← All guides
Charleston’s Essential Sights, from Oaks to Harbor
24 placesCharleston
Follow Charleston’s signature experiences: ancient Lowcountry landscapes, landmark museums, the atmospheric Historic District, and the harbor where the Civil War began. This route moves from the city’s west side through downtown’s historic core and along the waterfront to Fort Sumter.
- Pop culture
- Music
- Art
- Architecture
- Science & Tech
- Nature
- Folklore
- Local culture
- History
- Social Justice
- Food traditions
- Sports
- Religion
Places in this guide
- 1
Angel Oak TreeThe tree that welcomed all 🌳 - 2
Charles Towne Landing State Historic SiteSite of Carolina's first permanent English settlement - 3
Charleston MuseumAmerica's oldest museum 🏛️ - 4
Joseph Manigault HouseHome of British North America's wealthiest family 💰 - 5
Marion SquareNot city property ⚔️ - 6
King StreetCharleston's historic heart for dining and nightlife 🍽️ - 7
College of CharlestonSix Founding Fathers, one college 🇺🇸 - 8
Gibbes Museum of ArtGuggenheim's first public art showing - 9
Old Slave Mart MuseumSouth Carolina's last surviving slave auction facility - 10
Charleston City Market🦅 Charleston Eagles' unusual job - 11
Old Exchange and Provost DungeonThe dungeon's surprising second life - 12
Rainbow RowThe vanished riverfront ⚓ - 13
White Point GardenGentleman Pirate's last stand 🏴☠️ - 14
St. Michael's ChurchCharleston's oldest surviving religious structure - 15
Waterfront ParkPark that defied a hurricane - 16
Pineapple Fountain🍍 The rented fruit of high society - 17
International African American MuseumWhere approximately 40% of enslaved Africans entered North America - 18
South Carolina AquariumFrom Superfund site to sea life 🐠 - 19
Fort Sumter National MonumentFrom Civil War icon to forgotten lighthouse - 20
Magnolia Plantation and GardensRanked with the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls 🗺️ - 21
Middleton Place⛪ Springhouse turned chapel - 22
Drayton HallOnly Ashley River plantation to survive two wars intact - 23
Nathaniel Russell HouseThe house that survived bombardment 💣 - 24
Ravenel Bridge7th longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere
