French Quarter Historic Charleston Walk

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Walk through the historic Vendue Range of markets on low water land owned by the Prioleau family who arrived in Charles Town in 1687 as an escape from Catholic religious persecution in Pons, France. See the majestic harbor's Castle Pinckney, Fort Sumter, and beautiful marshy islands that create the passage to the Atlantic Ocean.

   10 min

2. One of the top three most historic buildings in the U.S., according to the National Historic Registry. Guide explains in detail all of the unique attributes that make this building one of America's true historic gems.

   5 min

3. Colorful waterfront bay buildings constructed along wharves with Dutch influence (Amsterdam) during the Age of Lord Proprietors and original walled city.

   10 min

4. Known to be the oldest private building remaining in the French Quarter (1694-1712). The handmade, asymmetrical house set on the longest cobblestone street is built of Bermuda stone and resembles a charming man-sized dollhouse.

   Passes by

5. Gabrielle Manigault (French Huguenot architect) designed one of the finest examples of Adamesque architecture in 1800 as a development of the Civic Square of the original Grand Modell plan of the walled city.

   5 minAdmission included

6. One of the last vestiges of a barracoon (slave jail) which is a converted German fire station made into a gallery for the sales of the enslaved. 80 percent of what census term as African-Americans living in North America have ancestral roots in Charleston, South Carolina as a result of the 12 million people imported through the Atlantic slave trade.

   Passes by

7. The oldest remaining in-tact church building left in the Holy City was built in 1752.

   10 min

8. First Fireproof Building in America built by Robert Mills who also designed the Washington Monument in D.C. (probably wishes the monument has been built as earthquake proof).

   Passes by

9. Oldest public building (1713) in the original walled city was used as a northern fortification during the age of Lords Proprietors.

   5 min

10. Gothic Revival French protestant church is the centerpiece of the French Quarter. This active church is the oldest and most famous in the U.S. Twenty-three of forty-five U.S. Presidents have French Huguenot ancestry!

    10 min

11. National historic landmark is known as the first building to hold theatrical performances in the U.S. First show was in 1735, a black comedy depicting the social and sexual exploits of two recruiting officers in Ireland.

    15 minAdmission included

12. First official "Meeting House" built on the corner of the original walled city in a Romaneque Revival Style. Three significant churches were created from the original congregation (Unitarian, First Scots, and United Church). Churchyard is home to the oldest tombstones on the peninsula.

    10 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 117 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Charleston

• Its from-price is 45% below the median of the 319 experiences we list in Charleston.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 80 of 319.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Charleston

Charleston is a South Carolina port city of pastel row houses, cobbled lanes, church steeples, Gullah culture and Lowcountry cooking.

Charleston was settled in 1670 and grew on a peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper rivers, and it is one of the best-preserved colonial-era cities in the United States. Rainbow Row, thirteen pastel Georgian houses on East Bay Street, is the best-known sight. The Battery, a seafront promenade with old cannon and oak-shaded White Point Garden, looks out to Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired in 1861. The city is nicknamed the Holy City for its many church steeples.

Top-ranked sights in Charleston: Charleston City Market, Rainbow Row, Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon.

See all 319 experiences in Charleston