Fort Sumter Access and Self-Guided Tour with Roundtrip Ferry
Description
Visit historic Fort Sumter with the only operator in Charleston providing access to Fort Sumer National Historic Site and Round-Trip Ferry Transportation from Liberty Square or Patriots Point. Cruise by top Charleston sites from your ferry. For those departing from Patriots Point, experience views of the USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier from up-close. Explore the grounds of Fort Sumter and stand where America’s deadliest war began at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park. The first shots were fired here, igniting a conflict that saw more than 700,000 casualties. Experience the opening battle of the American Civil War and explore its origins with a National Park Ranger who will greet you upon arrival. Your approximate 1-hour visit to Fort Sumter allows ample time to explore well-preserved fort ruins and browse Museum Store souvenirs. Then enjoy the beautiful views of the city as you ride the ferry back to Charleston.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Visit historic Fort Sumter National Monument located in Charleston, SC with the only operator in the city offering access 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.
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.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to departure time
- Boarding begins 15 minutes prior to departure time
- Accepted payment methods include all major credit and debit cards only
- 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 restrooms on Fort Sumter are unavailable; 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, bookstore, and top level of Fort Sumter are only accessible by climbing stairs.
- 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.
Reviews(3,839)
This was an very informative 2 hour tour. It takes about 30 minutes by boat to get to Ft. Sumter and points of interest were shared on the ride. The Park Rangers were very friendly and gave a 5 minute intro to the Fort along with points of interest. We then explored on our own. There is a museum and gift shop. It's amazing standing on the ground where history happened. The Rangers reminded us that it's hot and to stay hydrated.
We enjoyed the ferry ride and appreciated the history lesson! What a blessing that the crowd got to help fold the flag until the next day! It was a great way to beat the heat!
Great history lesson. Go on the early ferry to help raise the flag when you get there. Ask questions to learn more
The trip to Fort Sumpter is well managed and is very informative. The half hour cruise through the harbor was an added perk. The fort itself is full of history and the self guided tour was easy to follow. Park officials were helpful in answering questions. We highly recommend this trip for families.
The tour guide was fantastic and we learned a ton on the boat. However, the majority of the tour was spent on the boat, and the actual time on Fort Sumter felt very rushed. The observation deck was also closed due to lightning. We did see lightning in the distance while on the boat, but the lightning stopped and we didn't see anymore. It was disappointing to have a significant amount of the island closed. We had fun, but we wouldn't have chosen to do the tour had we known all of this.
This was a fun tour. Boat was smooth. All instructions were clear. The bummer is that the boat ride over is NOT narrated like the description said. I would have liked to learn more history from the guide on the way over. I got to participate in lowering the American flag for the day which was an incredible experience.
This was a great little addition to our recent trip to Charleston. It is perfectly timed, comfortable, and informative. As someone who is not a history person, I was engaged learning about the events of the Civil War surrounding Fort Sumter.
This was an excellent tour. The boat ride out was beautiful and the ranger speaking was very knowledgeable regarding the history of the Fort. There was plenty of time to explore the small island and find out all about the history. Since we were the first tour group there, we were able to participate in the flag raising, which was nice.
Tour was great and very informative. I would recommend going to first tour when they raise the flag.
From all the tours across the world this would have to rank at the bottom, the ferry and its staff were lifeless except for the ranger and his knowledge of the island. The ferry is filled with plastic chairs and folding tables and parts of the boat looking worse for wear. Now to the Fort… !!! yep that’s about it. Nothing to say was just as exciting as the ferry ride. Wasted precious time on visiting nothing really
