Tours, parks, gardens, plantations, water — what to do with a free afternoon.
Passenger ferry connecting Daniel Island's Waterfront to downtown Charleston, running daily with free parking at the River Landing dock.
Visitors can explore a retired Naval aircraft carrier, destroyer & submarine docked here year-round.
Hosted trivia and game show competitions for groups at a Market Street venue in the heart of the tourist district.
Waterfront museum offering weekend tours of a 19th-century historic submarine, artifacts & exhibits.
Waterfront museum on Gadsden's Wharf, the precise site where enslaved Africans first arrived in America, documenting that history through galleries and genealogy resources.
400+ year old live oak on Johns Island. Free to visit. Branches that touch the ground.
Downtown escape room operation on Market Street with multiple themed puzzles for groups.
Sprawling Ashley River rice plantation dating to the 1730s, with gardens and refined lodging.
Self-guided tours offered in a historic building, formerly a Revolutionary prison & City Hall.
Campground with a store, bathrooms, free Wi-Fi, grills & activity center in a 643-acre natural park.
Portraits & landscapes dating back to the 1700s, housed in a century-old beaux arts-style building.
Tours of this historic home of an influential 1800s family include a back lot where slaves lived.
Colonial military history museum & gift shop in a 1713 gunpowder storage building.
1681 working plantation known for its moss-draped Avenue of Oaks & original slave cabins.
Paved public beach access on Sullivan's Island with free parking, a boardwalk, and dog-friendly shoreline off Middle Street.
America's first museum, founded in 1773, exhibits relics from South Carolina & Confederate history.
Established in 1735, this historic plantation is an interpretive site about slavery & offers tours.
Guided kayak tours through the tidal creeks and marshes off the Ashley River, with free parking on site.
Free natural history museum inside College of Charleston's science building, with fossil collections, minerals, and regional specimens.
Ornate, circa-1808 home known for its "free-flying" 3-story spiral staircase, with guided tours.
Historic Federal-style home, open for tours showcasing architecture, furnishings & family artifacts.
Canoe and kayak outfitter on the Edisto River, running guided tours and rentals through one of the longest free-flowing blackwater rivers in the country.
Small neighborhood park on Pierce Street with a pirate-themed playground, free parking, and room for dogs.
Two Civil War forts bookending Charleston Harbor, reachable by ferry, where the first shots of the war were fired.
Tours & interactive exhibits at the birthplace of the Carolina colony, first settled in 1670.
18th-century Georgian-style home once belonging to a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Hands-on exhibits for under-10 kids plus parties, programs, camps & classes such as yoga & dance.
Free public beach access point on Sullivan's Island with parking, a reliable entry for families skipping the Isle of Palms crowds.
Greek Revival landmark built in 1841 offering Civil War history & tours by women's-group docents.
Ticket-bundling tour agency in a Mount Pleasant strip mall handling logistics for Charleston-area attractions.
Storied, well-preserved antebellum plantation with tranquil grounds & an African-American cemetery.
Built in 1803, this antebellum structure is furnished with period American, French & British pieces.
Flat, wooded county park off SC-41 with trails, open fields, and free parking for dogs and strollers alike.
Romantic-style gardens dating to 1680. Azaleas peak in March; camellias bloom all winter.
Free public swings overlooking the Cooper River at Waterfront Park, a reliable stop for kids and anyone who wants a harbor view.
Restored 1905 Colonial Revival officer's residence on the old North Charleston naval base, now bookable for weddings and private events.
Private library housing historical state photos & documents, with a Colonial & antebellum focus.
Displays in this former slave auction building tell the story of the slave trade in Charleston.
Dolphin-spotting boat tours departing from the Charleston waterfront at Immigration Street, with free parking on-site.
Neighborhood park on Cleveland Street with standard playground equipment, open lawn, and free parking in the upper peninsula.
Preservation nonprofit on East Bay running house museums, educational programs, and advocacy for Charleston's built environment since 1947.
Indoor/outdoor center with paintball, a climbing wall, go-karts, mini-golf, a jump house & arcade.
Charleston's downtown galleries open their doors on the first Friday of March, May, October, and December — wine in plastic cups, new shows, no cover.
King Street closes to cars on the first Sunday of every month — a four-block walking street of vendors, music, and open shops from Calhoun to Queen.