Best Charleston Tours of 2024!

Charleston, South Carolina is the state’s oldest city and one of America’s oldest cities.  This historic city has some incredible tours and I’m here to share with you the best Charleston tours of 2024!

Charleston has become quite the hot spot for tourists like you and me.  I had one day in Charleston and wanted to get the most out of my time here.  So here are a few tours I booked (or would book) in order to get the most out of a few days in Charleston.  

Founded in 1670 this city has plenty of free highlights as well!  From paid tours to free parts of the city you just HAVE to see, keep reading for a great trip to Charleston, South Carolina (Affiliate Links built in).

Walking Tour

This list of best Charleston tours wouldn’t be complete without a 5-star rated walking tour!  On this Historic Charleston Guided Sightseeing Walking Tour you will be led by a local guide throughout this beautiful city.  

With a maximum group size of 20 people, your small group will trek all over Charleston as you admire the buildings, parks, churches, etc.  You’ll hear 400 years of history in 2 hours as you explore South Carolina’s oldest city!  Book your 5-star walking tour here.

Food Tour

Second on our list is food, because everyone has to eat, right?  So let’s start off this list of best Charleston tours with you foodies in mind!

This walking Food Tour has a 5 star rating and takes you to 4 popular stops in Charleston.  You’ll get to skip the lines and sample your food right away!  Drinks are not included, but you are more than welcome to order a drink or two as you enjoy your food.  

The amount of food you are served is equivalent to a large lunch, so come hungry!  And as a bonus, you’ll be walking by some iconic Charleston stops (such as Rainbow Row) with a walking history lesson included. Book your Charleston Food Tour here!

Drinking Tours

A good vacation often includes a drink in your hand!  So let’s dive into a couple drinking tours

History & Bar Tour (drinks NOT included)

Our best Charleston tours list has to include this 5-star Charleston History and Hops Tour: Bar and History Walk.  You’ll get to the starting location and be given a snack and the option to buy a drink before you get started.  Once you’ve had your snack and brew (if you choose) you’ll get started on this 2 hour history tour of Charleston.

You will be making one other stop along the way where you can choose to buy another drink before finishing your 2 hour tour.  Your tour guide will lead down the cobblestone streets and see the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon, the Dock Street Theater and other stops too! 

You must be 21+ to do this tour, but you don’t have to buy a drink if you don’t want to.  So if you have a mixed group of adults where not everyone wants to drink, this tour is for you!  Book your History and Hops Tour here.

Speakeasy Experience

If you’re looking for more of an experience while visiting Charleston, this Sip History in a Secret Speakeasy Cocktail Class is for you!  Learn about the history of the Prohibition in an ACTUAL speakeasy. 

This experience is 2 hours long and includes learning how to make 3 prohibition era drinks (and drinking them too).  With a max of 20 people per group, you can do this solo with strangers or make an event out of it with some friends or family.  Book your Secret Speakeasy Cocktail Class here.

Haunted Tours

Since Charleston is one of America’s oldest cities, our best Charleston tours list simply must include a haunted tour, or two!  So let’s dive into some rather spooky history.

Booze and Boos Walking Tour

First up in the haunted genre, we have the Charleston Haunted Booze and Boos Ghost Walking Tour where a costumed tour guide will lead you to Charleston’s spookiest places.  You will have the option to buy a drink for this tour if you are needing some liquid courage.

For 2.5 hours you will tour places like Powder Magazine, Washington Square, Charleston City Market, and more.  And with over 1,200 5-star reviews, you can’t go wrong with this spooky twist on history.  Book your Booze and Boos Tour here.

Small Group Ghost Tour

Another 5-star rated haunted tour is the Real Hauntings of Charleston! (Small Group Ghost Tour).  This tour is limited to 10-12 people, creating a personal experience as you walk past haunted graveyards, churches, alleyways, hotels, bars, etc.  

As you walk the city for 90 minutes, you’ll learn of 350 years of haunted history.  From pirates, to doctors and other stories in between, you won’t want to miss out on the incredible, and haunted, history of Charleston.  Book your Real Hauntings Tour here.  

Non-Walking Tours

Not looking to walk but still want to tour the city!?  Here are 2 options for you!

Carriage Tour 

First up is Charleston’s Old South Carriage Historic Horse and Carriage Tour.  On this 1 hour tour you will travel approximately 2.5 miles without ever having to wear out your feet!  Plus, children 3 and under are free (when they sit on a parent’s lap).  

Your certified driver/guide will take you through 300 years of history as you pass impressive churches, antebellum mansions, and historic residencies.  Book your Carriage Tour here!

Boat Tour

If you are still looking for another way to rest your feet, let’s not forget that Charleston is a port city!  In other words, you can book this popular Narrated Cruise of the Charleston Harbor.

This tour will take you all around Charleston’s waterways and you’ll learn about the historical sites, naval battles, pirate attacks, and more with a spooky twist!  For an hour and a half you, and up to 48 others, will sightsee in a unique way!  Book your Boat Tour here.

History Outside of the City

If you are looking to get out of the city, here are a couple tours for you!  Our best Charleston tours list wouldn’t be complete without a mention of a Plantation Tour or a Fort Sumter Tour!

Boone Hall Plantation

Just outside of Charleston stands Boone Hall Plantation.  This gorgeous home and plot of land comes with the heavy history of slavery in the area.  And if you are looking to take a tour without having to drive or worry about parking, the Boone Hall Plantation Admission & Tour with Transportation from Charleston is for you!

A minibus will pick you up and take you to these stunning grounds.  Your guide, donned in period clothing, will talk of the history of the plantation.  You will then be given some free time to walk the grounds and see the slave cabins before you will be entertained with a Gullah Theater presentation.

Get the biggest bang for your buck with this tour!  Book your Boone Hall Plantation Tour here.

Fort Sumter

And for our final member of the best Charleston tour list, we have the Fort Sumter Admission and Self-Guided Tour with Roundtrip Ferry.  A trip to Charleston wouldn’t be complete without a trip to where the first shots were fired in the American Civil War.  

You’ll start this tour with a 30 minute ferry ride out to Fort Sumter and you’ll be able to see sights, such as Rainbow Row, from the water.  You will then have 1 hour on the island to see the well-kept ruins from the fort in the form of a self-guided tour.  You’ll then come back the way you came and return safely to land.  

If you want this quick trip into Civil War history, book this Fort Sumter Tour here!

Free Things!

Alright, so now that you have a few of the best Charleston tours to choose from, let’s check out some free places that you simply MUST see in Charleston.

Highlights

• Rainbow Row – A gorgeous highlight of the city of Charleston, Rainbow Row (pictured above) is a row of brightly painted houses dating all the way back to the 1600’s!  This is a hot spot for tourists to get photos, but we just enjoyed walking along the colorful homes.  There are also plaques on the fronts of several of these houses where you can read about the history of Rainbow Row.  
• Charleston City Market – Next, we have the city market.  This place is free to enter and we quite enjoyed walking around looking at the handmade things, as well as walking around the more touristy shops on the inside of this market.  The City Market has everything from Charleston t-shirts to candles to paintings and so on.  So be warned, you’ll probably want to spend money here.  But it’s free to window shop!
• Pineapple Fountain – Right next to the Waterfront Park is the iconic pineapple fountain!  This fountain symbolizes the southern hospitality of the old port city. 

Parks

• Joe Riley Waterfront Park and Waterfront Swings – This waterfront park has a fishing pier and is where a lot of the dolphin viewing tours start.  On the pier there are several wooden swings where you can sit and watch the water for absolutely free.
• White Point Garden – The White Point Garden is a place of history.  There are many statues commemorating various points of history all throughout the park.  Again, a completely free place to walk around and read about the history of the city.  
• Wragg Mall – This small park is a great place to grab a park bench and relax in the shade of the many trees.  There is a church at the end of the park, so you can get some great photos of the park with one of the tall and gorgeous church in the background.  
• Washington Square – And finally, his park is a small square in the middle of the French Quarter where a statue of George Washington stands.  This commemorates the multiple visits of George Washington himself. 

Charleston doesn’t have to be expensive! We even camped to save as much money as possible here!

Where We Camped 

Charleston is a beautiful and iconic city.  Unfortunately, that means expensive campgrounds nearby.  On my hunt to visit and do the best Charleston tours, we decided to stay a little further away.  We camped at Buck Hall Recreation Area.  

This place has water/electric hookups for just $28 per night!  So we camped here for 2 weeks while we visited Charleston and a few other highlights of South Carolina.  

The affordability of this recreation area made up for the fact that we had to drive 40 minutes down to Charleston.  To read more about our stay at Buck Hall Recreation Area, check out my Camping in Buck Hall Recreation Area post!

Conclusion

As South Carolina’s oldest city, you can’t go wrong with any of these tour on the”best Charleston tours” list above.  We loved our time in Charleston and wish we had more time to do all of these tours!

You can tour the city on foot, in a carriage, on a boat or even head out of the city for some more history.  Whatever you choose, enjoy every second of your time in Charleston, South Carolina.

As always, feel free to reach out to me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com with any questions.

Happy Touring!