Charleston, South Carolina is one of America's most beautiful and historically rich cities. Before or after your cruise, be sure to explore some of these fantastic local attractions.
🌿 Battery Park & White Point Garden
The Battery is one of the foremost icons of Charleston. Along the city's southern shore, rows of stunning Southern mansions overlook the Harbor. White Point Gardens, located within The Battery, features wonderful walking paths through the park filled with fascinating relics and monuments from the Civil War — a must-see for history lovers and casual visitors alike.
🏖️ Isle of Palms
Just outside of Charleston, the Isle of Palms offers 7 miles of gorgeous beaches with ideal water for swimming and windsurfing. Beach access is free — just a small parking fee applies.
🏄 Beach activities
Perfect for a family swim, windsurfing, or simply relaxing on 7 miles of beautiful Atlantic coastline.
⛳ Golf at Wild Dunes Resort
Two Tom Fazio-designed golf courses await at the Wild Dunes Resort — a golfer's paradise overlooking the sea.
🏛️ Drayton Hall
One of the oldest plantations in the South, Drayton Hall was built in 1738 and is preserved in its completely original state — no renovation, no air conditioning, no electricity. Step back in time and explore the large red-brick home exactly as the Drayton family would have known it. "Authentic" is the word most visitors use to describe it.
🎫 Buy Drayton Hall Tickets Online🏠 Aiken-Rhett House Museum
Like Drayton Hall, the Aiken-Rhett House has been preserved, not restored. Built in 1820 and owned by the family until 1975 before being sold to the Charleston Museum, it features original wallpaper, antique furniture, and original outbuildings where enslaved people once lived and worked. Just a mile from downtown Charleston, admission includes a self-guided audio tour so you can explore at your own pace.
🧺 Charleston City Market
Historically significant as a place where enslaved people came to make purchases for the plantations, the Charleston City Market today is packed with 300 shops and cafés. It is especially known for the sweetgrass basket weavers who learned their craft from ancestors whose tradition originated in West Africa.