Spend a day in Charleston touring the historic district followed by a boat trip and tour of Fort Sumter National Monument where growing strife between North and South erupted in civil war on April 12, 1861. You will also have the opportunity to shop on your own in the old public market and enjoy a late lunch on your own at one of Charleston's many fine restaurants.

PLEASE NOTE: This tour requires a total number of 8 passengers to depart; individual parties will be grouped together to meet the minimum.

Charleston and Fort Sumter Tour from Hilton Head Length: 10 hours  Prices - including tax Our Adult Retail Rate: $107.95 Our Adult Internet Rate: $102.95 Savings: $5.00 Our Child Rate (Ages 2-12): $51.95 Child - Free (Under 2): $0.00 Time: 7:00 am on Tuesdays No tours scheduled during PGA Golf Tournament (April 13-20)  Summary: Tour includes free hotel pick-up and drop-off. Child rate applies to children ages 2 through 12; under age 2 are free when riding on an adult lap. Please reserve online, or call us toll-free at 888-315-7853. ** You will receive an E-Ticket for your tour/activity. We attempt to provide your E-Ticket within 72 hours (if your tour/activity is in less than 10 days). If your tour/activity is within the next 72 hours, your E-Ticket will be processed as quickly as possible. You will need to print your E-Ticket at www.reserve123.com/tickets; you must have your E-Ticket, or you will be charged again with no refund. There is a $3.95 processing fee per order. This is a flat fee regardless of the number of tickets or tours purchased on an order.

Historic Charleston

The air is filled with sea breezes, and historic Fort Sumter stands in the distance while sailboats and Sea Islands dot the horizon.

Charleston lives her history. This beautiful city has been and continues to be preserved, restored and protected. Its vast Historic District is filled with tiny alleys, walled gardens, and stately homes that make Charleston one of the most beloved cities in the world.

Antebellum town mansions were places gentleman planters spent as much time indulging in their passions for politics and pleasure as they did managing their vast rice and cotton plantations. Descendants still honor the art of gracious living and warm hospitality.

Fort Sumter

The fort is best known as the site where the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter. It was built after the War of 1812 as one of a series of fortifications on the southern U.S. coast. The structure was unfinished in 1860, when the conflict began.

Five days after South Carolina declared its secession, U.S. Army Major Robert Anderson abandoned the indefensible Fort Moultrie and secretly relocated his two companies to Fort Sumter. He thought that providing a stronger defense would delay a Rebel attack. But fewer than half of the cannons that should have been there were available due to military downsizing. Over the next few months, repeated calls for Union surrender from Confederate Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard were ignored, and Union attempts to resupply and reinforce the garrison were rebuffed.

On April 12, 1861, at 4:30 a.m., Confederate batteries opened fire, firing for 34 straight hours, on the fort. The garrison returned fire, but it was ineffective. On April 13, the fort surrendered. Accounts, such as in the famous diary of Mary Chesnut, describe Charleston residents along what is now known as The Battery, sitting on balconies and drinking salutes to the start of the hostilities.

Tour includes free hotel pick-up and drop-off. Child rate applies to children ages 2 through 12; under age 2 are free when riding on an adult lap. Please reserve online, or call us toll-free at 888-315-7853.