What to DoCharleston
Things to Do in Charleston, SC
Things to do in Charleston, SC with address, hours and price, read 14 Oct 2026: Fort Sumter ferry, Rainbow Row, City Market, Folly Beach, the free DASH.
Charleston
South Carolina's port city of historic streets, the Battery and Fort Sumter, on the Atlantic coast.
Three days works here. Spend one day on foot in the historic district, one on Fort Sumter and one at a plantation on Ashley River Road or at Folly Beach. The visitor bureau calls the historic district highly walkable, and the free CARTA DASH trolley covers longer hops. Rainbow Row is the row of painted houses at 79 to 107 East Bay Street.
You can only reach Fort Sumter by boat, and Fort Sumter Tours is the only ferry company the Park Service authorizes. Boats leave from Liberty Square and from Patriots Point. Adults pay $43 on one official page and $45.58 on another, which includes a 6% booking fee. The trip is about 30 minutes each way plus about an hour at the fort. Entry to the fort itself is free.
Magnolia Plantation is open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with free parking. Its included From Slavery to Freedom tour runs 45 minutes. Middleton Place is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and an adult ticket is $29 online. Both sites tell the story of the enslaved people who lived and worked there. City Market is open daily from 9:30 a.m., with a Night Market on Friday and Saturday evenings.
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