Gray Line
Offering three different tours, Gray Line tours are focused on historic sites, visiting over 100 points of interest. All tours travel through the historic district and are narrated. Additionally, Tour 2 allows tourists to visit a historic Charleston home, and Tour 3 takes visitors to historic Fort Sumter or the Harbor. Prices range from $20 to $32, and the tours last between 90 minutes and three hours. Reservations can be made online. Tours operate every half hour daily between 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. from March to November and between 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from December to February. All buses leave from the Visitors Center at 375 Meeting St. in downtown Charleston.
Gray Line of Charleston
(843) 722-4444
graylineofcharleston.com
Gullah Tours
Gullah Tours offers a historic view of the city and region's African-American and Gullah heritage, indigenous to this area, on a unique tour. Just a few of the 21 sites visited include the Underground Railroad, the Old Slave Mart, Sweetgrass Basket Makers and the South's oldest African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church, the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Narrated tours are priced at $18 and last two hours. Reservations can be made online. Tours operate twice daily from Monday to Friday at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.; on Saturdays, tours depart at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Buses leave from the African American Art Gallery at 43 John St. in downtown Charleston.
Gullah Tours
(843) 763-7551
http://www.gullahtours.com
Adventure Sightseeing
Adventure Sightseeing offers five narrated tours. Covering the city and larger regional area, tours visit historic sites in the city, the Citadel, Fort Sumter, a guided house tour and a guided plantation tour. All tours are 90 minutes, not including stops at the Fort, houses or plantation. Prices range from $17 to $50, and reservations can be made online for a discount. Tours depart daily, though times vary depending on the tour. Buses leave from the Visitors Center at 375 Meeting St. in downtown Charleston.
Adventure Sightseeing
(843) 762-0088
http://www.touringcharleston.com/index.html
CARTA DASH Shuttles
The Charleston Area Regional Transit Authority (CARTA) operates four shuttle routes through downtown Charleston. The Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH) routes travel all over downtown, stopping at sites including the South Carolina Aquarium, the Battery, Waterfront Park and Marion Square. Routes are not narrated, but passengers may get off at any bus stop along the way and take their time to sightsee without the constraint of a tour schedule. Fares are $1.50 per boarding, though unlimited-ride day passes are available for $5 on all buses. Buses run every half hour; hours of operation vary by route, but all routes operate through the morning and afternoon, and some routes operate into the night. DASH buses depart from the Visitors Center at 375 Meeting St. in downtown Charleston, though riders can board buses at any bus stop along each route.
Charleston Area Regional Transit Authority
(843) 724-7420
http://www.ridecarta.com
