Charleston offers all kinds of activities for visitors.  From the beaches and golf courses to plantations and historic homes, you'll find fun for the whole family.

General Information Sites

The Charleston Area Convention and Visitor Bureau offers information on area attractions, tours, accommodations, events, coupons, maps, and more.  It's a great place to start, when you're planning a trip to Charleston.

South Carolina's official tourism website also has a wealth of information.   

Click the photo on left for more Charleston area travel info.

Another site with Charleston visitor info is Charleston, SC Travel Guide.

Charleston city guide A destination guide to

locate Hotels, Restaurant and other Services

in Charleston. Add your Charleston business

to this directory for free. 

Learn about the ongoing preservation efforts

by the Historic Charleston Foundation.  In

addition to special events and tours, the

Foundation operates two museum houses.

Another great site to check is ExploreCharleston.net.  You'll find activity

listings, reviews, and more.
 

Interested in a cruise?  Charleston is an

embarkation point and a port-of-call for

some of the major lines.  For great cruise

packages, visit Cruises for Less. 

Tour Companies

In case you didn't know, Charleston is

considered one of the most haunted cities

in the country.  We offer private and group

ghost tours, but for regulary scheduled tours

open to the public, we recommend

Bulldog Tours.  Bulldog also offers daytime

culinary tours and Charleston

history tours. 

Carriage tours are very popular.  There are

two carriage tour companies, both located in

the market area:  Old South Carriage and

Palmetto Carriage.

For a wide variety of special interest tours,

visit Walk Charleston.  You'll find everything

from a fabulous Pub Stroll to tours that focus

on city parks and the history of Charleston's

women.

Want a harbor cruise with a visit to Fort Sumter thrown in?   SpiritLine Cruises provides the only commercial boat transportation to the Fort. 

Charleston has numerous art galleries, and you

can get an insider's perspective with a

professional artist as your guide with 

Charleston Art Tours.

Plantations

For history and garden lovers, there are also

the plantations.  For more beautiful gardens

and a little peace and quiet, visit Mepkin Abbey. 

The brother of Mepkin belong to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance and

welcome visitors. 

The Charleston area is also location of the Charleston Tea Plantation, the only tea 

garden in the country.  You can tour the

plantation as well as participate in numerous

special events.

Shopping

Accommodations

Of course, you'll need a place to stay.   Whether you want a luxury beach resort,

an historic bed and breakfast, or a campsite, you'll find it in Charleston.  The Charleston Convention & Visitor's Bureau website has  comprehesive listings. 

Here's an interesting short film about Charleston from the 1930s.  City of Proud Memories.

Restaurants

One thing that you won't do in Charleston is go hungry.  The area has an embarrassment of

riches, when it comes to restaurants.  From

haute cuisine to down-home, southern fare

and everything in between, you'll find it.  Some

of our favorites are Long Island Cafe on the Isle of Palms, Cypress Lowcountry Grille in downtown Charleston, FIG, and Charleston Grill.   

If you've got kids, you definitely want to check

out this website.  It has a comprehensive list of

Kids Night deals and it's organized by area. 

Great resource!

If you need a caterer, you

need to call Chef Eric Gaffin of New Dream Catering.  He did a Private Chef's Table for our daughter's 11th birthday, and it was FABULOUS!   He even had a sous chef shirt with Ariel's name made and let her help

in the kitchen.  He made it a very special night for Ariel.  Incredible food and a really nice guy.  Check out the photos.

Want to get married in Charleston?

Want to make it simple?  Elope to Charleston can take care of all the details, so you can enjoy yourselves!

Beaches

There are several beaches surrounding Charleston.  The closest are Isle of Palms, Folly Beach, and Sullivan's Island, where you will find Fort Moultrie, a National Park.  From Fort Moultrie, you can see Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.

More Fun Stuff!

One of our daughter's favorite places to visit (we have an annual membership) is the South Carolina Aquarium. 

Another great place for younger kids is the the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry, where they will find all kinds of interactive activities and can play on a replica pirate ship. 

America's first museum, the Charleston Museum, is a must-see, too, with permanent exhibits, a special children's area, and events.  The Museum also has one or two special, changing exhibits, so you'll always see something new.

Charleston is home of many "firsts."  Another is the H.L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy ship.  You can see the Hunley and artifacts discovered on the ship as well as learn at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center on the weekends.  For more information, visit the Friends of the Hunley website.

The Arts

Of course, Charleston is - and always has

been  - a major cultural center.  The historic

Dock Street Theatre was the first building

designed for theatrical use in the United

States, and it was the site of the first opera performed in American (1735).  The theatre

is now home to a vibrant, local theatre group

and serves as a venue for other performances,

as well.  And, yep, you guessed it, the theatre is haunted!  Charleston also has numerous galleries and professional visual artists.  Two of our

favorites: 

Hagan Fine Art Gallery

27 1/2 State St.