Location: Charleston
Top Things to do in Charleston
The 10 Best Historic Sites in Charleston, South Carolina (SC)
Historic Charleston is bursting with Southern charm and hospitality. The city feels a bit like it’s suspended in time, thanks to its antebellum architecture and surrounding plantation landscapes. Take in incredible views of the Battery and the French Quarter as you stroll the Waterfront Park, then become inspired by the cultivated beauty of the gardens at Middleton Place. At night, try a ghost tour for an introduction to the spooky side of the city.
Restaurants in Charleston
1. Saint Luke's Chapel
2. Old St. Andrew's Parish Church
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By zenborzoi - Alexandria, United States
This quaint early 18th church is a treasure of colonial architecture with wonderful grounds to walk about. Constructed in 1706, this church is the oldest surviving church structure in South Carolina. Definitely worth a visit when in the area.
3. Old Bethel United Methodist Church
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7 reviews
Why: Every Thursday , Friday, Saturday we open the doors of Charleston third oldest structure " Old Bethel United Methodist Church" . To educate tourists on the history and origins of the enslaved peoples of the Low Country and how their resilience and influence created the modern day African-American and Gullah-Geechee communities. We give visitors a chance to come in and sit, sing, see, and be apart of living h
4. South Carolina Society Hall
5. Aiken-Rhett House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,601 reviews
The Aiken-Rhett House (c. 1820) is one of the best-preserved townhouse complexes in the nation. Vastly expanded by Governor and Mrs. William Aiken, Jr. in the 1830s and again in the 1850s, the house and its outbuildings include a kitchen, the original quarters of the enslaved, carriage block and back lot. When Historic Charleston Foundation assumed ownership in 1995, we adopted a preserved-as-found preservation approach, meaning the structure and contents are left in an “as-found” state, including furniture, architecture and finishes that have not been altered since the mid 19th century. While many dependency buildings in Charleston have been demolished or adapted, the Aiken-Rhett slave quarters – with their original paint, floors and fixtures – survive virtually untouched since the 1850s, allowing visitors the chance to better comprehend the every-day realities of the enslaved Africans who lived and labored here. A 45-minute audio tour is available, last tour at 4pm.
Reviewed By DesigningWoman13 - Memphis, United States
This "preserved" house and slave quarters, with ts easy-to-use audio guide, gives you an excellent insight into how the upper classes lived in the 18th and 19th centuries, along with a good perspective on the slave side of the experience. Good, rounded view.
6. Thomas Elfe House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9 reviews
7. Nathaniel Russell House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,952 reviews
A National Historic Landmark, the Nathaniel Russell House Museum was completed in 1808 by merchant Nathaniel Russell. The home’s graceful, free-flying, three-story staircase is an architectural marvel and the elegant interiors with elaborate plasterwork, geometrically shaped rooms, formal gardens and collection of 18th-century decorative and fine art speak to the wealth of Charleston’s elite in the early days of the American Republic. Restored to its original splendor using forensic analysis and cutting-edge conservation technology by our curatorial staff, we ensure the highest standards of old-world expertise to replicate the finishes, fixtures and textiles appropriate for this 200-year old townhouse. The 18 enslaved Africans that lived on and maintained this property are an integral part of its history. Archaeological artifacts, educational panels and ongoing restoration of the enslaved quarters are vital to learning more about the enslaved and telling their important stories.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Nathaniel Russell, a wealthy shipping merchant, built this magnificent three-story, Federal-style, 9,600-square-foot rectangular townhouse in 1808. Today, it is recognized as one of America's most important Neoclassical houses. It was designated a National Landmark in 1960 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Located at 51 Meeting Street in Charleston, South Carolina, the prestigious house was built to display Russell's prominence as one of the wealthiest citizens of the community. Constructed of Carolina gray brick, the three-bay entrance front emphasizes height rather than width with the main living areas on the second and third levels. The first-story entrance front is dominated by the residence's grand entrance door. The house features three main rooms per floor, each of different geometric designs: a front rectangular room, a center oval room and a square room in the rear. The most important architectural feature of the house is the elliptical spiral staircase, which ascends three floors and is showcased by a golden walled stair hall. The second floor oval drawing room is the most highly decorated room in the house and is where the women of the house retired to after dinner. Papered in apricot, it features elaborate plaster moldings covered with 24-karat gold leaf. The Adamesque ornamentation of the fireplaces' mantles and cornices are among the most detailed in the city. Though most of the art and furniture displayed in the house are not original to the Nathaniel Russell House, they are of the correct period when the Russell family inhabited the house and many are of Charleston origin. The house and grounds are separated from the street by a brick and wrought iron fence with the entrance gate flanked by tall brick columns. To the south of the house is the garden that was originally laid out in a geometric arrangement with patterned beds of flowers, ornamental shrubs and large orange and grapefruit trees. Today, a formal English garden can be found with gravel paths, boxwood hedges and plants favored in the 19th century. In the rear of the house is the two-story slave quarters that housed many of the 18 slaves that lived and worked at the Nathaniel Russell House.
8. Heyward-Washington House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 394 reviews
Historic mansion open to the public.
Reviewed By BilB126357 - Boston, United States
I absolutely loved this beautiful house! The tour guide was very informative and thorough. The house was perfectly decorated with wonderful antique furniture and is in a beautiful neighborhood.
9. The Charleston Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,039 reviews
The Charleston Museum, America's First Museum, founded in 1773. Its mission is to preserve and interpret the cultural and natural history of Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry. We invite you to explore this rich, varied history at the Museum and its two National Historic Landmark houses, The Joseph Manigault and Heyward Washington Historic Houses. All are located downtown, in America's Most Historic City. Featuring: Lowcountry History, Historic Armory, Charleston in the Revolutionary War, "City Under Seige" (civil war), The Bunting Natural History Gallery, Kidstory, and Historic Textiles Gallery.
Reviewed By robinbeam - Oklahoma City, United States
We went to this museum as part of our Charleston Tour Pass. It is small, but very well curated. The display of local silver was lovely. They also have items from a local whale skeleton to an Egyptian mummy. Very eclectic.
10. Fort Sumter National Monument
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5,603 reviews
Learn all about this storied spot of the first clash between the Union and Confederate armies in the Civil War, in which the Union forces finally surrendered after a 34-hour bombardment by the Rebels.
Reviewed By lrb06901
Knowledgeable NP rangers at the visitor center, lovely boat ride and memorable flag raising ceremony in the morning for those that helped AND watched to raise our flag.
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