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Charleston Museum

360 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29403
843-722-2996
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Ranked #32 of 87 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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149 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    54
    75
    15
    3
    2
Date Rating
Virginia
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 May 2013 NEW

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
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 May 2013 NEW

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
78 reviews 78 reviews
28 attraction reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 May 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
197 reviews 197 reviews
23 attraction reviews
Reviews in 101 cities Reviews in 101 cities
57 helpful votes 57 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 May 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
212 reviews 212 reviews
48 attraction reviews
Reviews in 66 cities Reviews in 66 cities
100 helpful votes 100 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 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

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See 18 more reviews by Mikeb1Falmouth_MA for Charleston
Charlotte, North Carolina
Top Contributor
50 reviews 50 reviews
19 attraction reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 May 2013

We've been wanting to go for a while now- we finally made it in March 2013. I enjoy museums and this one is special since it's considered America's first. There was a little bit of everything, from kids trying on period clothing to a play area for younger children to many paintings and artifacts. There were the original museum pieces... More

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See 11 more reviews by weddingmom59 for Charleston
jtbldb
Senior Contributor
43 reviews 43 reviews
16 attraction reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
27 helpful votes 27 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 May 2013

A nice way to spend a rainy day. You could spend literally hours pouring through the history then the natural areas of this museum. A respectable collection of artifacts relating to the history and culture of the Charleston area.

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See 5 more reviews by jtbldb for Charleston
New Bern, North Carolina
Senior Contributor
41 reviews 41 reviews
13 attraction reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
23 helpful votes 23 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 April 2013

This Museum, on Meeting Street near the lovely small Wragg Place park, is in a rather plain large modern building, but inside there are an amazing number of very interesting exhibits. Plan to stay for 2 hours or more. As mentioned in other review, the bulk of the exhibits are on the second floor, although there are a few on... More

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See 7 more reviews by Roamin88 for Charleston
Charleston, Illinois
Senior Contributor
36 reviews 36 reviews
13 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 April 2013

Very nice museum where you could spend a few hours for sure. Nice if you have been to Charleston before and want to see something different.

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See 21 more reviews by newlyweds111 for Charleston
Fairfield, Connecticut
Top Contributor
173 reviews 173 reviews
50 attraction reviews
Reviews in 63 cities Reviews in 63 cities
30 helpful votes 30 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 April 2013

We enjoyed our visit to this museum. All the exhibits are on the second floor. It has exhibits on the history of Charleston with many preserved artifacts. Some of the exhibits included soldier's uniforms, collections of rifles, clothing, and farming equipment. The museum is appropriate for young and old.

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See 27 more reviews by Gloria H for Charleston

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