The 9 Best History Tours in Charleston, SC

The former local TV host on Carolina Camera, Michael Trouche, has written two books on Charleston. His lineage in Charleston goes back for more than 200 years. Now leading the Charleston Footprints history tour, his knowledge and passion for the architecture, gardens, graveyards, Civil War and Revolutionary War sites is palpable as he leads you from street to street.

For those who prefer not to walk, the harbor cruise offers a completely different perspective of the city. From the deck of the Carolina Belle you get a live narrated historical tour as you pass the famous sites. The captain brings the tour to life with his hilarious humour. Sailing down the Cooper River to Fort Sumter National Monument, you’ll see Civil War sites, antebellum houses and other historical landmarks while passing under the Cooper River bridge, and sometimes, if you are extremely lucky, you may even spot some dolphins in the water.

For those of you prefer not to walk and aren’t a big fan of the water, the Old South Carriage company offers a portal into the past. Experience more than 300 years of history on this guided carriage tour of Charleston. You’ll see the many mansions, churches, and gardens as your horse-drawn carriage tour covers more than 2.5 miles and 30 blocks of historic Charleston. Belgian and Percheron draft horses will you lead you through the streets while you learn about this “Holy City” and its role in the Civil War. What are you waiting for? Your carriage awaits. Recommended by Jamie Sharp

One of the oldest plantations in the South, this house has some stories to tell. Jump on this narrated drive out to the plantation and take a stroll through the truly enchanting, and America’s last, large scale Romantic Gardens. Tour the property with an expert guide providing nuggets of history, revealing the extensive past behind the plantation. Enjoy a narrated nature tram ride through the Audubon swamp gardens and see wildlife such as alligators, egrets, herons, and even turtles. Recommended by Jamie Sharp

Touring this 1851 building is a stark awakening on the conditions that slaves had to endure living on the McLeod Plantation. As a Gullah Geechee heritage site it has a mission to tell the history and share its cultural identity. You will hear of slavery, sea island cotton and the wealth accumulated by plantation owners. You will hear of daily life, the relationships before and after the emancipation of slaves and how these relationships evolved and changed. It’s a significant, eye opening experience.

Charleston has many distinguished house museums filled with great riches. The Edmonston-Alston House, constructed in 1825, has fine art, resplendent furniture, silver and fascinating objects which make up the collection on display here. Pick a tour where you’ll get to see it all as you delve deep into the house’s history and architecture. It is the only fine house museum in Charleston in which you get tremendous views of the harbor – a true insight into colonial city life.

Damon Foredom has uncovered the lost stories of African Americans from paper clippings and learned the folktales from local Charleston residents that go back generations. This entertaining two-hour walking tour takes you to the famous sites such as the Old Slave Mart but tells the stories that have been left out of the history books. Mr. Foredom uses all his skills as a published writer, historian, educator and musician to illuminate and entertain you. It’s a real expert’s take on Charleston from an African-American perspective.

This house is a time capsule to peak into the lives of a wealthy Southern family and the enslaved Africans who were trapped there. The building was constructed by politician, slaveholder and industrialist John Robinson in the mid 19th century. His former status is reflected in the grandeur of his once-home. No longer in his families possesion, it was purchased by the Charleston Museum and opened as an exhibition in 1975.

Ready to take a leap into the spooky tales of Charleston’s ghost encounters, history, and folklore? Join Charleston native and host of the popular Pleasing Terrors Podcast, Mike Brown, on this 90-minute Pleasing Terrors Night-Time Walking Ghost Tour. Join Mike as he combines suspenseful storytelling with unparalleled knowledge of the hidden and often spine-tinglingly frightening stories lurking in Charleston’s supernatural past and present.