Day Trips to Charleston#7 See Ft Sumter,CarriageTour,Lunch & more
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Myrtle Beach, USA
- 11 to 12 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Escape beach crowds of Myrtle Beach and embark on a day trip to Charleston and Fort Sumter. Experience the best of Charleston as you explore the historic district in a horse-drawn carriage, shop in the city market, and enjoy a boat ride around Charleston Harbor. Then, head to Fort Sumter for a pass by to the national monument as well as a tour of Boone Hall Plantation.
- Learn about the history of South Carolina
- Enjoy a boxed lunch during your boat tour
- Hassle-free transfers from several locations
- Travel in spacious, air-conditioned comfort
What's Included
- Lunch
- Air-conditioned vehicle
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.
Itinerary
Escape the crowded Myrtle Beach and relax as you are picked up and transported via motorcoach. Immerse yourself in the charm and history of Charleston as you explore the historic district in a horse-drawn carriage.
Stop to browse and shop in the bustling city market, then take a scenic boat ride around Charleston Harbor. During your boat tour, recharge with a delightful boxed lunch before continuing the journey.
Afterwards, discover the secrets of Fort Sumter with a guided tour inside the national monument where the civil war began. Lastly, gain a better understanding of South Carolina's past with a tour of Boone Hall Plantation before enjoying your relaxing ride back.
Stop to browse and shop in the bustling city market, then take a scenic boat ride around Charleston Harbor. During your boat tour, recharge with a delightful boxed lunch before continuing the journey.
Afterwards, discover the secrets of Fort Sumter with a guided tour inside the national monument where the civil war began. Lastly, gain a better understanding of South Carolina's past with a tour of Boone Hall Plantation before enjoying your relaxing ride back.
1
South Carolina
4 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Old South Carriage Company
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
Charleston City Market
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Fort Sumter National Monument (Pass By)
4
Charleston Harbor Tours
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
5
Boone Hall Plantation
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travellers can participate
- Not recommended for travelers under age 4
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 55 travellers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveller Photos
Reviews
4.3
based on 265 reviews
Sheri_W, Apr 2026
Absolutely no time to walk around the market. Very disappointing. Don't pick the boat ride tour if you want to see the market. 2.5 ?hour drive there and back and we didn't get to walk around at all on our own.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
This tour is a busy day and overview of Charleston. We're sorry if you felt rushed but that's why we offer the option to book transport only and walk around on your own all day. Perhaps next time, you can choose that option directly.
Deborah_S, Apr 2026
Was a pretty nice tour. Saw many highlights of Charleston and some of Boon Plantation. Would have been nice to see more of the plantation and gather more history about it.
The Carriage ride was very good, and very informative. Our guide mentioned and pointed out many historical aspects of Charleston.
The boat ride was ok. I thought the box lunch was the highlight. The narration was boring,and didn’t appreciate them mentioning and telling us how much to tip them.
If I was to do the tour again, I would just do the Carriage ride and market .
DeAnn_F, Apr 2026
It was just what they said it would be! We had lots of fun and learned a lot. We loved the carriage rode and the knowledge Paul shared.
George_C, Feb 2026
While in Myrtle Beach we decided to take a day trip tour to Charleston. We took tour number 7 with a carriage tour, lunch cruise and Boone Planation. Everything went as planned. We had a good time visiting Charleston.
Eric_B, Nov 2025
Our day trip to Charleston was amazing experience . It includes a horse drawn carriage ride in the historic area . We saw Fort Sumpter , nice houses , dolphins etc.in a boat ride . Then Boone Hall Plantation is a beautiful place with lots of big old oak trees along the long driveway , slave cabins and did their tractor tour. It was filled with history and fun. Enjoyed it a lot.
Clarina_C, Nov 2025
We we're lost at first but the bus driver called and helped us It started stressful but ended up very relaxing. It is alot of walking. I wasn't able to enjoy everything as I wear out quickly. What I was able to experience (which were the things I really wanted to see was absolutely beautiful. Brian out bus driver was great.
David_W, Nov 2025
Great tour. You see a lot. Although it seems like a long time you want more time. Overall a good day
MaeFoung_G, Oct 2025
Entertaining horse carriage ride narration! Harbor cruise lunch was very disorganized. The harbor narration was “scripted” not special for specific cruise.
Jamie_A, Sept 2025
Overall quite good. Well organized, clean bus, etc.
Andrew from customer service did a nice job trying to accommodate gluten free for boxed lunch.
Timing- wise would have liked to see more of Charleston proper. Could potentially shave a little time off of Boone Plantation because their programs' timing did not always sync ( not able to tour stables because the mansion required that we line up early, for example).
Good value Overall. Lovely day.
Andy_B, Jul 2025
Had a great time. The horse drawn carriage was fantastic. Our guide Emily and Curtis our horse were number 1. Emily was so knowledgeable and friendly. Curtis was the best horse and has a great personality, the cruise was good also and lunch was good. The plantation tour was beautiful. Unfortunately with the temperature 97 degrees we didn’t want to spend much time outside. But will definitely go back there in the fall
Gregg_S, May 2025
Over all it was a nice trip, very informative. Driver was professional and all the locations were interesting.
dlcamesbury, Mar 2025
Make sure what Viator lists as pick-up options is in sync with what the local provider offers- even after confirming with Viator day before, it turned out mine wasn't; however, Viator worked it out so all ended well! The activities were interesting and enjoyable- not enough time was allotted to take in Boone Plantation but what we all COULD see/learn was great.
Cindy_L, Mar 2025
It’s not long enough at each place. You need more than one day! We learned a lot about the history. Everyone was very knowledgeable.
Joyce_F, Dec 2024
We had the most wonderful experience. The driver was very personable and knowledgeable about where we we going. Each place we visited, the tour guide was so informative. There was enough time at each site to enjoy without being rushed. I would love to use this company for my next tour adventure.
Rob_H, Nov 2024
Our guides were knowledgeable and interactive. We especially enjoyed the carriage ride and the plantation. Our driver was excellent!
Kelly_H, Sept 2024
Everything was great! All activities were well planned and went off without a hitch. And our bus driver Wendy was wonderful.
Nthabiseng_F, Aug 2024
The tour was unorganized. There was a lot of meet me here and there . The driver seemed to be in such a rush. It was really annoying. I did this tour in New York with this company and I kind of expected the same professionalism but it was not here. Disappointed
Gloria_A, Jun 2024
Best part was the harbor tour. The rest we experienced poor hospitality. No communication with guide or driver after giving our name. Timing issues. Dropped at wrong site.
Sai_S, Jun 2024
We really enjoyed the Boone Hall Plantation, very educational and all the tour guides were really good. But we didn’t care much for the boat tour. The carriage tour ride was nice but hard to hear the tour guide at the very back of the carriage, wish we had chosen to do the bus ride tour instead. Wish we would have been able to spend more time at the market place. Over all, we loved it.
Keith_B, Jun 2024
We really enjoyed the carriage ride around Charleston, learning about the history of the city. Would have loved to have had a little more time to explore the market, but the boat ride out to Ft. Sumter was wonderful. Boone Hall Plantation was a great experience as well.
Charles_S, Jun 2024
We enjoyed the horse-drawn carriage ride and the visit to the plantation but were disappointed that the boat did not stop at Fort Sumter.
Diane_F, Jun 2024
Fun tour. The day went by faster than I thought it would. Bus driver, Al, was very kind and patient despite a few people arriving late that pushed back the schedule. He remained professional and non-blaming. He gave clear instructions as to the bus location and time to board at each stop for activities. The carriage tour was great; informative and humorous. The plantation tour was great with informative posters and audios to learn about the ways of life in a bygone era. Harbor tour was informative. Lunch was so-so. Chips and cookie good, sandwich short on the meat slices (only one slice).
Miguel_A, Jun 2024
A beautiful day with a beautiful trip. Everything was great from the bus to the plantation. Definitely do it again.
Jane_W, May 2024
The #7 Charleston day trip from Myrtle Beach was just okay. If you want to get a taste of Charleston and aren't comfortable driving there yourself, this tour will give you that - a small, somewhat bland taste of it. But this tour doesn't touch on all the highlights (no Rainbow Row or Kings St., etc.) or give you a feel for the culture, shopping, & foodie scene in this beautiful town. For that, you'll have to travel there on your own, which I'd recommend if you can swing it. (Recommended itinerary is at the end of the review.)
We took this #7 tour from MB on a weekday in mid May. Unfortunately, our tour started off on the wrong foot, first with a late pick-up and then with a different type of bus than was promised. The tour company calls each party the day before your tour to confirm the pickup location and time. Instead of telling those with a hotel pickup to be ready no later than 6:30am, they were told 6:45am, so our scheduled 6:45am pickup at Ripley's Aquarium was 20min. late. Then, instead of a coach motorbus with a rest room, as advertised, we were picked up by a minibus with no rest room. Our very capable bus driver, Wendy, told us the coach was in Charleston for repairs but we may have it for the ride back to MB. We didn't. It appeared that we were put on the minibus because there were too few people booked for that day's tour - not quite even enough fill the minibus. We would have appreciated some notice of this substitution. They did call us to confirm travel the day before our trip, so that would've been a good time to tell us about the bus substitution. One member of our party has medical issues sometimes necessitating an urgent bathroom visit, which is why the motorcoach with a bathroom was appealing. Another in our group sometimes gets car sick, so the smoother ride of a coach is better for her. Our minibus did make a stop about halfway to Charleston (& on the way back) at very nice truck stop that had bleach-clean bathrooms and a large minimart, but it's not the same as having a bathroom on board a comfortable, roomy coach for the two-hour drive there and back, not to mention while traveling from one tour stop to the next.
Our first stop was just outside Charleston at a Visitor's Center to disembark those who were taking the bus tour of Charleston instead of the carriage ride (us) or enjoying City Market shopping time. The rest of us traveled on to our first real stop about a block behind City Market where we picked up our carriage tour of Charleston. While the morning ride was pleasant - the weather wasn't too hot or humid (common in Charleston) - our carriage driver & guide, Hunter, was lackluster. He was very friendly and affable, with good control of the horse, Ron, but he was not the most informative guide. Other driver/guides we passed seemed to be very animated, upbeat, and talkative, sharing the history of the town and the sights. Our driver apologetically yawned a lot throughout the trip, provided a little history, and mostly just entertained questions from the group, although he didn't always have answers. One person asked about the marker we had passed for the 1919 riots and he didn't know what it was about. A member of the group Googled it and then told us all the story. It was a Monday morning, so maybe we got him at bad time after a rough weekend or something.
After the carriage ride, we all disembarked at the carriage stables & were left to find our own way out of the place, past the horses & all the gear. (An escort through all of that would have been nice.) We had about 20 minutes left after the carriage ride to walk through City Market, which was about all we could do - walk through. Despite what the tour advertises, there really wasn't time to shop the several blocks of market buildings with hand-crafted items and specialty shops if you opted for the carriage ride. The Market's merchandise seemed rather unique and interesting but tourist-pricey.
We had to find our own way back to the bus drop-off point behind City Market by the allotted time, which wasn't too difficult, though it's a good thing we came prepared for walking on the uneven surfaces and old bricks that are in that part of town. The minibus then headed off for the harbor boat ride and lunch. When we were dropped off along the street, Wendy pointed us in the right direction to walk the block or so to the boat dock. Be aware that there is no escort to each of the activities and no narration on the bus rides. You only get transportation to each activity and are given a return time to be back on the bus. But you could leave items on the bus since the driver stayed with it the entire time, which was helpful.
The harbor tour was on the Carolina Belle, and she is certainly showing her age. Passengers could sit up top in the open air (on hard, uncomfortable seats), which most did since it was an overcast day. Or you could sit down below in the air-conditioned, somewhat musty smelling and very dated interior. Down there were tall surrounding windows to enjoy the views (except for one with several bullet holes that was covered in plastic). There also were several round tables with plastic table cloths and well-worn but padded chairs to sit on. This is where we sat to eat the bagged lunch we got when we embarked (included with our tour but not with standard Belle tickets). We were also given our choice of a fountain soft drink or a bottle of water. The 'boxed' lunch came in a bag and consisted of half a sub roll with a slice or two of turkey, lettuce (smelled of preservatives) & tomato, a bag of chips, and a package of two chocolate chip cookies. Don't take this tour for the food, bring your own if this 'boxed' lunch isn't appealing.
The harbor tour was rather uneventful. We sailed in a U-shape around Ft. Sumpter and back, but didn't get close enough to the fort to see much of anything except the island it was on and the flagpole. The captain narrated most of the trip, noting some points of interest, and relaying some history in an animated narrator voice. He pointed out the vintage aircraft carrier Yorktown across the harbor (tours available) and the island where some celebrities have homes.
The highlight of the trip was Boone Plantation, which was our final stop and about a half-hour drive from the harbor. We spent the most time here at over 2hrs. On our own, we toured the gardens, the small visitor's building that details the history of the plantation & its various owners, the slave quarters, each with its own different exhibits, and stopped for some ice cream in the little shop that also has prepared salads, sandwiches and snacks. The #7 trip includes the 25-min. guided tour of the plantation house, which was interesting for those who like history, culture, and architecture. Note that only the 1st floor of the house is open to tours because the upper floors are still occasionally in use.
Our favorite part of the plantation was the talk on Gullah culture given outdoors (under shade) by a descendant of one of the slaves. She sang traditional Gullah songs, spoke of their significance as a code for enslaved people, and how they laid the foundation for many later types of music and songs, which she also sang - and invited the audience to join in for those that were familiar. She shared lots of information about the Gullah history, culture, crafts and stories, painting a vibrant picture of the Gullah people and their survival. Definitely a highlight not to be missed! From the plantation, we headed back to MB for our drop-off, after another visit to the truck stop for a bathroom and snack break on the return trip.
If you do this tour, be prepared for a very long day. We left our resort in Grand Dunes at 6:15am and got back around 7pm. I'd suggest packing your own food and beverages and taking some cash - everyone expected a tip or donation, including the bus driver. If it's important to you, ask about the bus you're getting - wish we had done that. But, if you want to really experience Charleston, go there on your own, take a carriage ride, spend some time shopping at City Market and along Kings Street (but look for bargains elsewhere), check out Rainbow Row, maybe take the boat trip to Ft. Sumpter and do a tour of it and/or the Yorktown if you're into the history, and head out to Boone Plantation (allow 2-3hrs. there). Then, book reservations at one of the many great places to eat in this Southern foodie town before heading back to MB, or spending the night Charleston. There's more than enough to see and do for two days if you're into it.
Barbara_J, May 2024
The horse drawn carriage through downtown Charleston and the boat ride were wonderful as well as visiting Boon plantation.
Deborah_S, May 2024
Loved learning about beautiful Charleston!! Carriage ride , boat ride ! Boone Plantation was amazing also!!
Stacy_S, May 2024
A great way to learn about Charleston, South Carolina. Everyone was very friendly and informative. My favorite part was the carriage ride and seeing the historical homes. Hunter was an entertaining tour guide.
Tim_C, May 2024
Amazing trip and memories. Our tour guide Wendy went above and beyond from the time she picked us up, until after we were dropped off.
The carriage ride was fantastic seeing and learning the history of Charlston. The harbor tour was great, anytime being on the water is great. The Boone Plantation was emotional as we saw the resiliency of those cast into slavery. We could spend more time to see more of the expansive plantation.
So glad we decided on this trip.
Kelly_M, May 2024
Excellent! I learned so much!! The best part for me was the carriage ride- Shye & her horse Mac. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did! Shye was phenomenal & sooo interesting. . ‘Da Gullah woman’ at the Boone Plantation was also amazing. So much history & information in only 30 minutes of a presentation! I could have listened to her all day!!
cathy_g, May 2024
We were very happy overall with the tour. We did feel the details of the tour implied you would go to Fort Sumpter. The tour guides and bus driver Wendy were all very nice and knowledgeable.
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