Small Group Historic Charleston walking Tour
- 1h 30m
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Mobile ticket
Highlights
Charleston, SC is a wonderful place to visit. So much history, so many centuries old traditions. Choosing the right tour guide will make your experience truly memorable. Mike and Nancy are licensed city guides and 30 year resident of the Old and Historic District. They can offer a perspective that almost no one else can. One of them will walk you through little known pathways and tell you about 300 year old Charleston customs that are still practiced today. For those interested Mike also offers Civil War in Charleston tours. Learn about the battles that took place in Charleston, the harbor defenses and the unique relationship between Major Anderson the Union commander and General Beauregard the Confederate commander. Finally, Mike and Nancy are considered two of Charleston's premier guides. See why Charleston's leading hotels refer their guests to them.
Inclusions
What's included
- Transportation from your hotel if needed
Itinerary
The tour begins at White Point Garden where the settlers landed in 1680. There you hear about how Charleston was started. A gift to 8 Lord Proprietors from King Charles II. You will see the Stevens Lather House, at 17,000 sq. ft, the second largest home in Charleston. In 1920 the good people of Charleston established the Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings in the ballroom of that home. It was the very first preservation society in the country.
As we stroll along the high battery (waterfront) you will learn about the Civil War and the Revolutionary War. You’ll hear about the Battle of Battery Wagner, subject of the movie “Glory” and much more about the Civil War. You will see some of Charleston’s finest antebellum homes and hear some “insider” stories of old Charleston. Like the 900 piece of cannon that landed on the roof of the Roper House in 1864 and it’s still there today. You will see the Carolina Yaughtless Club, Rainbow Row and much more.
Once we get to Tradd Street we will be walking in what was the original walled city. We will see some of Charleston’s earliest grand homes from the 1740’s and 1750’s. Tradd Street, with its wonderful window boxes is considered one of Charleston’s most charming streets and is often featured in Southern Living Magazine. We will see Catfish Row (Church Street between Tradd Street and Broad Street), the black neighborhood in Charleston before the Civil War and the subject of the play Porgy and Bess.
Then to Meeting Street. There we will see more examples of Charleston’s pre Revolutionary War homes, including the James Simmons House - General Beauregard’s headquarters during the Civil War. We will see the Nathanial Russell, one of Charleston’s finest museum homes, an example of a Charleston Single House and the Williams Mansion - at 24,000 sq. ft. the largest home in Charleston. George Williams built the mansion after the Civil War in what is called the Italianate style of architecture. Williams was a blockade runner during the Civil War. Margaret Mitchell (author of Gone with The Wind) visited the home when she was 13 years old and we think that visit may have been the genesis of her book.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.8
- 559
- 43
- 30
- 20
- 13
Ratings come from 65 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
- Meeting point
- At the very southern end of Meeting Street
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 10 travellers
- Operated by
- Historic Charleston Tours
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How it compares in Charleston
- Its from-price is close to the median of the 30 city tours we list in Charleston.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 24 of 30.
- 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.
Special offers in Charleston
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
