Charleston is one of the top cities in the South for enjoying history, culture, and culinary greatness all at once. Whether you’re just exploring or welcoming guests, these fun fall foot tours in Charleston, SC, take advantage of the cooling weather and the inherent cool factor of the Holy City.
Horse-drawn carriages are a common site on the aged streets of old Charleston, but Autumn is a good time of year to get around on foot. Walking tours are offered with a historic, cultural, or culinary bent. So, there’s something for everyone on this round-up.
Several longtime locals make use of their longevity in Charleston to lead walking tours of various areas of the city. For example, you might:
- Take a scenic tour through antebellum neighborhoods and live oak-lined streets with Two Sisters Tours. The two-hour tour over about 18 city blocks covers St. Michael’s Church and graveyard, the Battery and Rainbow Row, as well as former slave
- Charleston Sole Walking Tours, led by a 10th generation Charlestonian, takes two hours to introduce both celebrated landmarks and hidden gems talking about history, culture, and architecture.
- Join local journalist and author Michael Trouche on a Charleston Footprints Walking Tour. Two-hours takes you to the French Quarter, colonial churches, gardens and more.
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Unique Foot Tours in Charleston, SC
Specialty tours are also available which promise a fresh angle on the big Charleston landmarks. Options include:
- Charleston’s Enchanting Alleys and Hidden Passages Tour by Lowcountry Walking Tours which takes residents and visitors along the picturesque cobblestone, brick, and stone pathways dating back to Charleston’s original history.
- Free Tours by Foot’s two-hour guided exploration for architecture buffs who want to learn the history of sites such as the St. Philips Church, the Nathaniel Russell House and the Miles Brewton House.
- Taking the Ghosts of Charleston tour which also gives you after-hours access to the Unitarian Church Graveyard. This 80-minute tour ties into the book The Ghosts of Charleston, which is available at the city’s Buxton Books. The bookstore also hosts the two-hour tour The Lost Stories of Black Charleston.
- If you want to learn about the pivotal role Fort Sumter played in the American Civil War, you could try Bulldog Tours’ combination Charleston Strolls and Fort Sumter boat cruise and historic tour. Keep in mind, these are two popular tours combined, so you’ll be out and about for around four hours (but you get to rest while cruising to and from the Fort).
- You can also tour the French Quarter on your own using the suggestions from GPSMYCITY, which you can download from your phone’s app store.
- Or shop the boutiques along downtown’s King Street where you can find antiques (Lower King Street), fashion (middle King Street) or design and dining (Upper King).
- Combine scares and spirits on the Boo-Hag and Brews Tour combining ghost lore and visits to Charleston bars.
Get a Literal Taste of Charleston
Food is another reason to get out and walk around. Plus, traveling by foot helps you justify sampling the cuisine along the way. Check out:
- Charleston Culinary Tours, which offers downtown tours exploring the French Quarter and City Market area over 2.5 hours or a 90-minute Death is a Drag tour combining ghost tales with shops specializing in sweets. The Upper King Street Culinary Tour is a 2.5 history, food, and walking tour of one of the top 10 food neighborhoods in the U.S. There’s also a Farm-to-Table food and walking tour on Upper King showcasing local chefs and what they do with the Low countrfy’s bounty.
- BullDog Tours encourages walkers to talk and taste as they experience Charleston staples like stone ground grits, benne wafers, collard greens, South Carolina BBQ, fried green tomatoes and more.
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