Charleston Harbor Live Narrated History Day or Sunset Boat Cruise
Badge of Excellence
Charleston, USA
+5
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
See the Charleston Harbor by boat with a leisurely sightseeing tour along the Cooper River to Fort Sumter National Monument. Leave the guidebook at home, because this fully-narrated tour focuses on Charleston, South Carolina's history from Civil War sites to antebellum houses and landmarks, passes under Cooper River bridges, and explores a waterfront that’s home to bottlenose dolphins and pelicans.
- See Charleston from a whole new perspective
- Get unique insights about Charleston’s history from a guide
- Fun for the whole family—feel free to bring the kids
- Choose from multiple cruise times to best suit your schedule
What's Included
- 90-minute Charleston Harbor Sightseeing Cruise from Charleston, South Carolina
- Select from Morning, Afternoon, or Sunset Departure Times
- Enjoy panoramic views from aboard the unique 80-foot Carolina Belle
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 10 Wharfside St, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
Departure Point: Charleston Maritime Center Address: 10 Wharfside Street, Charleston, SC 29401
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Begin at the Charleston Maritime Center, which is centrally located in Charleston, South Carolina's French Quarter. Present your tour voucher before boarding the 80-foot sightseeing boat, then set off along the Cooper River.
Listen to stories from the boat captain throughout the tour, as you pass some of Charleston’s historic sites. Get close up views of Fort Sumter, the fortified island where the first shots were fired in the Civil War. Pass the Essex-class USS Yorktown, a ‘fighting lady’ aircraft carrier from the Second World War that earned eleven battle stars in her dramatic military career.
Take in Fort Moultrie and Fort Johnson, a pair of forts that housed Confederate and Union soldiers, and see St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, which survived Revolutionary and Civil War fighting by painting its steeple black. Pass elegant antebellum homes on the Battery, and navigate beneath the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, a modern span that links downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. Drinks are available for purchase onboard throughout the trip, which concludes with drop-off at the Charleston Maritime Center.
Listen to stories from the boat captain throughout the tour, as you pass some of Charleston’s historic sites. Get close up views of Fort Sumter, the fortified island where the first shots were fired in the Civil War. Pass the Essex-class USS Yorktown, a ‘fighting lady’ aircraft carrier from the Second World War that earned eleven battle stars in her dramatic military career.
Take in Fort Moultrie and Fort Johnson, a pair of forts that housed Confederate and Union soldiers, and see St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, which survived Revolutionary and Civil War fighting by painting its steeple black. Pass elegant antebellum homes on the Battery, and navigate beneath the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, a modern span that links downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. Drinks are available for purchase onboard throughout the trip, which concludes with drop-off at the Charleston Maritime Center.
Fort Sumter National Monument (Pass By)
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge (Pass By)
Charleston Waterfront Park (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- There is a flat pier out to the boat and the boarding ramp is about 30 feet long. Travelers will board on the top deck and there are stairs to the lower level. Restrooms are located on the top deck.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 185 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.4
based on 3,282 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
If you are handicapped it is very difficult to get on board and off.
Make sure you are on right side of boat so you don’t miss almost everything.
Other than that nice relaxing tour.
Very well done. It was organized and informative. The weather even cooperated! Perfect way to have a boat ride and learn Charleston history.
Great way to see Charleston from the water. Sat downstairs in AC, very comfortable and were able to see well. Guide was very informative and told us about the city history. Sunset views were nice
We sat on the top deck in the front of the boat and the sound quality of the narration by Captain Dan was great. The narration, which is not offered by most (any?) other cruises was a plus from our perspective. As other reviewers commented, seats are plastic chairs in rows on the deck. Crew was all very nice and they take a picture of your group as you board and offer the picture for sale as the cruise ends. The day we went was quite windy and gray but the ship was very calm and steady. Recommended to give you the perspective of Charleston and surrounding islands from the water.
The boat needs a major refresh. The windows down stairs were broken and dirty. The tables were old and looked just thrown together.
Very enjoyable sunset cruise on the Cooper river! Captain pointed out historic sites, commercial development & local marine wildlife. Crew were friendly & polite. Highly recommend!
Enjoyed the harbor cruise!! It was educational, funny, and felt oh so short..
1.5hrs went by so quickly, and our guide/captain explained so much of charleston's history to us. He showed us Fort Sumter, Sullivan's island, explained the history of the Arthur Ravnel bridge, to name just a few of the points of interest.
I highly recommend this tour.
It was a great tour with lots of historic information. The captain was very funny. It’s a great tour for families. We had 10 family members and truly enjoyed our ride.
Very informative and smooth ride, very happy with the experience employees were extra special to me and my family
This a really fun way to see Charleston and get a little history as well. I work at local restaurant on the beach and will be telling people to put this on their list of adventures while visiting our great city!!!
The Charleston Harbor Sunset cruise was relaxing, educational and enjoyable and the views were fantastic. The entire crew was top-notch: 10/10 recommend.
This is an older ship. The pictures are very misleading in ad. . We paid nearly $400.00 for the six of us. The ship is in need of care. The upper deck was ridiculously packed.. so we went downstairs discovering, air-conditioning tables and chairs however, windows needs to be cleaned. . Had a huge broken window by us old gum stuck on the windowsill, carpet peeled up. disappointed with the condition of the boat! captain was friendly and informative . Bottle water too expensive bring your own water! It’s just a cruise around the bay. You don’t get close enough to really see anything. Would not do again. We should have done Fort Sumter. We are a fun crowd this was a waste of money.
A great overview of Charleston history, beautiful scenery, and fun narration by our captain. Highly recommend to tourists and residents alike!
I appreciated the narrator and the friendly crew. Unfortunately we had bad weather but we still had fun.
Make sure you travel with people you enjoy. You will likely meet fun people on the boat as well. We had rain and did not get the full experience and that was okay because of the fun people we met on the boat.
Unfortunately rain and lightening caused our trip to be cut short. Will we receive any type of refund ?
We didn’t easily find the place. Crew was courteous and helpful. The air conditioned lower deck was hot but at least out of the sun. Enjoyed seeing and hearing the interesting history of Charleston.
Very fun and lots of history. Jackson and his crew were great. Something fun to do on a hot day. Happy we tried something new
Super fun tour a great blend of local lore and history! We also got to see a couple of dolphins very close to the boat!
I was disappointed that the narrated sites were so distant, that I couldn'.t admire any upscale homes, couldn.t really see Ft. Sumter or the lighthouses, etc. clearly. To top it off, I paid $12 for a slushy drink that was okay but not worth the price.
It was a great experience with a helpful and fun crew.
The boat has some years behind it but it did great. Highly recommend this trip.
It was a great harbor cruise. Helpful and kind staff, smooth cruise boat, and the rain even stopped for us. It was a very informative cruise that we thoroughly enjoyed.
Nice calm boat cruise with informative tour guide explaining some interesting facts on the city of Charleston! Also had a bar with various drinks and snacks which we enjoyed. We would recommend for all ages. It was a great way to unwind in the evening and we also got to see some dolphins too! 5 stars!
Great family fun. Easy to find and lots of fun
The crew is very knowledgeable and great personality.
Great experience, friendly workers, and very interesting information about Charleston! I would recommend this for everyone, family and friends.
Fantastic excursion cruise! The staff was professional and courteous, and the music played throughout the cruise added to the fun and relaxing experience. I would definitely do it again.
Highly recommend! Jackson was an allstar knowledgeable Captain, and Emory was so friendly and answered our questions. It was one of the highlights of our trip! The music was also awesome! Jackson dis a great job with that too!
We had a very Knowledgeable captain so we learned a lot. We stayed mainly in the air conditioned cabin, but I did go to the deck for some pics.
Very Knowledgeable, staff very friendly and weather cooperated!!! Scenery was beautiful and tour showed key points of interest.
The Charleston Harbor History Cruise is an informative and relaxing event. Being on a boat in the harbor is therapeutic.
Member Pricing
From
$42.27
per personWas $44.50(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Charleston Harbor Live Narrated History Day or Sunset Boat Cruise
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1 hour 30 minutes
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