Charleston Pirate Tours

79 Cumberland Street, Charleston, SC 29401

843-442-7299

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Ranked #11 of 129 activities in Charleston

162 Reviews

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Type: Tours

Owner description: Use the tour guide Travel Channel, A&E, Syfy, Lifetime, and ETV use. Explore Charleston’s piratical past on a tour that begins in one of Charleston’s... more » Owner description: Use the tour guide Travel Channel, A&E, Syfy, Lifetime, and ETV use. Explore Charleston’s piratical past on a tour that begins in one of Charleston’s oldest buildings, the National Historic Landmark Powder Magazine Museum. In authentic costume & accompanied by Capt. Bob, the parrot, Eric Lavender shares stories of the pirates who plundered, partied, and perished in Charles Towne. Eric brings Charleston's Golden Age of Piracy to life with stories of Blackbeard's siege of the city, the capture and execution of Stede Bonnet and other pirates, the romance between Calico Jack and Anne Bonny, and much more! Along the way, learn about the city’s most historical buildings and events. We also offer evening Ghost/Pirate tours and the Charles Towne Pub Stroll.

Useful Information: Activities for older children

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162 reviews from our community

Jim E

Waynesboro, Georgia

1 review

“Charleston Pirate Tours”

Reviewed May 15, 2013

This is a great tour. Eric is quite the storyteller and very aware of his audience. He takes the time to highlight items of interest to the kids on the tour as well as adults. His enthusiasm and accuracy made this an adventure we won't soon forget. We booked our tour from the website which is full of accurate and... More

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We're so glad that you enjoyed the tour! Eric's goal is to make the tour fun and interesting for children and adults. Yes, the combo ticket with the Old Exchange is a great deal! It's a fabulous building that's loaded with history. Admission to the Powder Magazine is included with all of our tours, and it's a great, little building,... More

Mark H

Plymouth, Indiana, United States

2 reviews

Reviews in 2 cities

“Awesome Tour”

Reviewed May 6, 2013

The Pirate Tour is money well spent. My wife and I along with our kids (6 and 9) loved the tour. Personally I love the aspect that the tour wasn't just "Here is this building" "So and so lived here". Eric is an wonderful story teller. I really like that fact that he is very knowledgeable about the pirates, yet... More

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Glad that your family enjoyed the tour! Yes, the Old Exchange is packed with history, and we're thrilled to be able to offer discounted admission with the pirate tour and Exchange combo ticket. Thanks for understanding about Capt. Bob not being able to do the tour. Between cold temps and high winds, he's had to miss quite a few recently.... More

Dwayne S

Southlake, Texas

2 reviews

Reviews in 2 cities

1 helpful vote

“Charleston Pirate Tours”

Reviewed May 2, 2013

My wife and I had visited Charleston for the sole purpose of seeing Ft. Sumter. We drove from Texas to spend a week in Hilton Head and Charleston was a quick side trip before we checked in on Hilton Head. Folks we met on the Ft. Sumter ferry told us that we needed to take the Pirate Tour before we... More

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I am so glad that the drive back to Charleston was worth it! I remember talking to you on the phone and was really hoping that you'd enjoy the tour since you were making a special trip to do it. Thank you for posting the review. Sabrina More

Diana025

Charlotte, North Carolina

Senior Contributor

29 reviews

11 attraction reviews

Reviews in 9 cities

5 helpful votes

“Interesting Tale of Pirates”

Reviewed May 2, 2013

Eric Lavendar weaves together history, drama, politics and seafaring into a terrific tale of pirate activity along the NC and SC coasts. The tour ambles along the East Bay Street side of Charleston.

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See 12 more reviews by Diana025 for Charleston

We're glad that you enjoyed the tour. Thank you for posting the review. Just to clairfy the tour route... in addition to the East Bay side of town, the tour also visits the Powder Magazine and the important pirate sites within the French Quarter. Thanks, again! Sabrina More

traveljournaler

Melbourne, Florida

Senior Reviewer

7 reviews

Reviews in 5 cities

“Waiting for Capt. Bob!”

Reviewed April 23, 2013

This tour is interesting since I did not realize pirates were so active here. Eric the Pirate is also an actor, so his patter was very informative, humorous, and well-delivered. The weather was iffy & drizzly so Capt. Bob the parrot stayed home. For a good photo op I wish the weather had been better so I could see a... More

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We're glad that you enjoyed the tour even though Capt. Bob was unable to make it. Normally, by this time of year, it's never a problem for Bob to do the tour. Unfortnuately, we've some unusually cold weather. Plus Capt. Bob is afraid of rain! In fact, he's afraid of any kind of water except what's in his bowl. We're... More

Candlebaby18

Charlotte, North Carolina

1 review

1 helpful vote

“Saturday Tour with Capt. Michael”

Reviewed April 22, 2013

We surprised my best friend (who is a pirate lover) with a weekend getaway in Charleston. Although we did a brew tour and a ghost tour- the Pirate tour with the quartermaster was by far the highlight of our trip. We had an excellent time and want to thank Capt. Mike for the wonderful time!

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Thank you for posting the review! We are very fortunate to have Mike doing pirate tours with us now in addition to Eric. A good pirate is hard to find! If you make it back to Charleston for another visit, I hope that you'll consider touring with us again. Mike is also one of our Charles Towne Pub Stroll guides,... More

cdelinge

Augusta, Georgia

2 reviews

“Ghost and Pirate Tour”

Reviewed April 16, 2013

We were very entertained. Eric was very knowledgeable about Charleston and the tour was just the right amount of time and not too scary for young children.

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Glad that you enjoyed the tour! Thanks so much for posting the review. Sabrina More

tigerlily93

clemson, sc

Senior Contributor

35 reviews

13 attraction reviews

Reviews in 21 cities

16 helpful votes

“Unique way to tour Charleston”

Reviewed April 8, 2013

The tour began in the newly restored Powder Magazine museum - it was a cool place to wait for the tour to start and the exhibits are informative and interesting. Kids liked playing the "sink the pirate ship" video game. What I expecially liked about the tour is that Eric led us through the streets of Charleston by telling a... More

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We're glad that you and the kids enjoyed the Powder Magazine and the tour. The Magazine staff has done a wonderful job with the new exhibits, as they prepare for the building's 300th anniversary later this month. Happy to hear that you enjoy Eric's "different" way of sharing Charleston's pirate history. He continues to research, looking for new bits and... More

1romori

San Francisco, California

1 review

“Best way to teach history to teenagers”

Reviewed April 6, 2013

Thank You Eric and Bob for a most wonderful afternoon. We learned more than we could have ever imagined. We walked for hours along with you and never grew tired to listen. You are amazing! Thank You! The Austin family

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We're so glad that you enjoyed your private tour. Eric always enjoys a little change of pace from doing just straight pirate history. He commented to me that the kids were very bright and asked lots of good questions. Thanks so much for posting the review. Sabrina More

Fran54291

Johns Island, South Carolina

Senior Reviewer

6 reviews

Reviews in 3 cities

“Even my husband found the tour interesting.”

Reviewed April 2, 2013 via mobile

A must for every little boy who comes to Charleston. It was well worth the money, and the folks were very helpful to work us in.

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See 2 more reviews by Fran54291 for Charleston

Glad to hear that the tour was good for your "big boy" as well as the little one! We always love to hear from parents who were surprised that they enjoyed the tour that they thought would be just for the kids :) Thank you for taking the time time to post a review! Sabrina More