23 Best Sights in Charleston, South Carolina

A prime example of the wealth derived from chattel slavery, the Aiken-Rhett House is considered one of the best preserved town-house complexes in the country. Built in 1820 and virtually unaltered since 1858, it boasts original wallpaper, paint, and some furnishings. Two of the former owners, Governor Aiken and his wife Harriet, bought many of the chandeliers, sculptures, and paintings in Europe. The carriage house remains out back, along with a building that contained the kitchen, laundry, and housing for enslaved laborers, making this the most intact property to showcase urban life in pre–Civil War Charleston. Be sure to take the audio tour, as it vividly describes the surroundings, giving historical and family details throughout.

Part of the College of Charleston, this museum and archive was once a school for African Americans, training students for professional careers from approximately 1865 to 1954. The collections here focus on the civil rights movement, but also include artifacts from the era of chattel slavery, such as badges, manacles, and bills of sale, as well as other materials from throughout African American history. The free guided tours begin with a brief film.

Set on a man-made island in Charleston's harbor, this is the hallowed spot where the Civil War began. On April 12, 1861, the first shot of the war was fired at the fort from Fort Johnson across the way. After a 34-hour battle, Union forces surrendered and Confederate troops occupied Fort Sumter, which became a symbol of Southern resistance. The Confederacy managed to hold it, despite almost continual bombardment, from August 1863 to February 1865. When it was finally evacuated, the fort was a heap of rubble. Today, the National Park Service oversees it, and rangers give interpretive talks. To reach the fort, take a private boat or one of the ferries that depart from Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant and downtown's Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center, which includes exhibitions on the period before, during, and after the Civil War. There are as many as seven trips daily to the fort between mid-March and mid-August, fewer the rest of the year.

Housed in a beautiful Beaux Arts building with a soaring stained-glass cupola, this museum boasts a collection of 10,000 works, principally American with a local connection. A recent $11.5 million renovation expanded on-site studios, rotating exhibit spaces, and visiting artist programs. Permanent displays include a massive stick sculpture by Patrick Dougherty that visitors can step inside and life-size oil paintings from the 18th century. Different objects from the museum's permanent collection are on view in "The Charleston Story," offering a nice summary of the region's history. Leave time to sit for a spell in the tranquil Lenhardt Garden behind the building.

Enjoy the fishing pier's "front-porch" swings, stroll along the waterside path, or relax in the gardens overlooking Charleston Harbor. The expansive lawn is perfect for picnics and family playtime. Two fountains can be found here: the oft-photographed Pineapple Fountain and the Vendue Fountain, which children love to run through on hot days.

Used as a site for the auctioning of enslaved people (as well as a jail and morgue) until 1863, this building is now a museum that educates visitors on Charleston's role in the transatlantic slave trade. Charleston was a commercial center for the South's plantation economy, and enslaved people were forced to perform most labor within and beyond the city, on the surrounding plantations. Galleries are outfitted with interactive exhibits, including push buttons that allow you to hear the historical accounts of enslaved people. The museum sits on one of the few remaining cobblestone streets in town.

Founded around 1680, St. Philip's didn't move to its current site until the 1720s, becoming one of the three churches that gave Church Street its name. The first building in this location burned down in 1835 and was replaced with the Corinthian-style structure seen today. A shell that exploded in the churchyard while services were being held during the Civil War didn't deter the minister from finishing his sermon (the congregation gathered elsewhere for the remainder of the war). Amble through the churchyards, where notable South Carolinians are buried. If you want to tour the church, call ahead, as hours depend upon volunteer availability.

Most of the buildings that make up this popular attraction were constructed between 1804 and the 1830s to serve as the city's meat, fish, and produce market. These days you'll find the open-air portion packed with stalls selling handmade jewelry, crafts, clothing, jams and jellies, and regional souvenirs. The market's indoor section is a beautiful backdrop for 20 stores and eateries. Local craftspeople are on hand, weaving sweetgrass baskets—a skill passed down through generations from their African ancestors. From April through December, a night market on Friday and Saturday hosts local artists and food vendors. This shopping mecca's perimeters (North and South Market Streets) are lined with restaurants and shops, too.

Although housed in a modern-day brick complex, this institution was founded in 1773 and is the country's oldest museum. The collection is especially strong in South Carolina decorative arts, from silver to snuffboxes. There's also a large gallery devoted to natural history (don't miss the giant polar bear). Children love the permanent Civil War exhibition and the interactive "Kidstory" area, where they can try on reproduction clothing in a miniature historic house. The Historic Textiles Gallery features rotating displays that showcase everything from uniforms and flags to couture gowns, antique quilts, and needlework. Combination tickets that include the Joseph Manigault House and the Heyward-Washington House are a bargain at $25.

This lovely orientation center includes a kitchen stage for cooking demos along with helpful information about visiting Charleston. Staff at the center strongly encourage visitors to use the restrooms at the complex before hitting the streets (which have a lack of public bathroom options).

Hands-on interactive exhibits at this top-notch museum will keep kids—from infants to 10-year-old children—occupied for hours. They can climb aboard a Lowcountry pirate ship, drive an antique fire truck, race golf balls down a roller coaster, and create masterpieces in the art center.

The first church building erected on this site in the 1680s gave bustling Meeting Street its name. The present-day Romanesque structure, dating from 1890, is configured on a Greek-cross plan and has a breathtaking vaulted ceiling. While the sanctuary is not open to visitors except during Sunday morning service, you are welcome to explore the graveyard, which is the oldest English burial ground in the city, with records dating back to 1695.

A majestic Greek revival portico, Randolph Hall—an 1828 building designed by Philadelphia architect William Strickland and built by the labor of enslaved people—presides over the college's central Cistern Yard. Draping oaks envelop the lush green quad, where graduation ceremonies and concerts, notably during Spoleto Festival USA, take place. Scenes from films like Cold Mountain and The Notebook have been filmed on the historic campus of this liberal arts college, founded in 1770.

The original Dock Street, built in 1736, was the first theater building in America. The current structure, reopened in 1935, incorporates the remains of the old Planter's Hotel (circa 1809). Green velvet curtains and wonderful woodwork give it a New Orleans French Quarter feel. The Charleston Stage company performs full seasons of family-friendly fare, and Spoleto Festival USA uses the stage for productions in May and June.

The circa-1845 Gothic-style church is home to the nation's only practicing Huguenot congregation. English-language services are held Sunday at 10:30, with a tour given to any visitors immediately afterward.

An extraordinary example of Federal architecture, this 1803 residence and National Historic Landmark reflects the urban lifestyle of a well-to-do rice-planting family and the Africans they enslaved. Engaging guided tours reveal a stunning spiral staircase, rooms that have been preserved in period style, and American, English, and French furniture from the early 19th century. Outside, stroll through the artfully maintained period garden; unfortunately, most of the historic out buildings were torn down long ago, now replaced with interpretive signs that note their former locations.

Completed in 1713, the oldest public building in South Carolina is one of the few that remain from the time of the Lords Proprietors. The city's volatile—and precious—gunpowder was kept here during the Revolutionary War, and the building's thick walls were designed to contain an explosion if its stores were detonated. Today, it's a small museum with a permanent exhibit on colonial and Revolutionary warfare.

Get up close and personal with more than 5,000 creatures at this waterfront attraction, where exhibits invite you to journey through distinctive habitats. Step into the Mountain Forest and find water splashing over a rocky gorge as river otters play. Enter the open-air Saltmarsh Aviary to feed stingrays and view herons, diamondback terrapins, and puffer fish; gaze in awe at the two-story, 385,000-gallon Great Ocean Tank, home to sharks, jellyfish, and a loggerhead sea turtle. Kids love the touch tank, and the Sea Turtle Recovery exhibition makes the celebrated sea turtle rehabilitation hospital accessible to all visitors.

In 1864, the Confederacy's H. L.Hunley sank the Union warship USS Housatonic, becoming the world's first successful combat submarine. But moments after the attack, it disappeared mysteriously into the depths of the sea. Lost for more than a century, it was found in 1995 off the coast of Sullivan's Island and raised in 2000. The Hunley is now preserved in a 90,000-gallon tank, which you can see during an informative guided tour. An exhibit area includes artifacts excavated from the sub and interactive displays, including a model that kids will enjoy crawling inside. In downtown Charleston, there's also a full-size replica of the Hunley outside the Charleston Museum.