Charleston Tours Locals Will Love

Charleston was named as one of the best cities in the US ( as well as thebest in the world , baseborn brag ) for the preceding few years , and our picayune town has quite a minute of historical significance ( like that one timewe lead off a civic warfare ) . So we ’ve had to get used to the city being filled with tourer who like to see the metropolis in between repast at ouramazing restaurants .

There are an consuming number of turn to take in The Holy City , and it would be a pity to waste time on one that ’s lame or cheesy ( lookin ’ at you , horse carriage term of enlistment ) . We found some of the honest under - the - microwave radar tours where both locals and tourists can enjoy a true Charleston experience .

Sushikon

Why locals will love it : This jumbo legal community crawl gets you out of business district and into area you might not visit otherwise , like Johns Island . Plus , you ’re noshing on sushi en path , and you have a built - in DD from brewery to brewery .

If you ever like that you could deplete good deal of sushi on a charabanc while visiting a few of Charleston ’s best breweries , then the Sushikon go is mightily up your alleyway . depend on the tour ( we like the three - track Saturday tour , but there ’s also a two - grade Friday hitch , and a Sunday Brunch go ) , you ’ll get a comfortable buns on the Sushikon bus , a originative multi - course Asiatic repast , two 12 oz beer pours at three different Charleston craft brewery , and guide brewery spell . It ’s a piffling pricy compare to some of the other tours , but you ’ll definitely leave feel full and a little bombinate .

Farmer’s Market Tour

Why topical anaesthetic will love it : You’ll see the Farmers Market through the oculus of a chef and examine vegetable you were too afraid to attempt to prepare yourself . You might even learn some new fun facts about your hometown .

betting odds are you ’ve been to the farmers food market 1,000 time already , but the Chef ’s Showcase Farmer ’s Market Tour offered by Charleston Culinary Tours is a unequalled experience . You basically get to be a player in a farmers - market - meets - Iron Cheftype experience , where your grouping pluck out a bunch of goodies at the food market , and one local chef puts together a unequalled repast with those ingredients . While the chef cook , you ’re pass on a 45 - minute walk tour of Downtown Charleston en route to the chef ’s restaurant . you could take this tour multiple time and have all different experience , depending on the chefs and ingredients you foot out . This tour operates as long as the farmers securities industry is in session ( mid - April thru mid - December ) .

Haunted Jail Tour

Why locals will love it : The Haunted Jail tour is often overlook , but when you ’re in the mood for a good scare , this is the tour you ’ll require to take .

With Halloween the right way around the corner , catch some friends and get quick to be spook at The Old City Jail tour of duty , offered by Bulldog Tours . The jail was in use for about 137 geezerhood until 1939 , and most of the building ’s original structure are entire . You ’ll try tarradiddle like the fable of Lavinia and John Fisher , nineteenth - century hotel proprietor who purportedly poisoned their guests and haunt the cellphone . We were unbelieving at first , but after a few minutes inside the jailhouse , the creepiness started to gear up in and we started feeling like we were about to become a role in a new season ofAmerican Horror Story .

Pleasing Terrors Ghost Tour

Why locals will love it : Sometimes , Charleston seems too perfect to be reliable . This tour give you a overnice dose of realness with a glimpse at the ailing part of Charleston ’s chronicle . It ’s extra play to do around Halloween when there ’s that spooky chill ( chill being a comparative term here ) in the strain .

If the Old Jail is too intense for you but you still want to feel a little creeped out , we recommend the Pleasing Terrors ghost tour , put up by Old Charleston Tours . The 90 - moment , twelvemonth - round excursion offers the sodding balance of account and spookiness , so you could justify taking it as chronicle moral . Keep the creepiness going by grabbing a dinner or a potable afterwards at notoriously hauntedPoogan ’s Porchon Queen St , just a occlusion aside from where the tour start at Washington Square Park .

Blackwater Cypress Swamp Kayak Tour

Why locals will jazz it : If you already own a kayak or a gravy holder , you ’ve been to all the usual places . For your next water escapade , psyche to someone else ’s urine .

For those more interested in the natural - side of Charleston , or if you ’re looking for a enlistment that ’s a little more adventurous , grab a boat paddle on the Blackwater Cypress Swamp Kayak Tour , offered December through April . You ’ll learn a little more about the Charleston arena , include the different plant life and animate being , as you dodder beneath a 100ft - improbable canopy of Cypress and Tupelo trees on this three - hour point misstep . For a nervous - twist , take the evening swamp tour and love the chorus of cicada and owls for a completely dissimilar experience . There are no currents , no fart photo , and no crew in this private swamp , so it ’s a great for all experienced kayakers and newbies alike .

Gullah Tours

Why locals will have it away it : You’ve see the Sweetgrass Basket artisans in the Market and have likely bought a Palmetto Rose for a friend or bang one , but this is your chance to ascertain more about the shock the Gullah Geechee people have had on this beautiful city .

People unfamiliar with Charleston might not have heard the term “ Gullah ” before , but it correspond the finish and terminology of the Lowcountry ’s first African - American habitant . The two - minute tour takes place on an air conditioned motorcoach ( very important if you ’re visiting during the summer ) and is led by Rantowles , SC aboriginal Alphonso Brown . During the tour , you ’ll confab of import Gullah sites like the Sweetgrass Market to learn about Sweetgrass basketful sowing , the Whipping House ( a portion of an honest-to-goodness jailhouse for slaves ) , and more . While on the bus , you ’ll also see true stories that boast Gullah language , refinement , and music and how it relates to Charleston ’s yesteryear , present , and future .

Plantation Tours

Why locals will love it : If your only experience at Boone Hall Plantation is for the Oyster Festival or Pumpkin Patch , you ’re severely overlook out . The historical plantations in Charleston look like they ’re straight out of a movie set – and just of all , they ’re right in your backyard !

Brews Cruise

Why locals will love it : All the breweries in Charleston are so spread out – a Brews Cruise gives you the power to attempt dissimilar beers without dealing with the dogfight of deportation ( or worsened , losing your buzz ) . tope up !

In case you ’ve been last under a keg of braggart - brand brewage , Charleston is a metropolis ghost with craft beer . Right now , we ’ve got 12 brewery , three brewpub , and another few breweries projected to open by the goal of the twelvemonth . The folk at Charleston Brews Cruise want to ensure you get to assay the best that the Holy City has to offer by celebrating the “ science and Passion of Christ inside every glass of majuscule beer . ” They extend two beer tours , including a four - 60 minutes tour that get you five or six generous pours at three Charleston breweries , alongside a lot of example on the process of brewing craft beer . Another two and a half - hour go extend five or six pours at two local breweries , and focalize more on the “ fun ” aspect of brewing ( like lively euphony and gobs of beer ) , rather than the science and behind - the - scenes happenings .

Fall Tour of Homes

Why topical anaesthetic will love it : If you ’ve ever caught yourself walking along The Battery try on to get a glance inside the multi - million dollar sign house that expect out over the harbor , this is the spell for you .

Every fall , the Preservation Society of Charleston host a fall tour of statuesque homes ( happening this year through October 30th ) , which gives you a glimpse on how the other one-half lives in the Holy City . Choose between a South of Broad tour , Upper Tradd Street tour , or Gardens of Ansonborough tour and prepare to stare in veneration at the impressive computer architecture , design , and landscaping of these older , multi - million dollar bill historic homes and garden . You ’ll never seem at your one bedroom apartment the same way again .

Say Charleston! Photo Walking Tour

Why locals will roll in the hay it : If you ’re in dire need of new drumhead shots , engagement pic , or just a sensational fresh profile pic , this is the thoroughgoing spell to take . Rather than chaffer the same onetime historical landmarks , this trip also take you to the most picturesque part of Charleston that are n’t found in many guidebooks .

Local award - gain photojournalist and tenth generation Charlestonian Liz Duren guides a two - hour walk duty tour around the urban center . As Duren share family history , she takes photos of you with the beautiful Charleston architecture as a breathtaking backdrop . You get one image from the tour for gratis , and are able to purchase other persona from the verandah as a digital download afterward . Prepare to make all your followers on the ‘ Gram jealous .

plantation tour