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😎 Kid-Friendly Charleston: The Best Things to Do with Kids

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With its kaleidoscope of historic sites, wide beaches, and parks aplenty, Charleston offers oodles of curious and colorful destinations to engage visitors a lot of kid-friendly things to do. After you’ve splashed around the Pineapple Fountain at Waterfront Park, greeted the carriage horses at Palmetto Carriage Works’ Big Red Barn, and ambled through the Farmers Market in Marion Square, let us guide your family fun even further. Entertaining pint-sized explorers is child’s play with our helpful list of kid-centric to-dos. 

Wildlife & Natural Beauty

South Carolina Aquarium

Feed a stingray, touch a sea urchin, peer inside North America’s deepest tank, and commune with more than 5,000 animals from our state’s diverse ecosystems. 100 Aquarium Wharf, Downtown; scaquarium.org

Barrier Island Eco Tours

Board a pontoon boat for a naturalist-guided adventure through pristine waterways and marshes to the undeveloped gem of Capers Island. Keep an eye out for dolphins! Isle of Palms Marina; nature-tours.com

Mace Brown Museum of Natural History

Gawk at a skull cast of the largest T. Rex ever discovered, the giant jaws of a megalodon shark, and thousands more fossilized beasts and bones. 202 Calhoun St., Downtown; geology.cofc.edu

History Based Fun

North Charleston Fire Museum

Fire up the fun with a collection of vintage firefighting vehicles and interactive safety lessons, then burn off energy on the indoor playground, complete with sliding pole! 4975 Centre Pointe Dr., North Charleston; northcharlestonfiremuseum.org

Middleton Place

Wind through a 65-acre maze of classical gardens along the Ashley River, then visit the stable yards for a glimpse at daily life in the 18th and 19th centuries. The “Beyond the Fields” program reflects on the enslavement of African Americans at Middleton. 4300 Ashley River Rd., Charleston; www.middletonplace.org

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

Enlist military history to engage your crew aboard World War II-era aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and destroyer USS Laffey, anchored in Charleston Harbor. Fly to the moon in an Apollo 8 replica, brave a holographic Vietnam experience, and zip among historic aircraft. 40 Patriots Point Rd., Mount Pleasant; patriotspoint.org

Charles Towne Landing

Journey back to 1670 and South Carolina’s first European settlement. Self-guided trails wind through park-style gardens, into a natural habitat zoo, past colonial cannons and buildings, and over to the replica sailing vessel Adventure. 1500 Old Towne Rd., Charleston; southcarolinaparks.com

Want to Play?

Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry

Unleash imaginations at this hands-on discovery zone, ideal for kids from birth to age 10. The indoor and outdoor exhibits include a pretend pirate ship, a pint-sized grocery, creation stations, and a STEM lab. 25 Ann St., Downtown; explorecml.org

Park Circle Inclusive Playground

Swing over to the nation’s largest inclusive playground. With giant tube slides, twisting climbers, and geometric towers, this new, space-age play mecca delights kids of all abilities. 4800 Park Circle, North Charleston; northcharleston.org

Riverdogs Baseball

Catch a minor league ball game at “The Joe” when the Riverdogs are in season, April through September. The stadium’s creative hot dogs are always a home run, and Shoeless Joe’s Hill along the first baseline is perfect for young fans who get antsy in the stands. 360 Fishburne St., Downtown; milb.com/charleston

Charleston Tour Pass

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Charleston FAQ's

Choosing a hotel and where to stay in Charleston all depends on your budget and goals. Do you want to stay Downtown, at the beach or in the outer areas such as North Charleston where you have to drive to get everywhere? For more help on deciding: https://travelerofcharleston.com/articles/hotels/

Charleston has 3 main public beaches which are: Folly, Isle of Palms and Sullivans. Each beach has it’s own atmosphere. The most common beach that people visit is Folly Beach and then Isle of Palms followed by Sullivans Island. For more info on Charleston’s beaches visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/

Charleston, SC is full of historical things to do. Everything from museums, to public sites and free landmark sites such as Rainbow Row and the Battery can be seen. For more info on Charleston’s top historical sites visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/places-to-learn-about-charleston-sc-history/

There are many things that will keep the kids and family entertained and educated in Charleston. There are historic sites such as Fort Sumter, a Children’s Museum, Aquarium and the USS Yorktown…a WWII era aircraft carrier you can tour. For more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-family-fun-activities/

There’s so many  things you could do in Charleston it can be overwhelming. We recommend that first time visitors, checkout the ultimate first-time visitor guide here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-first-time-visitors-guide/

Spring in Charleston, SC is an amazing time of year to visit. The flowers are blooming and the weather is mild and sunny. For more info, check-out our spring guide to Charleston here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-springtime-in-charleston/

Summer in Charleston is a great time to visit. There’s plenty of things to keep you busy and visiting the beach will probably….or should be on your short-list. Also water-based activities and tours are popular. Checkout this summer guide to Charleston for more info: 

Our 10 Favorite Summer Activities in Charleston

Fall is one of the best times to visit. The weather cools down a bit and the skies are typically blue and clear. In addition there are many great events, festivals and the large crowds of summer have gone back to school or work. For more info on visiting in the fall, checkout this article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-12-things-to-do-fall/

There are so many great things to do that it’s difficult to narrow the list down. This article does a great job with figuring out the must do things to do in Charleston

7 Can’t Miss Reasons to Visit Charleston, SC Now

The consensus is a minimum of 3-days is needed to settle in and experience Charleston. For instance, many people take 2 days exploring downtown and another day visiting sites outside of downtown such as the plantations, Angel Oak Tree or beaches. Checkout this page for a list of tours and attractions: 

Charleston’s Top Tours & Attractions | Things to do

Downtown Charleston was made for walking and for sure one of the best way to soak up and experience the history first-hand. This article goes over getting around Charleston with and without a car as well: 

https://tourpass.com/charleston/getting-around-charleston-sc/

We’re of course partial to Charleston, but here’s the truth. There are many similarities however there are some differences in our opinion: 

  • Both cities are historic and beautiful. 
  • Both cities are extremely walkable. Savannah, with it’s park-like squares maybe more walkable than Charleston. 
  • Charleston has a more established and food scene with many more options. 
  • Charleston has better hotels and shopping.
  • Both cities have equally good tours.
  • Charleston has better beach options. Savannah has Tybee which is great, however it’s 1 beach vibe versus Charleston which has 3 beaches with different vibes. Checkout this Charleston beach guide article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/
  • In Savannah you can walk with alcoholic beverages on the street. This is not allowed in Charleston. This can be good or bad depending on your stance. 
  • Savannah is more affordable.
  • TourPass offers all-inclusive passes in both cities: https://tourpass.com

There are always great and world-class events happening in Charleston. For a calendar of events and things to do in Charleston, checkout our online calendar of events: https://travelerofcharleston.com/events/

Of course there are free money-saving coupons that you can use. Visit the coupons page for a bunch of ways to save: https://travelerofcharleston.com/coupon/

Charleston has some fantastic can’t miss tours such as Fort Sumter, carriage, ghost, harbor, historic and culinary tours. For a full list with more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/attractions/

Checkout the Charleston Relocation Guide page which will guide you during your move: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-sc-relocation-guide/

Additional Places to Explore

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