We very much enjoyed our visit to the Aiken-Rhett House. The guided tour was very well done, and…read moreour tour guide was knowledgeable and informative throughout the experience. We appreciated learning not only about the home and the family who lived in the home, but also about the enslaved people connected to the property and their lives. The preserved nature of the house provides an authentic experience. There were, however, a couple of distractions that took away from the experience. Early in the presentation, the tour guide was drinking a soda and repeatedly belched while speaking to the group, which felt somewhat unprofessional and made the presentation less enjoyable. We also did not care for the indigo art installation displayed throughout parts of the home. In our opinion, the artwork distracted from the preservation-focused experience that makes the house so interesting. Having modern art pieces placed among the furnishings made it harder to fully appreciate the rooms as historical spaces and also made it difficult to take clean photographs of the home itself. Overall, though, this was still a worthwhile visit, and we are glad we included it during our time in Charleston.

I absolutely loved this house and the three star rating has nothing to do with the preservation and…read moreI very much respect the opinion of others to leave the house as it was found but in MHO preservation also means to keep it in good repair as it was once kept in its original grandeur state or social importance. A few more years and the decay to the elements will bring this house to the ground. If you compare this house to the mansion in the Magnolia Plantation you can see what I mean, restoration doesn't necessarily mean modernizing the house with today's comforts like AC but actually preserve it so future generations can have an idea of how the house looked and functioned back in the years. It is not about the 16 dollar entrance fee but I would rather pay more to see what the house looked like in the splendor of the Chas boom rather than what it looked when the family moved out, moreover if the family was going through hard times and couldn't keep it up in good repair I am sure it was better than today and every day that goes by and for respect to the family the Charleston Museum owes some effort to make it look better not just show it as bad as it looks, just rain seeping through cracks and windows is little by little deteriorating it's appearance until some day it will be a parking lot. Our tour took almost two hours TMI

Great tour! Very knowledgeable docent. And perfect length...30-40 minutes…read more Good price...$15/person. Beautiful historic home, 80% of items/furniture are original to the home. Family descendants still occupy the third floor! Some scenes from the Outer Banks Netflix show are filmed in the house. The porches are incredibly beautiful. Great views of the ocean. I do wish we could have seen more rooms. There were a total of about 7 rooms, plus staircase/foyer and the 2nd story porch on the tour. A very cool artifact that hangs on the wall...the South Carolina secession ordinance (of 100 that were originally printed in 1860). Definitely a good way to experience one of the mansions from that period.

Interesting old house right across from the bay. Reasonably priced at $15 a person. Our tour guide…read morewas great and super knowledgeable! A lot of the furniture is original to the house, which means some really cool pieces. Lots of history! Worth it.

One of my favorite parts of Charleston! King street is always so lively and fun! If you've never…read morebeen - you need to come check it out.

We enjoyed our first time at the Second Sunday happening. What a great way to enjoy this great…read moreshopping experience on King St in downtown Historic Charleston. So many things to do at a leisurely traffic free pace! We had lunch at Joyland, walked over and enjoyed iced coffee & treats (the BROWNIE is to DIE FOR) at Mudhouse Specialty Coffee Shop and ventured over to Bubbies Cookies to take home some treats. This is a venture to enjoy with family and friends!!

Great museum, very informative with coloring sheets for the kiddos. Lots of information well…read moredisplayed- but not one employee came out to say hello or welcome us( did see one guy come out of an office but he didn't come out to the main area)...and we were the only ones there!

This place is small but mighty! My husband caught it as we walked by and I didn't even notice it…read morebut we went in and really enjoyed it. The focus is really the Best Friend of Charleston, which was an early steam engine. There's a replica on display and signs give you a nice narrative history. For kids there are some activity areas as well, but I refrained from sitting down with some crayons. This is really just a bite-size museum with a snippet of important transportation history. And the price is right, it's free, even if you don't like trains, it's a good deal. But if you like trains, you'll enjoy this! The only thing was missing was an opportunity to donate to help sustain the museum. A donation box or QR code to scan would have been welcome because I always want to support train history.

We have been to several children's museums in different states and honestly this is our least…read morefavorite. The kids definitely still had fun, but not as much as in other places. This one is kind of small. They did have a cool outside area with putt putt and parts to make loopty loop tracks for the golf balls which my son liked. My daughter liked "working" at the seafood restaurant. They both enjoyed "shopping" in the grocery store, but the check out area/scanners weren't working. Overall, glad we visited once, but for the size vs the price, we probably wont be back.

We visited with our kids on 8/16/26 from 2:30 PM-4:30 PM. and had mixed feelings about our trip…read more The exhibits are great for a smaller museum, well thought out for young children and clearly designed with care. Unfortunately, none of the staff were welcoming and didn't even acknowledge us being there outside of checking in. The only time the staff talked to the children was when reprimanding them. There was no real warmth or friendliness, which was disappointing for a place centered around kids' experiences. Also be prepared to stand for a majority of them time because you have to stay with your kids but they don't provide anywhere to sit besides child size seats and not very many of them. So keep that in mind if you aren't able to spend long periods of time standing. If your child is older than 7, they will be bored in about an hour. If they're older than 11, they will be bored the whole time. It's decorated nicely and the areas are cute. That's about all it has going for it. Just kind of pathetic compared to other city's museums. I don't find it to be worth the money at all. It also smells weird but it's probably because the building looks to be 100 years old. They could use some tips from the Children's museum in Greenville. It blows this one out of the water in multiple ways.

A must see while in Charleston. Admission is cheap. There is an upstairs and downstairs area, it is…read morevery small. I did have a baby stroller with me and they offered to assist me upstairs. I learned a lot as did my daughter. It was very informative and heartbreaking. Nonetheless a must.

The Old Slave Mart is located at 6 Chalmers Street and is a must-have on your itinerary, even if…read moreyou visit Charleston for a short time. In the heart of the French Quarter, near the French Huguenot Church, One of the first African-American slave museums in the country, Old Slave Mart, is set inside the building where enslaved people were auctioned before the Civil War and is a somber, but important part of a Charleston trip focusing on history. The tour is self-guided, with signage explaining the history. There are also personal accounts from enslaved individuals, artifacts, and audio and visual exhibits. It is a small but deeply affecting museum that gives a sobering view of history. Here, you can listen to the recording of an interview with a former slave. Old Slave Mart was a real slave auction site in the 18th and 19th centuries. Slave auctions were held here till 1863.

Happy we took the recommendation from locals to stop by and tour. The grounds are beautiful and…read morehave several hidden gems. My group enjoyed how we could tour at our own pace and our own path. The weather was perfect to be outdoors and take in all the beauty of nature while waking around the lakes and gardens.

Hell ya! Got to tell everyone about their smoke shack turkey sandwich, what a fantastic surprise…read morefor us two husbands that were condemned today to follow our wives on their tour of the old plantations around Charleston, SC. We landed at the above location and immediately saw our chance by ordering these sandwiches we were effectively out of the tour for at least an hour. Seriously, if you are visiting or being dragged by your significant other try their smoked turkey sandwich.

I couldn't help but buy a painting the first time I walked in the door. This place is a breath of…read morefresh air! Gallery meets open studio space, and classroom. Featuring local artists and aspiring artists, paintings, fiber arts, and painted furniture. Susan is a memorable art teacher, artist, and art enthusiast. The parking lot is small for some of the art shows, but the themes are always edgy and important to the times. Nothing but love here!

Awesome West Ashley gallery with cool evening interactive art classes. Wine Glass Painting-fun!read more