Fort Sumter Admission and Self-Guided Tour with Roundtrip Ferry in Charleston booking from $32.00

Fort Sumter Admission and Self-Guided Tour with Roundtrip Ferry

Overview

Visit historic Fort Sumter with the only operator in Charleston providing Admission to Fort Sumer National Monument and Round-Trip Ferry Transportation from Liberty Square or Patriots Point.

Cruise by top Charleston sites from your ferry such as Rainbow Row and Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. For those departing from Patriots Point, experience views of the USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier from up-close.

Explore the grounds of Fort Sumter and stand where America’s deadliest war began at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park. The first shots were fired here, igniting a conflict that saw more than 700,000 casualties. Experience the opening battle of the American Civil War and explore its origins with a National Park Ranger who will greet you upon arrival. Your approximate 1-hour visit to Fort Sumter allows ample time to explore well-preserved fort ruins and browse Museum Store souvenirs.

Then enjoy the beautiful views of the city as you ride the ferry back to Charleston.

City: Charleston

Mon 09 Sep

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $32.00

Make a reservation

Mon 09 Sep

Starting at $32.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Access to the Fort Sumter Museum, Bookstore, and Souvenir Shop

Experience the opening battle of the American Civil War with a National Park Ranger

Admission to historic Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina

1-hour Self-Guided Tour to explore Fort Sumter and its well-preserved ruins

Round-Trip Ferry Transportation from Liberty Square or Patriots Point (30-minutes each way)

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
The ferries are equipped with an elevator/lift and handicapped accessible restrooms. The Liberty Square boarding ramp can accommodate electric & manual wheelchairs and scooters except in extreme tide situations. Although the restrooms on Fort Sumter are accessible only by climbing a flight of stairs, the ferry remains at the Fort so that restrooms on the boat are available during your visit.
There is currently no Elevator Service at Fort Sumter – the museum, restrooms, bookstore and top level of Fort Sumter are only accessible by climbing stairs.
Please note the Fort Sumter Tour is a boat excursion dependent on changing weather and tide conditions, Fort Sumter Tours cannot and does not guarantee accessibility. Ramps used to access the ferry can vary based on tides and adverse conditions.
Tours run rain or shine. Only the Captain has the final say as to whether he feels it needs to be canceled due to weather. That decision is made at the time of departure and throughout the duration of the tour.
3:30 tour departing from Patriots Point is a 3 hour tour in total time
Charleston County has now dropped into a medium risk level for Covid-19, therefore masks are not required, but optional.
Charleston County has now dropped into a medium risk level for Covid-19, therefore masks are not required, but optional.

What To Expect

Fort Sumter National Monument

Visit historic Fort Sumter National Monument located in Charleston, SC with the only operator in the city offering Admission to Fort Sumter plus Round-Trip Ferry Service. Experience a relaxing 30minute Narrated Harbor Cruise to historic Fort Sumter, where America’s deadliest war began. You will learn about the events which led to the outbreak of America’s most bloody war. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by a National Park Service Ranger, who will provide further details about Fort Sumter and its pivotal role in the American Civil War. On the fort you will find a very informative museum (360 Video of Museum) with many historic artifacts and a souvenir shop. After your roughly one hour visit, you will enjoy a scenic cruise back to your departure point.

Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center

Ferries depart from the Fort Sumter Visitor's Center in downtown Charleston for those who select the Liberty Square departure option during checkout.

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge

Enjoy scenic views of top Charleston sites during your cruise to Fort Sumter, including Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

For those departing from Patriots Point, experience views of the historic USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier from up-close.

Fort Moultrie

Fort Moultrie is a series of forts along Sullivan's Island. Enjoy views of the fort as you cruise by or while on Fort Sumter.

Battery & White Point Gardens

Enjoy scenic views of Charleston such as Battery homes during your cruise to Fort Sumter.

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Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (372)

Mama-Kz

Oct 2020

Great way to expose kids to Civil War history and see beautiful Charleston Harbor. Rangers informative and friendly.

Kim N

Oct 2020

The ferry ride over was uneventful, the crew nice, the little bits of recorded information were nice to hear about. The only complaint I have with the ferry/crew is that other than separating chair on the deck, no effort was made to ensure people wore their masks or socially distanced while on the ship or disembarking. Upon disembarking back at the dock, we were walked through the inside lower deck. Everyone was on top of of each other. Yuck. As far as the Park Ranger's introduction/history lesson upon our arrival at Fort Sumter? That was a joke. More or less: Lincoln didn't want to end slavery, just didn't want to expand it. True, but not the entire reason for secession--if you're not going to explain it better then don't say anything at all. So, SC said, hurumph, we're seceding. Confederates told Anderson to hand of Fort Sumter, or else...when he said "nope", this whole thing started with an explosion over Fort Sumter and then the rest of the Confederates in the harbor bombarded the Fort while Charlestonians watched from the shore. The end. Any questions? Yeah, one: why do you leave us on this island for an hour only to give us a 5 minute BS spiel about how the Civil War started?

ChrisN2152

Oct 2020

The ferry ride and national park were fantastic. Sadly, they currently only allow an hour to view the park. It was announced that the clock had started on the visit before anyone had even disembarked from the ferry. In order to take in the site, we skipped the ranger talk, which took over 12 minutes of the hour, and it had already taken over 5 minutes for us to get into the fort from the ferry. We were able to read many of the exhibit markers, but it was difficult to fully enjoy the time, feeling so rushed. We did drive over and enjoy Fort Moultrie after returning on the ferry.

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Fort Sumter Admission and Self-Guided Tour with Roundtrip Ferry

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