10 Best Museums in Charleston

The Gibbes Museum of Art is known for its collection of American art from the colonial period to the present day. Housed in an elegant Beaux Arts building, the museum showcases portraits, landscapes, sculptures, decorative art objects, and an uncommon collection of miniature portraits. The permanent collection is deeply rooted in the history of the United States and the American South. It features works by prominent artists and locals alike, all contextualized within broader cultural developments over time.

The museum has six to eight exhibitions each year on diverse subjects and a highly active programming calendar. Sign up for a lunchtime art history seminar, take a tour of Charleston’s street art, or work on your technique in a watercolor class.

In continuous operation since its founding in 1773, the Charleston Museum is the oldest museum in the United States. Focused on interpreting the cultural and natural history of Charleston and the Lowcountry region, the museum offers exhibits on the natural environment and wildlife, early European settlement, and the history of slavery and African American culture.

Browsing the museum you’ll find a diverse assortment of fossils, examples of historic Charleston furniture, and an extensive collection of clothing and textiles. Exhibits also explore Charleston’s role in the American Revolution and the Civil War, showcasing weapons and military artifacts from these periods.

The Old Slave Mart Museum chronicles Charleston’s role in the slave trade. Housed in a former slave auction gallery – the only known building of its kind still standing – the museum provides a wealth of information about the treatment of enslaved peoples via photos, newspaper articles, and artifacts.

Charleston was a major center of the international and domestic slave trade and served as a commercial center for the plantation economy in the antebellum period. The Old Slave Mart Museum serves as a powerful reminder of the atrocities of slavery and the ongoing struggle for civil rights and racial justice in the United States.

One of Charleston’s National Historic Landmarks, the Heyward-Washington House was named for the two significant historical figures who stayed here. This Georgian-style house built in 1772 was home to Thomas Heyward Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence; George Washington also lodged here during his visit to Charleston in 1791.

After learning the history of the house in an in-depth guided tour, visitors can explore the grounds, which include a 1740s kitchen, a woodworking shop, and a formal garden featuring period-correct plants. The house has an excellent collection of American-made colonial furniture, including one of the finest pieces in existence, the Holmes Bookcase.

The North Charleston Fire Museum wants you to learn about firefighting history and fire safety and have fun while you’re at it. Housed in a renovated 1927 fire station, the 20 antique firefighting vehicles in the museum’s collection are in excellent condition and beautifully displayed.

Exhibits dive into the evolution of firefighting technology and techniques from the 19th century to the present day and showcase antique firefighting gear, artifacts, and photographs. With hands-on elements and a slide and fire pole that visitors are encouraged to try, kids and adults alike will have a great time at the Fire Museum.

On an island off the coast of Charleston lies the historic Fort Sumter, best known as the site of the first shots of the Civil War in April 1861. Constructed by the U.S. government as a strategic defense fortification, the fort has been restored to its 1861 appearance. Visitors can see many original features such as cannon emplacements and barracks.

At the monument you’ll learn about the causes and effects of the Civil War as well as the history of Charleston Harbor. You can visit the nearby Fort Moultrie, a series of coastal defense structures. The island is accessible by ferries that depart from the Fort Sumter Visitor Center in downtown Charleston.

The Old Exchange has played many roles throughout its long history in Charleston. Built in 1771 as a mercantile exchange, the building was later used as a military prison and provost marshal’s office during the American Revolution. The Provost Dungeon, located beneath the main building, housed prisoners of war in notoriously harsh conditions of overcrowding, disease, and scarce food and water.

After the war, the building was used as a customs house and a post office before finally being restored and opened as a museum. The tours here are well worth it, led by friendly and knowledgeable guides who can provide context and detail to this storied place.

Known as the site of the first permanent English settlement in the Carolinas, the Charles Town Landing State Historic Site is a 664-acre park with plenty to see, do, and learn. Check out the Visitor’s Center and walk the self-guided history trail with an audio tour for information on Charleston’s early colonial history and the Native American tribes that lived in the Carolinas before its settlement.

The site boasts miles of walking trails through wetlands and forests and 80 acres of gardens. It’s an excellent spot to bring the family: Visitors can see bison and otters in the park’s Animal Forest and explore a replica of a 17th-century trading ship.

Patriots Point is a sure draw for anyone interested in naval and maritime history. Situated on the banks of Charleston Harbor, the museum is home to a destroyer, a submarine, an Apollo 8 capsule, and some of the most significant aircraft in aviation.

The crown jewel of the museum is the USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier that served in World War II and the Vietnam War. While exploring the ship and learning about its role in naval history, you can also visit the official Medal of Honor Museum, housed onboard, dedicated to those who have received the nation’s highest military honor. Don’t miss the Vietnam Experience, a re-creation of a Vietnam base camp replete with military vehicles and equipment.

The International African American Museum is 20 years in the making. Devoted to expressing the yet-untold stories of the African American journey, it is situated on the historic site of Gadsden’s Wharf, the disembarkation point for as much as 40% of American enslaved people.

Museum exhibits will cover a broad array of subjects, including the transatlantic slave trade and the ongoing struggle for racial justice. It will explore the diverse journeys, achievements, and contributions of African Americans, featuring historic figures and personal stories. The Center for Family History will serve as a resource for investigating African American genealogy. The African Ancestors Memorial Garden is envisioned as a place to reflect and discover artistic installations and performances.