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Charleston Museum

360 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29403
843-722-2996
Website
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Ranked #31 of 91 attractions in Charleston
Type: History Museums
Activities: Group tours/walking tour
Owner description: The Charleston Museum, America's First Museum, founded in 1773. Its mission is to preserve and interpret the cultural and natural history of... more » Owner description: The Charleston Museum, America's First Museum, founded in 1773. Its mission is to preserve and interpret the cultural and natural history of Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry. We invite you to explore this rich, varied history at the Museum and its two National Historic Landmark houses. All are located downtown, in America's Most Historic City. Featuring: Lowcountry History, Historic Armory, Charleston in the Revolutionary War, "City Under Seige" (civil war), Natural History Hall, Kidstory, and Historic Textiles Gallery « less
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154 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    56
    77
    16
    3
    2
Date Rating
Tampa, Florida
Senior Contributor
39 reviews 39 reviews
25 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 14, 2013 NEW

This was much better than we ever expected...really contained a little bit of everything - art, sculpture, natural history, costumes. It goes back to the city's emphasis on a well-rounded education. We were impressed.

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See 7 more reviews by MissLaughsALot for Charleston
Miami Beach, Florida
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed June 7, 2013

If you are ready to come in from the rain or heat this is a great place to spend a few hours. We have been touring the south and been inside many of the old homes, but this provided very good insight into what times were really like for the slaves, soldiers and townspeople. The two movies about rice farming... More

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See 3 more reviews by 33139 for Charleston
Chicago
Senior Contributor
24 reviews 24 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 18 cities Reviews in 18 cities
35 helpful votes 35 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 2, 2013

A worthy museum for a town that has so much history, I thought we'd be there about 2 or 3 hours but probably stayed for 4. The best parts covered the period from early 17th Century through Reconstruction. The 20th Century section is less interesting, and there's a kind of dated natural history gallery at the end that nobody seemed... More

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See 3 more reviews by Scottster for Charleston
Columbia, South Carolina
Top Contributor
75 reviews 75 reviews
16 attraction reviews
Reviews in 22 cities Reviews in 22 cities
30 helpful votes 30 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 29, 2013

The lady who sold us our tickets was very hospitable. The Museum and its exhibits seems older. It has a wide variety of exhibits, and there are literally tons of information. There's so much to read and see, it was a bit overwhelming. I would recommend giving yourself at least a few hours to get through it all. The last... More

Was this review helpful? Yes 1
See 17 more reviews by southerngirl745 for Charleston
Lake Wylie, South Carolina
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 28, 2013

This museum had numerous artifacts from days gone by, including silver pieces (each meticulously labeled to identify it's use), clothing, soldier's uniforms, guns, snuff boxes, shoes, etc. It was fascinating to see all of this, but there was an overwhelming amount of information to be read to learn about each item. Some walls were covered in varying sized boards with... More

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See 5 more reviews by twofratgirls for Charleston
Virginia
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 22, 2013

The exhibits on Charleston's history are very well done. This is the only place in Charleston that I found discussion of Native Americans. Exhibits include comprehensive discussions of the impacts of the Revolutionary War and Civil War on Charleston. It ends a bit abruptly after the Civil War, leading visitors potentially to wonder about how we got from then to... More

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See 6 more reviews by comfortnotluxury for Charleston
North Port, Florida
Senior Contributor
30 reviews 30 reviews
9 attraction reviews
Reviews in 17 cities Reviews in 17 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 18, 2013

Excellent museum with very well arranged and interesting exhibits. Good location across the street from the visitors' center. Nothing to dislike.

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See 8 more reviews by Tomlin2232 for Charleston
Saint Louis, Missouri
Top Contributor
79 reviews 79 reviews
28 attraction reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
29 helpful votes 29 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 15, 2013

This is a small museum, which really does cover the history of Charleston well. A very convenient location, right next to the Visitor Center. There are interesting displays of textiles, silver collections, etc. It is a relatively low-tech museum, but I did learn a lot and enjoyed my visit. Price is 10 dollars, but a combo ticket with the nearby... More

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See 23 more reviews by Davigeta for Charleston
Massachusetts
Top Contributor
208 reviews 208 reviews
24 attraction reviews
Reviews in 107 cities Reviews in 107 cities
62 helpful votes 62 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 12, 2013

This museum was founded in 1773, and claims to be America's first. The current building looks to date back to the 1970's/80's. There's a lot to learn about the history of Charlston, it's plantation/slave based economy, and the Civil War. Unfortunately, we only had an hour or so to see it, which wasn't nearly enough. Go when you have several... More

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See 7 more reviews by MassCouple2 for Charleston
Falmouth, MA
Top Contributor
219 reviews 219 reviews
51 attraction reviews
Reviews in 67 cities Reviews in 67 cities
120 helpful votes 120 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 9, 2013

I was disappointed to see this gem of a museum ranked so low on the TA Charleston To Do list. Several of the exhibits are worth a quick glance including the quilts and uniforms throughout the decades. But, the main reason for visiting is the wonderful history of Charleston exhibit that walks you through the history of the city and... More

Was this review helpful? Yes 2
See 18 more reviews by Mikeb1Falmouth_MA for Charleston

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