Top Charleston Architecture Tours

Travel back in time to discover one of America’s most historic cities—Charleston, South Carolina—on this guided small-group walking tour. Explore some of the city’s most enchanting alleys and hidden passages. Visit the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, a colonial building with a 300-year history; Rainbow Row, the longest cluster of Georgian row houses in the United States; plus historic Philadelphia Alley, and many more.

Travel back in time to discover one of America’s most historic cities—Charleston, South Carolina—on this guided walking tour. Visit points of interest including Charleston City Hall; the Dock Street Theatre, America’s first theatre; the Old Exchange Building, South Carolina's most historic building; White Point Garden, in the heart of Charleston’s historic district with a spectacular view of Fort Sumter, and many more.

Without a guided walking tour, you might miss some of the eclectic history and hidden nooks and crannies around Charleston that make this city such a gem. This walking tour takes you through the French Quarter and South of Broad neighborhoods to top sights such as the Rainbow Row, the Old Slave Mart Museum, and the Old Exchange, all while your guide shares stories from Charleston history and lore.

Learn all about more than 300 years of history on this guided carriage tour of Charleston. See the many mansions, churches, and gardens as your horse-drawn carriage tour covers more than 2.5 miles and 30 blocks of historic Charleston. Belgian and Percheron draft horses lead you through the streets while you learn about this “Holy City” and its role in the Civil War—leave your guidebook at home, these stories are better.

Get out on the waters of Charleston Harbor during this cruise aboard an 84-foot-tall (25-meter) classic tall ship. As the crew hoists the sails of the schooner, you glide past some of the city's historical sights and watch for dolphins in the water. The route varies depending on the sailing conditions. Drinks are available to purchase on board. Select a morning or afternoon departure time when booking.

See the highlights of Charleston in comfort on this guided tour on a climate-controlled minibus. Learn more from your guide’s narration as you ride past must-see Charleston sights such as the Battery, the Citadel, Old City Market, and Hampton Park. Also enjoy spectacular views of Fort Sumter, Castle Pinckney, and the Sullivan Island Lighthouse from a distance. The express tour provides an ideal overview for first-time visitors to Charleston.

Embark on a horse-drawn carriage tour through the heart of historic Charleston, one of the most charming cities in the US. Ride along cobblestone streets and take in the antebellum architecture, historic landmarks, and lush gardens. Your knowledgeable guide shares fascinating stories about Charleston’s rich history and Southern culture. This is a charming introduction to this part of Charleston.

Pickup and drop-off from downtown Charleston, South Carolina make it easy to tour Magnolia Plantation, one of the oldest plantations in the South. This 4-in-1 tour includes a narrated drive out to the plantation, a walking tour of the garden, tram tour through the property, and tour of the house itself, providing incredible value.

Kayaking in the tidal marshes around Charleston is a must-do for wildlife lovers, but without a guide by your side, you’re likely to miss a lot. This tour gets you out on the water with a guide who knows the best spots to go for sightings. While you never know just what you’ll see, creatures that live in these waters include Loggerhead turtles, bottlenose dolphins, and more.

Bring your appetite for this tasty walking tour of downtown Charleston. You’ll spend a few hours of mouthwatering fun touring the culinary side of the Holy City, learning about the history of the city as you dine at four local restaurants. Explore the French Quarter and the Market while tasting traditional and contemporary Lowcountry cuisine.

Trade the typical tours and peek into Charleston’s shadowy history with a chilling nighttime walking tour of the city’s eeriest sites. Wind through the dark corridors of the Historic District and hear spooky tales of graveyard hauntings, voodoo, and botched burials from your guide. Pass by infamous locations with grisly histories and wander through Charleston’s oldest cemetery after hours.

Join Charleston native and host of the popular Pleasing Terrors Podcast, Mike Brown, on this 90-minute Pleasing Terrors Night-Time Walking Ghost Tour. Join Mike as he combines suspenseful storytelling with unparalleled knowledge of the hidden and often frightening stories lurking in Charleston's past and present.

Get all the thrills of a Charleston ghost tour without any walking on this haunted horse and carriage ride. A horse and carriage takes you down twisting side streets and cobbled alleyways with ease as your guide shares spooky stories from Charleston’s past. Make your way past the Mills House, the Circular Congregational Graveyard, and and Provost Dungeon in the heart of the Holy City.

Enjoy a time-saving way to explore one of the country’s most historic cities on this sightseeing bus tour of Charleston, South Carolina. Visit Rainbow Row, the longest stretch of Georgian row houses in the United States; the Old Exchange Building; White Point Garden, in the heart of the city's historic district; and more. You can also upgrade to include admission to the Joseph Manigault House or the Charleston Museum.

Experience Charleston's rich tapestry of history on your own terms with complete freedom to explore at your own pace, lingering at sites that captivate you most while bypassing crowded group dynamics and rigid schedules. Your expertly crafted audio experience unveils exclusive historical insights and hidden stories that even longtime residents rarely know. Unlike traditional guided tours that rush you past Charleston's treasures, this authentic local experience allows you to truly absorb the atmosphere of each sacred space and historic landmark while discovering fascinating details that guidebooks simply cannot capture. Choose your own adventure by selecting which attractions speak to your interests, creating a personalized exploration that reveals Charleston's secrets through engaging storytelling that keeps you captivated from start to finish, all while enjoying the superior flexibility of pausing, replaying, and revisiting any moment that strikes your curiosity.

Charleston is often called a living museum, and this 60-minute walking tour brings its architectural history to life. Starting at the 1841 Greek Revival Market Hall, you’ll stroll Meeting Street to admire landmarks like the Circular Congregational Church and the Fireproof Building, while learning how Charleston’s built environment reflects English, French, and Barbadian influences. You’ll also discover how earthquakes, preservation, and adaptive reuse shaped the city’s landscape, ending the tour back near the Market. Highlights include: • Explore the “Four Corners of Law” with its diverse architectural styles • Examine Charleston’s iconic single house design with breezy side piazzas • Discover Rainbow Row’s colorful past and pastel façades • Learn about the 1886 earthquake’s impact on architecture • Identify French and English ironwork patterns • See South Carolina’s oldest public building, built to withstand explosions • Understand how adaptive reuse keeps historic Charleston alive

Join us on an insightfully historic immersion tour which traces the history of Charleston left out of our history books. Charleston's storied past will come alive as we tour the original walled city and learn the how, when and where it all happened by walking in the footsteps of Charleston's living history!