are interspersed with the fun and fascinating history of Charleston. These tours begin at 8 p.m. in front of 74-A North Market St. next to the Doubletree Hotel. Adult fare is $15, children ages 4 to 12, $9; reservations are required.
84. On The Market Tours
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (853) 853-8687
Description: Tommy Dew is your host (and licensed guide) for this historical tour that covers a timeline of events from the Colonial Period through the War between the States to Charleston’s current renaissance. Daily tours begin at the steps of Market Hall, on Meeting Street between South Market and North Market Streets, and end along the waterfront at the Battery. They begin at 11 a.m. and last approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. Reservations are required. Adult fare is $22; children (12 and under) pay $15.
85. The Original Charleston Walks
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (843) 408-0010
Address: 45 Broad St.
Description: This company specializes in educational and group tours of 20 or more people—perfect for family reunions, small meetings, or groups of history buffs. Choose from the following seven options: the Charleston Walk, Pirates and Buccaneers Walk, the Civil War Walk, Patriots of Charleston Walk, Ghost & Legends Walk, Historic Homes Walk, and Slavery & Freedom Walk. One of these options is bound to please your crowd. Tours depart Washington Park at the Broad Street gates near the corner of Meeting and Broad Streets and last for around 2 hours. They cover about a mile at a relaxed pace. Call for times, group pricing, and reservations.
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
87. Carolina Polo & Carriage Company
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (843) 577-6767, (843) 577-9555
Address: 181 Church St.
Description: All tour guides on these carriages are city licensed and trained by a company tour director who has been doing carriage tours since 1978. These tours depart from 16 Hayne St., and 181 Church St. (from the lobby of the Doubletree Hotel on the corner of North Market and Church Streets). Adult and teen rates are $20; children ages 4 to 11 pay $12. An advance online reservation offers a $2 discount per person. Private carriage tours are available upon request.
88. Classic Carriage Tours Inc.
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (843) 853-3747
Address: 10 Guignard St.
Description: One of the South’s best-known carriage works, Classic Carriage, specializes in the construction and restoration of 19th- and 20th-century carriages, wagons, and surreys. With Percheron draft horses and experienced, licensed tour guides as drivers, these one-hour tours are popular with visitors and those planning special events in the Charleston area. These carriages are especially popular for traditional Charleston weddings. Reservations are strongly encouraged for the daily tours, which leave from the corner of Church and Market Streets in the City Market area from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Adult and teen rates are $20; rates for children 5 to 11 are $12. If you book your tour in advance by phone or online, there are additional discounts.
89. Old South Carriage Co.
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (843) 723-9712
Address: 14 Anson St.
Description: These are the carriage tours narrated by licensed guides wearing red sashes (Confederate uniforms, of sorts). The 60-minute tours depart from 14 Anson St., at the corner of North Market and Anson Streets, every 20 minutes beginning at 9 a.m. daily. Adult fares are $21, and fares for children ages 3 to 11 are $13.
90. Olde Towne Carriage Co.
City: Charleston, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (843) 722-1315
Address: 20 Anson St.
Description: These carriage tours by licensed guides leave the company barn at 20 Anson St. near the City Market starting at 9 a.m. Tours are given until dusk and run from 45 minutes to an hour. Fares for those older than 11 are $20, and fares for ages 4 to 11 are $12.