The Best of Charleston: History, Culture & Architecture Tour

Badge of ExcellenceCharleston, USA

The Best of Charleston History Culture and Architecture Tour

2 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Your guide brings history to life during this Charleston walking tour of the city's historical downtown. See notable buildings including the Nathaniel Russell House, the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, and the Old Slave Mart Museum. As you walk over the flat and easy terrain with your guide, discover the history that occurred right under your feet and around every corner from Rainbow Row to the Battery.

Historic Charleston walking tour
See historic buildings like Dock Street Theater and City Hall
Learn about Charleston history from a licensed guide
Ideal for first-time and returning visitors alike

What's Included

Tour guide

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

122 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
We meet on the north side of the building. There is a tree and two park benches next to a Gillon Street (cobblestone).

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Rainbow Row

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Old Slave Mart Museum

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Charleston City Hall

2 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Dock Street Theater

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Edmondston-Alston House

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

St. Michael's Church

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Nathaniel Russell House

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 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

Reviews

5.0

268 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 268 reviews

Great Tour!

Lin_M, Apr 2024

Great Tour! Fun way to learn the history of Charleston & explore the town. Guide was very knowledgeable & personable.

Excellent

Mark_R, Apr 2024

Very knowledgeable, personable, comprehensive., and insightful. Very good introduction to Charlestown.

Good mix of history and architecture

Rhonda_A, Apr 2024

Brian had an extensive amount of knowledge and enthusiasm for Charleston. We had an interesting afternoon and covered a lot of ground on our walking tour.

Great Tour

Collene_W, Apr 2024

We had a great tour with Brian. He is so knowledgeable of Charleston’s history. We took his tour the first day in town and it was a wonderful overview.

Choose him for your tour

John_M, Apr 2024

Brian was knowledgeable and personable. Small groups and great time. he spent extra time with us and had great stories.

Phenomenal

Jessica_S, Apr 2024

Brian is an excellent guide. Professional, friendly, punctual and very knowledgeable. This tour was supposed to be 2 hours but ended up being longer because he had free time before his next tour. Very kind of him! Highly recommend this tour for anyone especially a first time visitor to Charleston, like me! Thank you!!

Good to learn historical details

Hugo_G, Apr 2024

The opportunity to go inside two churches and the theater, the explanations and details provided Good pace to cover the route

Wonderful tour of Charleston

Maureen_H, Apr 2024

Brian was an excellent guide for the “Best of Charleston” tour - very knowledgeable and informative.

Excellent knowledge of...

Lynda_S, Apr 2024

Excellent knowledge of Charleston history! Great personality! We had a group of 6 women and everyone loved Brian. I would recommend him to anyone!

Fintastic!

Roger_L, Apr 2024

Fin, our tour guide was excellent - very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Charleston, its history and architecture. A great way to start our 3 days in this beautiful city - and he gave us good advice on where else to visit!

Take a trip back in time

KathrynLynn_F, Apr 2024

Finn was a wonderful ambassador for Charleston. His passion and knowledge of the history of Charleston was impressive. He took us on a trip back in time which was a great framework for an excellent tour.

Highly recommend this tour

Anne_H, Apr 2024

Wonderful tour of Charleston. We thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a ton. Had a group of seven women from Connecticut

Fin was great!! So kind...

Sydney_M, Apr 2024

Fin was great!! So kind and knowledgeable. He tailored our “journey” to our interests which made it very engaging!

Best Experience!

Annette_G, Apr 2024

We enjoyed and appreciated Fin as our tour guide. Very knowledgeable! Fun experience walking the city.

Stories and architecture of Charleston

DavidK_D, Mar 2024

Brian was very knowledgeable on the architecture and history of Charleston. I loved the alleys, churches, and homes, but especially enjoyed some of the stories

Expert information.

Stacey_G, Mar 2024

Brian was a wealth of information. He was personable. This tour is for those very interested in the history and architecture. It is best suited for adults. There was a lot of walking, which was fine for me, just saying.

Great Walking Tour.

Kristian_B, Mar 2024

Great tour. This is a walking tour. The walk is flat, very easy, and visits many different areas in the old city. This tour is a great way to get a general overview of the city history. The guide knew the history of the city well, and the size of our group was kept small. We saw many historical sites, but the tour does not include entry.

GOTTA DO THIS!

Dede_C, Mar 2024

The entire experience was incredible. Fin was so engaging, full of knowledge & history that the 2 hour tour seemed like 10 minutes. His approach to the beginning of Charleston put everything in perspective. I would go again.

Historic Walk

Nancy_B, Mar 2024

Learning the back stories of Charleston Brian did an amazing job bringing the history to life and teaching about the architecture.

Great jouney through the centuries of Charlestons existence.

Harvey_H, Mar 2024

Fin gave us a wonderful tour filled with his passion for his work and excellent information about Charleston. He took us on a great journey through the centuries of Charleston’s existence. Thank you!!

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