Art Galleries
Art Galleries of The French Quarter
Visitors enjoy the arts all year long. Charleston offers one of the finest and most abundant gallery districts in the country. Stroll the original walled city to discover the works of hundreds of artist in one of America’s top arts destinations, Charleston’s French Quarter, located between S. Market and Tradd St., and Meeting Street to the waterfront past East Bay St.
PO Box 918
Charleston, SC29402
Phone: 843-577-7100
Church Street Inn Gallery
Hours of operation Mon.-Wed. 10am-6pm
Thur.-Sat. 10am-5pm Sun 11am-5pm
Visitors have called our courtyard exhibit a "SoHo of the South", offering a variety of subject and media. We feature originals by local and nationally recognized artists, including a master painter whose work is collected by the presidents and royalty. Sculpture and prints are also available.
175 Church St.
Charleston, SC29401
Phone: 843-579-9725
Smith-Killian Fine Art
Charleston’s gallery for contemporary-realism and color. Featuring Lowcountry painter Betty Anglin Smith and her triplets, painters Jennifer Smith Rogers and Shannon Smith and photographer Tripp Smith. Subject matter ranges from local and European landscapes to architectural works and still life.
9 Queen St.
Charleston, SC29405
Phone: 843-853-0708
The Wolf Art Gallery
Eat locally, sleep locally, and shop locally. Welcome to the heart of culture. Walk the 30 galleries of the historic French Quarter and visit the Wolf, featuring Award Winning local artist. Offering original oils, pastels, acrylics, watercolor, mixed media, and bronze. Experience Low Country to abstract, subjects range from perfectly Charleston to perfectly different.
113 Church St.
Charleston, SC29401
Phone: 843-577-7100
Thomas Kinkade
Hours of operation Mon. – Fri. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sun. 1 p.m. – 6p.m.
128 Meeting St.
Charleston, SC29401
Phone: 843-722-5886
|
Historical Homes
Drayton Hall
Hours of operation Gates open 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (8:30 a.m. June, July, August) Tours on the hour.
Drayton Hall, c.1738, is America’s oldest preserved plantation house open to the public. Located in the Ashley River historic district, the 125-acre site is surrounded by aged oak trees. Offering focus tours on architecture, African-American history, preservation, and the American Revolution.
3380 Ashley River Rd.
Charleston, SC29414
Phone: 843-769-2600
Edmondston-Alston House
Hours of operation 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Tues. - Sat. and 1:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Sun. - Mon.
The Edmondston-Alston House is one of the first dwellings built on Charleston's High Battery. Enjoy views of Charleston Harbor from the same piazzas where General Beauregard watched the bombardment of Ft. Sumter. Family furniture, books, silver and paintings adorn the high-ceiling rooms.
21 East Battery
Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: 843-722-7171
Nathaniel Russell House
Hours of operation Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sun. 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Since 1808, visitors have admired the grand townhouse of Charleston merchant Nathaniel Russell. Set amid spacious gardens, the house is recognized as one of America's most important neoclassical dwellings. The famous "free-flying" staircase is a Charleston must-see.
51 Meeting St.
Charleston, SC29401
Phone: 843-724-8482
Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
Hours of operation Daily 9a.m. – 5p.m.
Built by the British as the Exchange and Customs House in 1771, American Patriots were held prisoner here during the Revolutionary War, playing a huge role in American history; and is one of the three most historically significant buildings of colonial America.
112 East Bay Street
Charleston, SC29401
Phone: 843-727-2165
The Aiken-Rhett House
Hours of operation Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Aiken-Rhett House stands alone as the most intact complex of buildings showcasing urban life in antebellum Charleston. Hear the words of Aiken guests, like famous Civil War diarist Mary Boykin Chesnut, during the unique audio-tour.
48 Elizabeth St.
Charleston, SC29401
Phone: 843-723-1159
The Old Powder Magazine
Hours of operation March 15 - Oct. 15,
Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Built c. 1713, The Old Powder Magazine is the oldest public building in North and South Carolina. Its earliest use was for the storage of gunpowder and armaments in the period of the Lords Proprietors. It has been used as a printing office, storage building, wine cellar and
livery stable.
79 Cumberland Street
Charleston, SC29401
Phone: 843-722-3767 |
Museums
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum
Hours of operation 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Year Round
One of the world’s largest naval & maritime museums is now home to the new Medal of Honor museum aboard the WWII aircraft carrier Yorktown. Meeting, reception and banquet space for groups from 20 to 2,000. Catering services available. Group rates.
40 Patriots Point Rd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
Phone: 843-884-2727
or 866-831-1720
American LaFrance Fire Museum & Educational Center
Built in the heart of a booming shopping Mecca close to the Charleston International Airport, the North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center houses the antique collection of fire fighting vehicles belonging to American LaFrance, LLC. Enthusiasts and casual observers alike can learn about the history of fire fighting and marvel at the evolution of a most useful invention. Housed in this museum are a collection of eighteen antique fire trucks, a cinema with a talking robot, a film depicting the history of fire fighting, the home hazards interactive exhibit and the Great Escape exhibit.
4975 Centre Pointe Drive
North Charleston, SC29418
Friends of the Hunley-H.L. Hunley Tours
Hours of operation Sat. 10a.m. – 5p.m., Sun. 12p.m. – 5p.m.
Lost at sea for over a century, the Hunley was the world's first successful combat submarine. Raised in 2000, scientists are at work to conserve the Hunley. Public tours are available on weekends and group tours are now available during the week.
1250 Supply St., Bldg. 255
Charleston, SC29405
Phone: 843-722-2333
The Charleston Museum
Hours of Operation Mon. – Sat. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sun. 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
America’s first museum showcases a variety of cultural and natural history artifacts that tell the story of the Lowcountry. Visitors will be transported back through time, viewing artifacts from ancient fossils and an enormous whale skeleton, to elegant costumes and Charleston silver.
360 Meeting St.
Charleston, SC29403
Phone: 843-722-2996 |
Plantations, Parks and Gardens
Charleston Tea Plantation
America’s only tea garden is located on Wadmalaw Island, just outside Charleston. Traveling through the tranquil beauty and endless sea of green tea bushes, visitors experience how tea is planted, grown, nurtured and harvested from the leaf to the cup.
6617 Maybank Hwy.
Wadmalaw Island, SC29487
Phone: 843-559-0383
Middleton Place
Hours of operation 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
A National Historic Landmark, encompassing 65 acres of America’s oldest landscaped gardens. Tours of the House Museum highlight family collections and the role of the Middleton family in American history. Craftspeople in the Plantation Stableyards recreate the activities of a self-sustaining Lowcountry plantation.
4300 Ashley River Rd.
Charleston, SC29414
Phone: 843-556-6020
or 800-782-3608
Wannamaker County Park
Hours of operation Daily Apr. 8 – 7pm; May – Labor Day 8am – 8pm; Sept. 8 – 7p.m.; March and Oct. 9 – 6p.m.; Nov. – Feb. 8 – 5 p.m.
This 1,015-acre park has two playgrounds, a 20-foot play hill, picnic sites with grills, open meadow, and paved trails. Recreational opportunities include fishing, biking and paddle boats. Whirlin’ Waters Adventure waterpark open seasonally. Gate admission $1 per person.
8888 University Blvd.
North Charleston, SC29406
Phone: 843-572-PARK
or 843-795-4FUN
Beachwalker Park
Hours of operation May – Labor Day 9 – 7 p.m. daily; Apr. & Oct. 10 – 6 p.m. weekends only; March 10 – 5 weekends only; Sept. 10 – 6 p.m. daily; Nov. – Feb. closed
Beach access park with 450 feet of ocean footage. Amenities include dressing areas, outdoor showers, restrooms, boardwalks, a snack bar and a picnic area. Lifeguards on duty seasonally. Gate admission is $5 per vehicle.
Beachwalker Dr.
Kiawah, SC29455
Phone: 843-768-2395
or 843-795-4FUN
Boone Hall Plantation
Hours of operation Mon. – Sat. 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Sun. 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Famous for its Avenue of Oaks, Boone Hall Plantation provides a peaceful respite for the traveler. Enjoy guided tours of the plantation house. Exhibits in the original slave cabins interpret lives of plantation workers. Leisurely tour the cotton dock and continuously blooming gardens.
1235 Long Point Rd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
Phone: 843-884-4371
or 800-468-8060
Caw Caw Interpretive Center
Hours of operation Wed. – Fri. 9 – 3p.m. Sat. – Sun. 9 – 5p.m. Mon. and Tues. closed
This park is a vast, 654-acre site, rich in natural, cultural, and historical resources. Featuring 7 miles of trails, swamp boardwalks, an Environmental Education Center and Interpretive Center, 18th century rice fields, and wetlands managed for wildlife. Gate admission is $1 per person.
5200 Savannah Hwy
Ravenel, SC29470
Phone: 843-889-8898
Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site
Hours of operation 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Site of the first permanent English settlement in South Carolina. Experience history through daily "Charles Towne Experience" programs. A natural habitat zoo, animal forest, replica of a 17th century trading vessel, plantation era house tours, breathtaking vistas and gardens, picnic areas and more.
1500 Old Towne Rd.
Charleston, SC29407
Phone: 843-852-4200
Cypress Gardens
Hours of operation 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Last ticket sold at 4 p.m.)
Stroll 4 miles of beautiful garden trails, paddle through cypress swamp, relax in a greenhouse with butterflies and flowers or discover native and exotic reptile exhibits and the freshwater aquarium. It’s a great site for field trips, receptions and meetings.
3030 Cypress Gardens Rd.
Moncks Corner, SC 29461
Phone: 843-553-0515
Drayton Hall
Hours of operation Gates open 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (8:30 a.m. June, July, August) Tours on the hour.
Drayton Hall, c.1738, is America’s oldest preserved plantation house open to the public. Located in the Ashley River historic district, the 125-acre site is surrounded by aged oak trees. Offering focus tours on architecture, African-American history, preservation, and the American Revolution.
3380 Ashley River Rd.
Charleston, SC29414
Phone: 843-769-2600
Edisto Island Serpentarium
Open May through Labor Day 10am – 6pm. Educational, entertaining and exciting reptile park. A learning and fun experience for all ages. School or tour groups welcome. Call for group information during season and off season availability. MC, V, D.
1374 Hwy 174
Charleston, SC 29438
Phone: 843-869-1171
Folly Beach County Park
Hours of operation Daily May – Labor Day. 9 – 7p.m.; Apr, Sept. and Oct. 10 – 6p.m.; Nov. – March 10 – 5 p.m.
Beach access park with over 2,500 feet of ocean frontage. Dressing area, outdoor showers, restrooms, picnic areas, snack bar and boardwalks. Lifeguard on duty seasonally. Gate admission is $5 per vehicle.
1010 W. Ashley Ave.
Folly Beach , SC29439
Phone: 843-588-2426
or 843-795-4FUN
Folly Beach Fishing Pier
Hours of operation Apr – Oct 6-11p.m.; Dec. – Feb. 8-5p.m.; Mar. and Nov. 7-7p.m.
The pier is 25 feet wide, 23 feet above sea level and extends 1,045 feet in the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy fishing, walking, and birding. Covered shelter, rod rentals, restrooms, beach access, outdoor showers, and host site. Gate admission is $5 per vehicle.
101 East Arctic Avenue
Folly Beach, SC29439
Phone: 843-588-3474
or 843-795-4386
Fort Moultrie
At Fort Moultrie you can experience 171 years of coastal military history. The fort defended Charleston's harbor from the Revolutionary War through World War II.
1214 Middle St.
Sullivans Island, SC29482
Phone: 843-883-3123
Fort Sumter National Monument
Ruins of historic Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began. Hours vary throughout the year. Please call Fort Sumter National Monument for departure times, location and ticket prices.
360 Concord St.
Charleston, SC29401
Phone: 843-883-3123
Isle of Palms County Park
Hours of operation Daily May – Labor Day 9 – 7p.m.; Apr., Sept. and Oct. 10 – 6p.m.; Nov. – Feb. 10 – 5 p.m.
Conveniently located at the foot of the Isle of Palms Connector. 600-feet of ocean frontage. Includes a dunes boardwalk, showers, restrooms, lifeguards and vending. Pets are allowed on leash. Gate admission is $5 per vehicle.
1st-14th Ave.
Isle of Palms, SC 29451
Phone: 843-886-3863
or 843-795-4FUN
James Island County Park
Hours of operation Daily May – Labor Day 8 – 8p.m.; March and Oct. 8 – 6p.m.; Nov. – Feb. 8 – 5 p.m.; Apr. and Sept. 8a.m. – 7p.m.
A 643-acre park with a variety of recreational opportunities, including crabbing and fishing along tidal creeks and lagoons; biking; paddle boats; and picnic sites with grills. Splash Zone waterpark open seasonally. 50-foot climbing wall. Gate admission $1 per person.
871 Riverland Dr.
Charleston, SC29412
Phone: 843-795-PARK
or 843-795-4FUN
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens
Hours of operation 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
This 17th century-style estate, acquired in 1676 by the Drayton family, whose heirs still own it, features the year-round bloom America’s oldest gardens (c. 1680). Featuring: Guided tours, Barbados Tropical Garden, Biblical Garden, antebellum cabin, observation tower, gift shop, art gallery and more.
3550 Ashley River Rd.
Charleston, SC29414
Phone: 843-571-1266
or 800-367-3517
Mepkin Abbey and Gardens
Hours of operation:
9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Tues. – Sun.
Guided Tours 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Tues. – Sun.
Since 1949 catholic Trappist monks have lived and worked on this 3,000 acre 18th century Copper River rice plantation. Tour a working monastery, adjacent gardens and Mepkin Abbey Store featuring monastic products and unique handcrafted items. Reservations required for groups. Box lunches available.
1098 Mepkin Abbey Rd.
Moncks Corner, SC29461
Phone: 843-761-8509
Palmetto Islands County Park
Hours of operation Daily May – Labor Day 9 – 7p.m.; March, Apr, Sept. and Oct. 9 – 6p.m.; Nov. – Feb. 10 – 5 p.m.
This 943-acre park offers a variety of recreational opportunities, including crabbing and fishing along tidal creeks and lagoons; biking; paddle boats, and picnic sites with grills. Splash Island waterpark open seasonally. Snack bar and grills open year round. Gate admission $1 per person.
444 Needlerush Way
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
Phone: 843-884-0832
or 843-795-4FUN |
