Visit historic Fort Sumter in Charleston, the site of the battle which signified the start of the American Civil War. This tour is provided by the only operator within the city that includes both round trip ferry service in addition to entry into Fort Sumter. Enjoy a scenic 30-minute cruise each way along Charleston Harbor from two convenient departure locations, Liberty Square and Patriots Point. On the way, view top Charleston sites such as Rainbow Row and the Battery from your ferry. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by National Park Rangers who will relay stories of America's deadliest war before your 1-hour self-guided tour of Fort Sumter National Monument. Make sure to leave time for a stop at the museum and souvenir shop before making your way back to Charleston or Mt. Pleasant.

Fort Sumter National Monument Admission Ticket with Round Trip Ferry Service
Ferry departure from two convenient locations, Liberty Square and Patriots Point
30-minute scenic ferry ride each way along Charleston Harbor
1-Hour Self Guided Tour of Fort Sumter and its ruins
Hear stories of the American Civil War from Fort Sumter's National Park Rangers
Access to the Museum, Bookstore, and Souvenir Shop

What's Included

Admission to historic Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina
Round-Trip Ferry Transportation from Liberty Square or Patriots Point (30-minutes each way)
1-hour Self-Guided Tour to explore Fort Sumter and its well-preserved ruins
Experience the opening battle of the American Civil War with a National Park Ranger
Access to the Fort Sumter Museum, Bookstore, and Souvenir Shop

Food & Beverages (available for purchase)
Gratuities

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What To Expect

Fort Sumter National Monument

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center

Admission Ticket Free

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge (Pass By)

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum (Pass By)

Fort Moultrie (Pass By)

Battery & White Point Gardens (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
The ferries are equipped with an elevator/lift and handicapped accessible restrooms. The Liberty Square boarding ramp can accommodate electric & manual wheelchairs and scooters except in extreme tide situations. Although the restrooms on Fort Sumter are accessible only by climbing a flight of stairs, the ferry remains at the Fort so that restrooms on the boat are available during your visit.

There is currently no Elevator Service at Fort Sumter – the museum, restrooms, bookstore and top level of Fort Sumter are only accessible by climbing stairs.
Please note the Fort Sumter Tour is a boat excursion dependent on changing weather and tide conditions, Fort Sumter Tours cannot and does not guarantee accessibility. Ramps used to access the ferry can vary based on tides and adverse conditions.
Tours run rain or shine. Only the Captain has the final say as to whether he feels it needs to be canceled due to weather. That decision is made at the time of departure and throughout the duration of the tour.
3:45 tour departing from Patriots Point is a 3 hour tour in total time.
Charleston County has now dropped into a medium risk level for Covid-19, therefore masks are not required, but optional.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 385 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Mary_S

What an AWESOME experience! It was a beautiful & peaceful ferry ride! We enjoyed the views of the bridge & the city, the bay, and the boats going by. The ferry ride did get pretty windy and chilly so I recommend bringing a jacket, but I was okay without one despite that I am typically always cold. We learned so much during the trip; on the ferry ride as we passed certain locations they had facts play over the speakers, and while we were at the fort the Park Ranger gave a very informative speech (about 10 to 15 minutes) about the history of the fort and all that happened there. Throughout the fort there are signs that teach you quite a bit too about each area. We appreciated being in a place with such rich history! The Fort is so well taken care of and has incredible views. The Park Rangers are very knowledgeable and friendly, and the ferry staff was great, as well. We wished would have had longer to explore the Fort; you are given an hour (We still got to see pretty much the whole Fort and enjoy the experience. It would have been even better to have an hour & a half to 2 hours because there is so much to see, read & learn, as well as to to just take in the views & what all happened there.). It was an Unforgettable and Great experience! We absolutely recommend it!!!

Reviews

4.5

1,612 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

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Showing 1-10 of 1,612 reviews

Nice Tour - Not Long Enough

Pamela_C, Apr 2024

Seeing the fort & learning some history. Tour should have been at least 30 minutes longer, 1 hour is not enough.

Ft. sumpter harbor cruise.

Linda_B, Apr 2024

Worth while excursion. Knowledgeable gentleman giving history information gong over to Ft. Sumpter and returning. My family had a wonderful time. I recommend this excursion.

Great tour but more time is needed.

Aidah_P, Apr 2024

Great excursion with so much history to take in but more time is needed on this tour. The tour was about an hour short of the adequate time needed to fully enjoy the Fort as well as the museum.

Worth the trip

Margaret_R, Apr 2024

Nice ride to the fort but the boat should've been cleaned up before packing so many people on it. Bolts missing from seats and a film of dirt on them. It was a beautiful day for a Fort Sumter visit and the guide was informative.

Educational

Leslie_H, Apr 2024

Enjoyed flag ceremony . Weather was great. Bathroom on the island was not working though. Would recommend to others.

Educational!

Laurie_R, Apr 2024

The park rangers were extremely knowledgeable, friendly and funny. Your is well organized. Wish we had more time be side there is a lot to see!

Ft Sumter

Ed_U, Apr 2024

The history of the events and how they transpired!!! Very interesting and very friendly people… The boat ride was dull!!!!

History Comes Alive

Karen_H, Apr 2024

The ferry ride itself was wonderful, and we enjoyed the captain’s narrative. The fort is an amazing to experience, and the park ranger’s presentation was awesome!

A challenging beginning to a great trip

FranklinJ_A, Apr 2024

Just being there to see history in person! Too many suffered needlessly because of man’s inhumanity to others!

Wonderful historical tour!

Melinda_B, Apr 2024

Fun, informative trip. Nice ferry ride on the way over to the Fort. We happened to be there on April 12th which was the anniversary of the attack that started the Civil War. Highly recommend!

Well worth the price.

Mark_W, Apr 2024

We took the ferry out of Patriot Point. Very informative presentation on wayout to island. Weather was great. Great history well presented at fort.

Bruce_S, Apr 2024

There was very little to observe on the fort site. The narrator was ok. Good information but she was more like an actor than a Park Ranger

Great visit to Ft. Sumpter.

KayKynn_W, Apr 2024

Excellent experience! Ferry ride to Ft. Sumpter was beautiful! Volunteer gave an excellent talk on the history of the Fort. All of the signage at the Fort was well done. The history exhibits at Liberty Square were very interesting The entire experience was outstanding.

Nice experience but not enough time

James_W, Apr 2024

Nice experience, not enough chairs on the boat. Get in line early if you need a seat. Men’s room was out of order in Fort Sumter but there was a restroom on the boat. One hour is not enough time at Fort Sumter.

Enjoyable

Todd_K, Apr 2024

Experienced guides made trip interesting. We were fortunate to be there when reenactors were present which made it extra special.

Great experience!

Ellen_S, Apr 2024

Ranger Kalee(sp?) was amazing. She gave a talk about the fort and the goings on during the time of the start of the civil war. She was an extremely knowledgeable, passionate about the subject, and a joy to listen to. Definitely recommend this trip!😀😀

The most memorable part...

Brandon_G, Apr 2024

The most memorable part for myself was folding the American flag. Also spending time with my wife was wonderful.

Disappointed!

Donald_G, Apr 2024

We were driving a 3/4 ton pickup that does not fit in high rise garages because of height. We got downtown to Liberty Square with no parking. A ticket seller traded our ticket for the other side of the river with open lot parking. On the ferry, we could NOT hear 1 word of the tour guide. So had no idea what we were seeing. Tour was a waste of our money.

Always get the history

Linda_S, Apr 2024

Ride across the bay was beautiful; brief history at the fort was informative; available to answer questions and free to explore all timed well.

Ferry was way...

Todd_F, Apr 2024

Ferry was way overcrowded, but overall a good way to spend 2 and a 1/2 hours. We visited the day of the beginning of the Civil War. April 12th. Wish they would have had something special going on for that anniversary.

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