Top Charleston Culture in 2026

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.

Magnolia Plantation sits well outside Charleston, which puts it out of reach without a car. This half-day tour includes round-trip transfers from the Charleston Visitor Center, and a guide who walks you through the plantation house on arrival. Choose either the nature train ride through the gardens or the boat trip along the Ashley River to finish.

Explore the haunted side of Charleston with a small-group history and ghost tour. Meet your guide for a city stroll that includes popular landmarks like Hibernian Hall, Washington Park, Chalmers Street, and St. Philip’s Church. Hear scary stories and learn about local history, including true crime, during this family-friendly walking tour.

History, Haunts, & Hahas! is a small, local, mom-owned business specializing in Ghost Forensics, Ethical Storytelling, Comic Relief, and the Human Behind the Haunting. Drunk History & Haunt Jaunt combines a haunted history walk, ghost tour, and pub crawl with three designated bar stops and opportunities to independently purchase alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. Rather than repeating recycled ghost stories, we explore the real history, folklore, architecture, and hidden clues behind Charleston's legends and reported hauntings. Guests learn how to distinguish documented history from folklore, evaluate paranormal claims, and recognize common misidentifications such as pareidolia and photographic artifacts. Small groups and adaptable conversations encourage curiosity and critical thinking. Limited EMF readers may be available. Stories are shared from public spaces outside landmarks and historic sites; admission is not included. Ghost activity can never be guaranteed.

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.

Charleston's main landmarks and most picturesque streets are spread across the peninsula, and this small-group tour covers them all without the long walk. Ride in a Sprinter van past St. Michael's Church, the French Quarter, Rainbow Row and the Battery, with a local guide explaining the history and culture that has shaped the city.

Explore the darker side of Charleston and experience some of the city’s most eerie sites with this nighttime walking tour with exclusive entry to Provost Dungeon. Wind through the Historic District’s dark corridors and graveyards, and hear spooky tales of ghosts, voodoo, local superstition, and famous haunted spaces from your local guide. Cap off the tour with a chilling visit to the Provost Dungeon, a pre-Revolutionary dungeon steeped in grisly history.

As the oldest preserved plantation house in the country that’s still open to the public, Drayton Hall allows visitors to tour this early 1700s estate. Along with an admission ticket, this activity includes a guided tour of the estate as well as free time for you to take a self-guided stroll of the grounds. Drayton Hall is close to downtown Charleston and has free parking, making it a great activity for travelers short on time.

Learn about the history and heritage of Charleston during a small-group walking tour. Meet your guide for a city stroll that includes popular attractions such as the French Huguenot Church, the Dock Street Theater, and Waterfront Park. Hear stories about local architecture, historic figures, and cultural landmarks during this guided tour.

Watch the sun set above Charleston, South Carolina with a 2-hour sunset harbor cruise aboard a 45-foot motorized catamaran. Find a comfortable seat on deck, spot the landmarks of downtown Charleston and the waterfront, and watch for the dolphins and sea birds that thrive along the South Carolina shoreline. Enjoy a relaxing break from the city while spending a romantic evening on the water.

Visit Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens on this 4.5-hour tour from Charleston, South Carolina. One of the oldest working plantations in the United States, Boone Hall was founded in 1681 and still grows crops. During your tour led by a guide in period costume, you'll see the plantation's slave quarters and learn about its history and modern-day use. Select a morning or afternoon departure time when booking. Enjoy a personalized experience on this small-group tour of just 15 people.

Covering Charleston's historic peninsula on foot takes time and energy, especially in the summer heat. This bus tour covers more ground in less time, for an overview of the city from past to present. Take in the architecture, church steeples, and ironwork as you go, and hear local stories on everything from Gullah culture to sweetgrass baskets.

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 in the historic district, including the French Quarter and "South of Broad." Admire landmarks, including Rainbow Row and White Point Garden, and learn about the city's history from your licensed guide.

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.

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.

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.

See the historical sights of Charleston on a walking tour with a guide who tells you about the city's long history. You'll wander along narrow streets and alleys, passing by antebellum homes and other attractions as you listen to stories about Charleston's past 300 years.

See Charleston's most celebrated streets on your own schedule, without waiting for a group or keeping pace with a guide. This smartphone GPS walking tour leads you through the heart of historic downtown—past the grand antebellum homes of the Battery, the pastel facades of Rainbow Row, and along the waterfront—with location-triggered audio commentary that plays automatically as you walk.

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.

This Charleston ghost cruise brings you to the city’s spooky sites that can’t be reached on foot. Board a 45-foot catamaran and set sail on the Charleston Harbor, passing by the sites of pirate attacks, naval battles, and more. As you sail, your guide tells haunting stories of Charleston’s past.

Hear all about Charleston, South Carolina and its storied past with a Ph.D historian for a guide on this walking tour. Walk the city streets as part of a small group, seeing popular local attractions like the French Quarter, St. Michael’s Church, Dock Street Theater, Fort Sumter National Monument, and lots more.

Cruise through Lowcountry tidal creeks and marshes en route to the uninhabited Morris Island on this boat cruise from the Charleston area. A private boat company launches from Bowens Island for the scenic ride through an estuary rich in biodiversity before a soft landing on Morris Island. Spend free time to taking photos of the historic Morris Island Lighthouse, combing for seashells, and looking out for birds, sea turtles, and dolphins before your return.

If you’re someone who likes to discover a new city but aren’t interested in the crowds or the pace of a standard tour, then this self-guided audio tour of Charleston is an excellent choice for you. You’ll explore the city’s historical French Quarter on foot at your own pace and on your own schedule. Using your phone, you’ll be guided through the city streets, hearing stories from pre-Civil War times up to the present.

Discover the history of Charleston on this private walking tour. Follow your professional and native Charlestonian guide around the city’s historical downtown and see notable landmarks such as St. Michael’s Church, Rainbow Row, the Battery, Nathaniel Russell House, and more, and hear stories that bring the people, sites, and history of Charleston to life.