The Charleston Museum is across from the Visitors' Center, and it's filled with a variety of objects that document the history of South Carolina -- everything from fossils to the piano on which George Gershwin wrote Porgy and Bess. It was empty when I visited, so I had the run of the place. If you're interested in anything from folk art, metalwork, clothing, weapons, or anything to do with the Palmetto State, it's worth stopping in. You can get a ticket that bundles two historic houses that was the best price. If you do all three, you'll have a full day in Charleston.

Definitely a must visit. We parked at a nearby garage. This is an informative museum. The staff is really nice. We started on the top floor. It was a lovely collection of clothing and artifacts. The natural history section is really interesting as well. The huge whale that was captured is show cased as well. It takes about an hour to cover museum

Much better than expected! It was a cold weekend in Charleston but even if it wasn’t cold we wanted to check this place out. The main part of the museum had a lot of history and we learned about the area and how it originated. We also learned about harvesting rice and other exported goods. They touched on the slave trading but not enough (in my opinion), to explain how they were the biggest slave port in the U.S. It also had an animal exhibit that we weren’t expecting, it was unexpected but not bad. We purchased the tickets that included one additional historical house tour. Worth the trip!

Touted the oldest museum in America, its walk through time is very good. Covers the importance of Charleston for many reasons. We bought tickets that included a tour of the historic home across the street.

Well done, Charleston! Rather unusual collection from local history to Egypt. Started with local history, narrating through artifacts, text and a few videos. Excellent orientation to the past. There is an archeological/geographic section and then the Egyptian followed by a scattering of historical instruments. Next to the kid's space, a quilt exhibit paired with contemporary art was quite lovely. There is a small gift shop. Bought the combo ticket which included a house tour across the street. Very good signage and a clear path through the museum. Enjoyed my relaxing visit here.

We had a nice visit at the Museum except for the fact that the elevator wasn't working. We first visited and toured the Joseph Manigault House across the street. Very informative and educational. We then walked back to the Museum and went through the various periods of Charleston's history - the good, the bad and the ugly. Outside we observed the reproduction of the Hunley cramped Civil War submarine with a battering ram instead of a torpedo.

This museum had way more than I expected: ancient Egyptian artifacts, old furniture, toys, instruments, artwork, silverware, animals, local Charleston history, and even a mummy. I was blown away by the variety. It’s definitely worth a look for anyone interested in museums, history, or just trying to take a break from the heat.

The Charleston Museum is full of a wide variety of historical and natural artifacts focused on the Lowcountry of South Carolina. The many halls are focused on a particular group of items including the antebellum era, Charleston under Siege, Charleston's role in the American Revolution, textiles, silver natural history and more. The cost was reasonable at $15 per person.

I really enjoyed this museum! It's my first time in Charleston, and I wanted to learn more about the history of Charleston. This museum had great exhibits about the city's history with the pre-colonial, Revolutionary War & Civil War eras. Also, they had a natural history section where you could learn more about the wildlife that's found in the Lowcountry, as well as shells, rocks, & prehistoric creatures. That was interesting to see, especially the bird displays that offer you a digital screen where you can hear their mating calls. In general, I really enjoyed learning about the city. I think they did a great job with displaying the information & making it interesting for the visitors. Definitely recommend it if you want to learn more about the city!

This is a lovely albeit small museum well located in downtown Charleston. They offer something of interest for everyone from children to seniors. A bonus was that the museum was able to store our luggage while we visited the museum. The museum is associated with several house museums and offers a discounted admission to seniors and to those who want to combine visits to them.