With kids · Charleston · United States
Charleston with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0
Quick answer
Charleston works well for families who mix history with water: a ferry to Fort Sumter, an aircraft carrier to climb, an aquarium on the harbour and beaches 20 minutes away. Historic house tours suit older children better than toddlers, and summer heat means planning outdoor sights early. Top picks: Fort Sumter National Monument, South Carolina Aquarium and Patriots Point and USS Yorktown. Families usually base themselves in Mount Pleasant.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 7
- Best area for families
- Mount Pleasant
- Rainy-day options
- 5
- Busiest months
- April–May
Best things to do with kids
Historic site · Charleston Harbor
1.Fort Sumter National Monument
Confederate guns fired on this island fort in April 1861, starting the Civil War. The only access is by concession ferry from Liberty Square downtown or from Patriots Point; the trip is about 30 minutes each way with roughly an hour on the island, where rangers explain the bombardment and the fort's later history.
Visit the free Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center at Liberty Square before your boat, and sit on the harbour side for views of the Battery.
- Time needed
- About 2 hours 15 minutes with ferry
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Ferries sell out on spring and summer weekends; reserve a departure time online in advance.
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Views
Aquarium · Ansonborough
2.South Carolina Aquarium
On the harbour beside the Fort Sumter ferry dock, the aquarium follows the state's water from mountain streams to the ocean, with a two-storey Great Ocean Tank of sharks and loggerhead turtles. Its sea turtle care centre treats injured turtles, and visitors can watch patients in recovery.
Combine it with a Fort Sumter ferry from the same dock for an easy family half-day.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
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Museum · Mount Pleasant
3.Patriots Point and USS Yorktown
The Second World War aircraft carrier USS Yorktown is moored at Mount Pleasant as a naval museum, with aircraft on the flight deck and hangar, plus the destroyer USS Laffey alongside. Children can explore bunk rooms, the bridge and engine spaces, and the flight deck gives a wide view across the harbour to downtown.
Wear flat shoes; the ships involve steep ladders and narrow passages, and the flight deck is very hot in summer afternoons.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- History
- Views
- Rainy day
Park · French Quarter and Market area
4.Joe Riley Waterfront Park
This harbour-front park along Concord Street has the Pineapple Fountain, where children paddle in summer, a pier lined with swinging benches and lawns looking towards Patriots Point and the Ravenel Bridge. It links Rainbow Row with the Market area along a shaded promenade.
Claim one of the bench swings at the end of the pier early in the evening to watch ships and dolphins in the harbour.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Couples
- Views
- Outdoors
Museum · Upper King
5.The Charleston Museum
Founded in 1773 and often called America's first museum, it covers Lowcountry natural and cultural history, from a whale skeleton and fossil finds to Charleston silver and Civil War material. It also runs two historic houses, the Heyward-Washington House and the Joseph Manigault House.
It faces the visitor centre on Meeting Street, so it is an easy first stop to get your bearings on a rainy morning.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Nature · Johns Island
6.Angel Oak
A Southern live oak on Johns Island, about 20 km from downtown, estimated to be several hundred years old, with limbs that sprawl along the ground and shade a huge area. It stands in a small city-owned park and makes an easy stop on the way to Kiawah or Wadmalaw Island.
Do not climb or lean on the branches; the tree is protected and staff will ask you to step back.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Photo spot
- Kids
Garden · Ashley River Road
7.Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
Held by the Drayton family since the 17th century, Magnolia has informal romantic-style gardens famous for azaleas and camellias, a swamp garden with alligators and herons, and restored cabins that tell the stories of enslaved and later free workers. Spring flowering peaks from about March to April.
Take the nature train or boat tour around the former rice fields to see wading birds and alligators.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Nature
- Outdoors
- History
- Kids
- Photo spot
Rainy-day ideas
- Charleston City Market — Buy sweetgrass baskets directly from the weavers, who often make them on the spot and can tell you how long each one took.
- The Charleston Museum — It faces the visitor centre on Meeting Street, so it is an easy first stop to get your bearings on a rainy morning.
- Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon — Ask about the section of the original 18th-century sea wall visible in the dungeon.
- South Carolina Aquarium — Combine it with a Fort Sumter ferry from the same dock for an easy family half-day.
- Patriots Point and USS Yorktown — Wear flat shoes; the ships involve steep ladders and narrow passages, and the flight deck is very hot in summer afternoons.
Where families should stay
$$ · Best for families, budget and beach
Mount Pleasant
Across the Cooper River, Mount Pleasant offers chain and mid-range hotels with free parking, Shem Creek's boardwalk of seafood restaurants and the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point. Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms beaches are about 15 minutes' drive, downtown Charleston about 15–20 minutes over the bridge, so a car is needed.
- Good
- Better-value hotels with parking; Close to both downtown and the beaches; Waterfront dining at Shem Creek
- Watch out
- Car-dependent; Bridge traffic at rush hour
- Nearby
- Shem Creek, Patriots Point, Sullivan's Island, Ravenel Bridge
Family travel tips
- The Pineapple Fountain in Waterfront Park is a free splash stop on hot days.
- Do Fort Sumter and the aquarium together; they share a dock on the harbour.
- Book a carriage tour in the morning in summer, before the midday heat.
- Swim near lifeguards at Folly Beach or Isle of Palms and watch for rip currents.
- Mount Pleasant hotels with pools and free parking are often easier with children than downtown inns.
Day trips for families
- Kiawah Island (About 45 minutes by car) — A largely private resort island with about 16 km of wide beach, maritime forest and golf courses that have hosted the PGA Championship.
- Edisto Island (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car) — A low-key Sea Island with oak-canopied roads, a state park beach known for fossil and shark-tooth hunting, and no high-rise development.
- Congaree National Park (About 2 hours by car) — A floodplain forest of some of the tallest trees in eastern North America, explored on a raised boardwalk loop or by canoe along Cedar Creek.
When to go with children
The best months overall are March–May and October–November. April–May are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Charleston good for kids?
Charleston works well for families who mix history with water: a ferry to Fort Sumter, an aircraft carrier to climb, an aquarium on the harbour and beaches 20 minutes away. Historic house tours suit older children better than toddlers, and summer heat means planning outdoor sights early.
+What can kids do in Charleston?
Fort Sumter National Monument, South Carolina Aquarium, Patriots Point and USS Yorktown, Joe Riley Waterfront Park and The Charleston Museum.
+Where should families stay in Charleston?
Mount Pleasant: Suburb across the Ravenel Bridge with Shem Creek docks and Patriots Point.