Review #2 of my Charleston vacation 20-plus Review Challenge:…read more I find the Gray Line City Tour a fun way to become acquainted with a city. On our leading full day in Charleston, we partook in the Gray Line City Tour. From the Transit Shed behind the Charleston Visitor Center we boarded the vehicle for the approximately 90 minute ride. It was a 25-passenger air conditioned shuttle bus. It was a contrast from the double-decker Gray Line bus on the Nashville City tour. The adult ticket price was $33. Alan was our Tour Guide. With the credentials of a City of Charleston certified Tour Guide he was very resourceful and enthusiastic about the City's history. Within the 90-minute tour, I came out learning a lot about the City of Charleston while taking in the sights. The tour covered several points of interest from the Charleston Visitor Center at the north to the Battery at the tip of the peninsula. The points of interest included narration and views of: The Nathaniel Russel House Colonial Lake Rainbow Row Four Corners of Law The former Arsenal The Battery Water vista toward Fort Sumter Market Street and City Market The French Quarter Charleston Museum Antebellum houses Marion Square On account of the fact that the tour was not full, Alan directed us to sit in the middle seats to get the best view. From my experience sitting near the right side window; I would like to share that this is the side of the minibus where you will see the view of Charleston Harbor spread towards Fort Sumter and the Atlantic Ocean, the Nathaniel Russell House, Charleston Museum, Marion Square, and numerous points of interest.* One thing I would like to add is that we saw very little of King Street and none of the Ashley River. There was only one stop. At the Battery, Alan asked if anyone wanted to step outside to take pictures. I was the only one that left the vehicle to take in the glorious waterscape stretched to Fort Sumter and the Atlantic Ocean. I am glad that I did because I never got the chance to return to the scenic southernmost tip of Charleston. When we returned to the Charleston Visitor Center, I had a newfound knowledge and familiarity about Charleston. That justifies my "Four Stars" rating for the Gray Line Charleston City Tour. - - - - - - - - - *Please note that it is possible for a Tour Guide to switch things up.

We took the historical tour with Gray Line, and our driver Valerie was a total vibe! A little wild…read more(which I loved--my husband maybe not so much), full of knowledge, and you could feel how much she loved sharing it. And let me tell you -- Valerie drove like a boss! Tight turns, narrow streets, no problem. She handled that bus like it was nothing. No way would I drive my own car down here! If you get Valerie, you're in for a treat. She makes history come alive and keeps you smiling the whole way. Who's the special tip... if you need to talk on the bus while she's sharing whisper! Hahahaha

Al Miller gave my group on June 23,2026 a wonderful tour of Charleston,SC African American sites…read moreand Angel Tree very knowledgeable and very good and personable with every detail about each site he told us about. Thank You Edward and Derrell Bishop West Deptford,NJ

The views were excellent, and the sound system worked great, which is the most important part of…read moreany guided experience. While our guide didn't cover every historical detail--and how could she with so much history involved?--she opened the door for questions all the time. I did catch a couple of minor historical flaws, but that's just par for the course with such a vast amount of material. I would definitely go back at this price point. I highly recommend sitting on the driver's side, by the way.

Great little bus tour of Charleston! My wife and I were visiting, and quite frankly it was too hot…read moreand too humid to walk around. So, we opted for an air conditioned bus tour which gave us the historic highlights and a great overview of the various neighborhoods. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and we enjoyed her friendliness and helpful bits and pieces of information. There were points of interest that we later came back to on foot, so the bus tour gave us some good information to help narrow down what we might be interested in.

As a native Charlestonian, I was looking forward to a girls-group excursion - a local field trip of…read moresorts. Little did I know that I would learn so much about the city that I have lived in my entire life! Our tour guide, Kim, was welcoming, knowledgeable, and humorous. On every street I learned something new. The tour bus is comfy, clean, and air-conditioned (a must in the Lowcountry). I need to go on the tour again so my brain can retain some of my new-found historical facts. Thank you, Charms of Charleston, for a memorable day.

I am so happy that I took the Frankly Charleson Black History tour! What an eye opener, to learn…read morethe real story of the people without whom Charleston (and the United States) would not have been built. History and tour guide Franklin shares his passion and information you won't hear in many museums. Pay attention and you'll depart his tour with a better understanding and appreciation for the contributions and culture of Black Charlestonians. Thank you!

We had already taken a wonderful Charleston Walk IT! Tour but there is a whole other side to…read moreCharleston's history . Franklin's Tour unlocked it for us . The tour was fascinating, emotional, and impactful. Our local tour planner secret Charleston had strongly recommended it and we are glad we took his advice. I recommend this tour before visiting the IAAM or a Plantation as it lays some groundwork for the remaining part of your visit to the area. Because it's a van tour with stops it covers a fair amount of area to give you a real sense of the history. Don't expect a whitewashed history Franklin speaks from the heart on this well researched historically accurate tour. Strongly recommended.

Great options, friendly staff and coupon code if you can find a tour book…read more Our guide, Wendy, was very knowledgeable and gentle and respectful to our horse guide, Duke. Duke was great!

I'm happy to say I'm bumping my review up from three stars to four after giving Old South Carriage…read moreCompany another chance. During my first visit to Charleston a few years ago, I took one of their daytime carriage tours and left feeling... underwhelmed. I didn't learn all that much, the tour wasn't especially memorable, and I wrote that I'd rather have explored the city on foot. Fast forward to my most recent visit when one of my friends wanted to do the Haunted Carriage Tour. Since it was something different, I happily went along and I'm glad I did. Our horse, Ron, was a 2,000 pound French Percheron and wow.... talk about a workhorse! From what I observed, the horses seemed well cared for despite the small stable. It was fun learning a little about Ron before we set off. Our guide, Matt, was informative, engaging, and did a great job mixing Charleston history with the haunted stories. While I'm not really into ghost tours, I still learned quite a bit. In fact, my favorite takeaway wasn't haunted at all - it was learning the difference between a graveyard and a cemetery. This tour also had a digital component as we were prompted to scan the QR code to see photos of the individuals/"ghosts" he was talking about. The tour also gave us another opportunity to see Charleston from a different perspective and this time around I enjoyed riding through the historic streets by carriage. Overall, this experience was much more enjoyable than my first. The company clearly has these tours down to a science and if you're deciding between a daytime tour and the haunted evening tour, I'd surprisingly recommend the latter. I'm glad I gave Old South another chance.

So great!! Watch out for Cooper she's so good she nock ur socks right off!! She's the best ever!! I…read morehope u like this trolley tour!!

I truly think that this is the best way to see Savannah, especially if you have never been or it's…read morebeen a long time (or if you have bad knees, like my husband!) It was about $45 per person which might sound a little steep but they take you to 16 stops all over the city and you can get on and off as many times as you like (just show your ticket!) They run about every 15-20 minutes and if you stay on for the entire ride, it's about a 90 min tour. Joey was our first guide and he was so awesome that we decided to stay on 2/3 of the way through (we only got off for a "pit stop".) He was hilarious and had dad jokes for days. We really enjoyed him. They also gave us some good info...if you're interested in the squares, sit on the left, churches on the right. Every seat near the window was excellent for taking photos. I'm glad I brought an external battery, I was taking so many pictures! There is no AC but they did give us fans! And there are a lot of good coupons included in their handouts. AND a really good map of Savannah. A lot of good info. I highly recommend!

Had a terrific experience with our guide, Bill. He was fun, knowledgeable, and professional. I…read morelearned a thing or two and had a great time doing it. Perfect for folks visiting Charleston or for residents (like me) showing friends around town.

Bill was our tour guide, and we lucked out because we were the only ones for the particular time…read more To say that this tour, especially with Bill, was fantastic is an understatement! A wealth of knowledge while still being friendly and accommodating to what places we'd be most interested in. So glad we booked this tour on our first full day in Charleston; now we'll enjoy the rest of the week with a solid understanding of the place/region. An easy but strong recommendation if you're visiting this city: Book this tour! Edited to add: My husband called Bill "a young Hemingway"

I really enjoyed this tour. It was easy to book online and find the meeting spot at the visitor's…read morecenter. The guide was kind, knowledgeable and funny. I love that he used pictures and signs to demonstrate some of the people and information that he was talking about. The bus was clean and comfortable. I learned a lot on this tour and would recommend.

This tour wasn't what I thought it would be. I thought we would be going around to various Gullah…read moresites, getting off periodically, and snapping photos. But guide Alphonso Brown had other plans. And that's okay. The two hour tour is totally on the bus. There is no getting off and you're driving around town. It's not all Gullah based. You learn more about Black/African American history overall. But Alphonso is the real gem/lesson here. Alphonso speaks Gullah and he will teach you some too. And even when he is speaking "normally," or in "English," he still has a dialect that is musical and enthralling. For all those complaining about having to work so hard to follow him--get over it! It's LITERALLY the BEST part of this tour! You toddle around town in an air conditioned bus, listening to history, fun stories, and seeing a ton of Charleston architecture (including numbers Philip Simmons gates). Alphonso will tell you where to go, where not to go, what to do, what not to do. He does not mince words. I asked about renowned hero Robert Smalls and he told me Robert Smalls was no hero! He also said George Washington had children (and I've been taught the opposite of that my whole life, so I'm off go down rabbit holes). I loved listening to Mr. Brown's lyrical dialect. Learning about his culture. Learning about Charleston. It was like having a chauffeur take you around to parts of town you wouldn't have thought about visiting. He was fun, energetic. And yes, I bought his book at the gift shop (all bus tours leave from the visitors center), and I had him sign it! This is a unique experience you won't get anywhere else. Thank you to the amazing Alphonso Brown.