79 Best Sights in Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston's most laid-back beach community fills up on warm-weather days (especially summer weekends), so start out early to avoid traffic, especially if you're visiting on a Saturday. Head out on the Folly Beach Fishing Pier to see what anglers have hooked or to the northeast end of the island to see Morris Island Lighthouse that awaits just offshore. Surfers flock to the Washout, where small but consistent waves rule. Families tend toward the southwest end of the island, with its lifeguards and county park amenities. Neighborhood streetside parking is free, but to avoid a ticket, all four wheels have to be off the pavement. Stock up on snacks and sandwiches at Bert's Market on East Ashley Avenue or grab a taco with the locals at Chico Feo across the street. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers and toilets (at the Washout, pier, and county park). Best for: surfing; swimming.

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.

Live oak trees do as much to define the Lowcountry landscape as do its salt marshes, and this gorgeous specimen is likely the oldest—and biggest—in the country. One branch reaches 187 feet. The tree is surrounded by a 17-acre fenced park, which is free to visit. Bring a picnic and bask in the magnificent shade.

During the Civil War, the Confederate army mounted cannons in the Battery, at the southernmost point of Charleston's peninsula, to fortify the city against Union attack. Cannons and piles of cannonballs still line the oak-shaded park known as White Point Garden—kids can't resist climbing them. Where pirates once hung from the gallows, walkers now take in the serene setting from Charleston benches (small wood-slat benches with cast-iron sides). Stroll the waterside promenades along East Battery and Murray Boulevard to enjoy views of Charleston Harbor, the Ravenel Bridge, and Fort Sumter on one side, with some of the city's most photographed mansions on the other. You'll find locals dangling their fishing lines, waiting for a bite. There are no public bathrooms within a 10-minute walk of the Battery, so plan accordingly. A bicycle is a great way to tour South of Broad, and it allows for a quick exit to the commercial part of town.

Maritime forests, barrier islands, salt marshes, beaches, and coastal waterways make up this 66,287-acre refuge established in 1932 as a migratory bird haven. The Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center has information and exhibits on the property and its trails, as well as an outdoor enclosure housing endangered red wolves. The refuge is aiding the recovery of the threatened loggerhead sea turtle, and a video details the work. From the mainland refuge, you can take a $40 ferry ride to remote and wild Bulls Island to explore its boneyard beach and freshwater ponds teeming with alligators.

This off-the-radar gem of a park (and zoo) marks the site of the original 1670 settlement of Charles Towne, the first permanent European settlement in South Carolina. Begin with the visitor center's 12-room, interactive museum and exhibit hall that tells the history of the early settlers and their relationship with the Kiawah people, who were here when they arrived. Be sure to visit the exhibits about the enslaved people and indentured servants who also arrived with the English. Kids will make a beeline for the Adventure, a full-size replica of the colonists' 17th-century tall ship that's docked on the creek running alongside the park. The grounds are threaded with 6 miles of paths through forest and marsh, including the Animal Forest zoo, where you can see otters, black bears, bobcats, pumas, deer, and bison. All in all, there are 664 acres of gardens and forest, including an elegant live oak alley. Leashed dogs are allowed (although not in the Animal Forest), and rental bikes are available for $5 an hour.

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. Each month except January and February, a night market on Friday and Saturday hosts local artists and food vendors.

This city-owned, admission-free art gallery, with handsome contemporary architecture and a delightful location within Joe Riley Waterfront Park, rotates paintings, photography, and sculpture exhibits, showcasing predominately Charleston and South Carolina artists. Young and emerging talents exhibit, and residents and visitors alike love the many opening receptions and artist lectures. The second floor offers a privileged riverfront view.

Explore the inky swamp waters of this natural area in a flat-bottom boat, or walk along paths lined with moss-draped cypress trees, azaleas, camellias, daffodils, wisteria, and dogwoods. You can marvel at the clouds of butterflies in the butterfly house, and see snakes and fish up close in the Swamparium. The swamp garden was created from what was once the freshwater reserve of the vast Dean Hall rice plantation. The site is about 24 miles north of Charleston via U.S. 52, between Goose Creek and Moncks Corner. Bonus: It has an enormous playground for children.

This 1,255-acre park includes a 1½-mile-long beachfront with some of the area's best shelling, marshland, and tidal rivers as well as a lush maritime forest with 7 miles of trails running through it. Trails are hard-packed shell sand, suitable for bikes (4 miles are ADA accessible). The park's Environmental Learning Center features animal exhibits and a touch tank, and a small ranger station has fishing poles to lend and firewood for sale. Pets on leashes are allowed. This is an excellent jumping-off point for exploring the natural history of Edisto Island and the surrounding ACE Basin. Amenities: none. Best for: sunrise, walking, sunset.

This is the site where in 1776 Colonel William Moultrie's South Carolinians repelled a British assault in one of the first Patriot victories of the Revolutionary War. Located on the edge of Sullivan's Island, 10 miles southeast of Charleston, Moultrie's first fort was made of palmetto logs and sand. The one there today, the third fortress in this location, was completed in 1809. Across the street, the fort's companion museum shows a 22-minute educational film that tells the colorful history of the fort, which was active through World War II. The additional exhibit on Sullivan Island's role in the transatlantic slave trade is a must-see. Plan to spend the day bicycling through Sullivan's Island, where you'll see beach cottages, island mansions, and a smattering of historical homes.

Set on a man-made island in Charleston 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 on James Island. After a 34-hour battle, Union forces surrendered and 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 ferry with Fort Sumter Tours from downtown's Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center, which includes exhibitions on the Civil War era, or from Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant. 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. An $11.5 million renovation expanded on-site studios, rotating exhibition 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.

Seasonal shows at this gallery known for progressive, contemporary art have included exhibitions by Shepard Fairey and Jasper Johns. Managed by the College of Charleston, the space is known for groundbreaking work, like the Saltworks show featuring Japanese-artist Motoi Yamamoto creating a massive salt sculpture over six weeks. Exhibitions are free and rotate every three months.

The jewel of Charleston’s park system, Hampton Park is equally beloved by recreational runners, picnickers, bird-watchers, history buffs, and flower lovers. The 60-acre park, centered on a fetching lagoon, is encircled by a tree-lined road that follows the path of the Washington Race Course, a horse-racing capital in the 1800s.

In a corridor that tells the gruesome history of American slavery at this strikingly beautiful yet stark new museum, an embroidered sack tells a bitter history. In 1921, Ruth Middleton sewed her grandmother's story into the canvas, recounting how she was sold to another family at age nine, with only the sack containing a tattered dress, a few pecans, and a braid of her mother's hair to take with her. It's easy to see why the museum includes private reflecting rooms with tissues on hand. The IAAM relates a factual, vivid account of the Middle Passage from Africa to Charleston, where 40% of enslaved Africans entered America. But while acknowledging the gruesome past and societal disadvantages African Americans still face, the majority of the museum celebrates their achievements, from politics to music to visual art, including a flexible gallery space. Permanent exhibits include a reconstructed Gullah-Geechee prayer house, an authentic bateau used for fishing and shrimping in the Lowcountry, and an elaborate Mardi Gras Indian costume from New Orleans. Underneath the new waterfront museum is the city's newest and most evocative public space, including a path through a garden of sweetgrass and the Tide Tribute, a sculptural diagram of the floor of a slave ship that fills and empties with the shifting tide in Charleston Harbor.

This county park 25 miles southwest of Charleston is often ranked among the country's best. Stunningly beautiful Kiawah (named for the native tribe that first called the area home) is one of the Southeast's largest barrier islands and is ringed with 10 miles of immaculate ocean beaches. You can safely walk for miles here, shelling and beachcombing to your heart's content—especially on the Atlantic-facing side. At its westernmost end, the beach fronts the Kiawah River, where lagoons filled with birds and wildlife and golden marshes make the sunsets even more glorious. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; sunset; swimming; walking.

Directly across the Ashley River from downtown Charleston, this 37-acre former cotton plantation on James Island focuses on the experiences of those who have lived here: enslaved people, free people, white people, and black people. Guided and self-led tours encourage visitors to compare the row of well-preserved slave quarters with the site's large plantation house. Its Transition to Freedom program imagines what life was like for the enslaved people who labored here, and the ramifications that the injustices they endured have on society today. The site, with its stunning oak allée, has had many lives: it was once home to Confederate troops, then to those of the Union, and was also the location of the island's Freedman's Bureau. Until 1990, when it became a Gullah-Geechee historic site, descendants of the McLeods, Gathers, and other families long associated with the plantation still resided there.

Established in the 1730s, Middleton Place was at the center of the Middleton family’s empire of rice plantations. Overall, they enslaved 3,500 people on their 63,000 acres of properties throughout South Carolina's Lowcountry. Through the remnants of its three-story brick manor home and acres of sprawling, sculpted gardens, Middleton Place still conveys its long-ago wealth. Through its history exhibits and tours, it also illustrates the bitter injustice and cruelty behind the opulence.

To get the complete picture of life on the plantation, watch Beyond the Fields, a short film that focuses on the lives of the Africans and African Americans who lived and worked at Middleton. Then take the accompanying tour, which begins at Eliza’s House, the restored 1870s former home of a sharecropper.

After Middleton's original manor home was destroyed in the Civil War, one of its wings was salvaged and transformed into the family’s post-war residence. That structure now serves as a house museum that displays English silver, furniture, original paintings, and historic documents, including an early silk copy of the Declaration of Independence. In the nearby stable yards, historic interpreters use authentic tools to demonstrate spinning, weaving, blacksmithing, and other skills from the era. Heritage-breed farm animals, such as water buffalo and cashmere goats, are raised here, as well as free-ranging peacocks and sheep. 

In the 1920s, the breathtakingly beautiful gardens were restored and today include camellias, roses, and blooms of all seasons. Lush allées, terraced lawns, marble sculptures, reflection pools, and even a pair of ornamental lakes shaped like butterfly wings make exploring a constant surprise. Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the outdoors.

Sprawling beneath the Ravenel Bridge, this beautifully landscaped green space invites lounging on the grass with views of Charleston Harbor. You can also take a path up to the bridge for a stroll. Find helpful info in the visitor center, chat with Gullah artists selling traditional baskets in the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Pavilion, and spend a quiet moment listening to the waterfall fountain in the Mount Pleasant War Memorial. Kids love the playground modeled after the Ravenel Bridge, and parents appreciate that it's fenced, with benches galore. A 1,250-foot-long pier stretches into the water—grab a milkshake from the River Watch Cafe and a seat on one of the double-sided swings to watch folks fishing for their supper. Better yet, rent a rod and bait from the pier's tackle shop and cast for your own.

One of the nation's finest examples of Federal-style architecture, the Nathaniel Russell House was built in 1808 and has been restored to a 19th-century aesthetic. Its grand beauty speaks to the wealth Russell accumulated through chattel slavery and how this allowed him to become one of the city's leading merchants. The kitchen, laundry, and certain living quarters have been transformed from storage space into exhibits on the enslaved people who lived and labored here. Inside, in addition to the famous "free-flying" staircase that spirals up three stories with no visible support, the ornate interior is distinguished by Charleston-made furniture as well as paintings and works on paper by well-known American and European artists, including Henry Benbridge, Samuel F. B. Morse, and George Romney. The extensive formal garden is worth a leisurely stroll.

Housed in a building that once printed Confederate money, Neema is the city's only gallery space dedicated exclusively to Black artists from the South. The rotating collection of artwork features large-scale prints, jewelry, and ceramics from a range of local and award-winning artists. Classes and workshops are regularly offered.

Built as a customs house in 1771, this building once served as the commercial and social center of Charleston and was the primary site of the city's public auctions of enslaved people. It was also the site of many historic events, including the state's ratification of the Constitution in 1788 and two grand celebrations hosted for George Washington. In addition to its role in the transatlantic slave trade, it was also used by the British to house prisoners during the Revolutionary War, experiences that are both detailed in exhibits. Costumed interpreters bring history to life on guided tours.

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.

Climb aboard the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier—which contains the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum—as well as the destroyer USS Laffey. The carrier's flight deck features stunning views of the harbor and city skyline and up-close views of 25 airplanes and helicopters from throughout the last century of American warfare. A life-size replica of a Vietnam support base camp showcases naval air and watercraft used in that military action.

The most avant of the contemporary galleries, this striking, minimalist space is a working studio for Robert Lange and other exceptionally talented young artists. Most of the work has a hyperrealistic style with surreal overtones. This is also home base for the work of lauded, whimsical painter Nathan Durfee and local-scene veteran Fred Jamar.

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.