Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Fort Sumter National Monument, 340 Concord Street, Charleston, SC 29482-9748
Visit historic Fort Sumter National Monument located in Charleston, SC with the only operator in the city offering Admission to Fort Sumter plus Round-Trip Ferry Service.
Experience a relaxing 30minute Narrated Harbor Cruise to historic Fort Sumter, where America’s deadliest war began. You will learn about the events which led to the outbreak of America’s most bloody war. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by a National Park Service Ranger, who will provide further details about Fort Sumter and its pivotal role in the American Civil War. On the fort you will find a very informative museum (360 Video of Museum) with many historic artifacts and a souvenir shop. After your roughly one hour visit, you will enjoy a scenic cruise back to your departure point.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center, 340 Concord St, Charleston, SC 29401-1530
Ferries depart from the Fort Sumter Visitor's Center in downtown Charleston for those who select the Liberty Square departure option during checkout.
Pass By: Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
Enjoy scenic views of top Charleston sites during your cruise to Fort Sumter, including Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.
Pass By: Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, 40 Patriots Point Rd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464-4377
For those departing from Patriots Point, experience views of the historic USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier from up-close.
Pass By: Fort Moultrie, 1214 Middle St, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482-9748
Fort Moultrie is a series of forts along Sullivan's Island. Enjoy views of the fort as you cruise by or while on Fort Sumter.
Pass By: Battery & White Point Gardens, East Battery & Murray Blvd., Charleston, SC 29401
Enjoy scenic views of Charleston such as Battery homes during your cruise to Fort Sumter.
See Availability.
1: Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center, 340 Concord St, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
2: 40 Patriots Point Rd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464, USA
2 hours 15 minutes(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
The ferries are equipped with an elevator/lift and handicapped accessible restrooms. The Liberty Square boarding ramp can accommodate electric & manual wheelchairs and scooters except in extreme tide situations. Although the restrooms on Fort Sumter are accessible only by climbing a flight of stairs, the ferry remains at the Fort so that restrooms on the boat are available during your visit.
There is currently no Elevator Service at Fort Sumter – the museum, restrooms, bookstore and top level of Fort Sumter are only accessible by climbing stairs.
Please note the Fort Sumter Tour is a boat excursion dependent on changing weather and tide conditions, Fort Sumter Tours cannot and does not guarantee accessibility. Ramps used to access the ferry can vary based on tides and adverse conditions.
Tours run rain or shine. Only the Captain has the final say as to whether he feels it needs to be canceled due to weather. That decision is made at the time of departure and throughout the duration of the tour.
3:45 tour departing from Patriots Point is a 3 hour tour in total time.
Charleston County has now dropped into a medium risk level for Covid-19, therefore masks are not required, but optional.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 385 travelers
Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Posted By : Karen_E
The ferry ride out was great.
The history of the Fort was fascinating. Seeing the distance between the islands and the fact those cannons could fire that far to hit Fort Sumter was awesome.
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Rating :
Posted On : 2024-05-18
Posted By : lyssasmom
The boat trip across was very pleasant and afforded some great views of Charleston and the surrounding area. Fort Sumter itself was pretty amazing and learning the history was fascinating. The rangers did a really good job. I would skip the on board snack bar....overpriced as expected, but the hotdog was nearly rancid.
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Posted On : 2024-05-18
Posted By : Deborah_M
Having visited a number of American forts, this was disappointing. The significance in the location and situation as the spark to ignite a civil war is prominent in US history. The 15 minute presentation at the start was informative. The site itself unfortunately is nothing less than worn walls at the base with a few cannons and artillery present. It provides a walk along the perimeter and the grassy interior with the chance to view the ocean and the coast as well. Being there for an hour and fifteen minutes was MORE than needed. Having so little of the fort to witness made it difficult to appreciate what occurred here. 30-40 minutes would have been enough. This was our final Charleston experience on our fourth day and it would have been just as amazing a visit if we hadn’t visited the fort.
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Posted On : 2024-05-18
Posted By : Andrea_C
The boat ride was great and it was the perfect amount of time at Fort Sumter really enjoyed the flag folding ceremony
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Posted On : 2024-05-17
Posted By : Sandy_W
Rangers were great! Learned so much about how the civil war started. At Fort Sumpter you could just feel the spirit of the men who were there.
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Posted On : 2024-05-17
Posted By : Jeffrey_N
Captain could not dock the ferry due to high winds at Ft Sumter so we had to turn around. A waste of precious time for us.
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Posted On : 2024-05-16
Posted By : Dodger57
We enjoyed the boat ride out to Fort Sumter. Unfortunately due to the winds we were unable to dock after multiple attempts. We were bummed out that we couldn’t get off to see the fort. We were given a full refund. 👍🏻
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Posted On : 2024-05-15
Posted By : Justin_S
The ferry ride was enjoyable and the tour guide was very knowledgeable. The history of the fort was very interesting.
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Posted On : 2024-05-15
Posted By : Robin_K
Go out on the first boat of the morning if you can - The visitors on that boat have the opportunity to help raise the flag in the morning. Staff and boat were excellent.
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Posted On : 2024-05-15
Posted By : Jan_S
The park ranger was very knowledgeable. Loved the fact that you could walk around and explore on your own. Boat ride there and back was relaxing.
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Posted On : 2024-05-15
