Enjoy a dinner cruise with SpiritLine Cruises

A visit to Charleston would not be complete without at least one cruise of the harbor.

Civil War Gazette recommends a dinner cruise aboard one of the SpiritLine boats. They offer trips to Ft. Sumter and a relaxing dinner cruise aboard the Spirit of Carolina.

You don’t have to dress up. Reservations are recommended. The views are awesome. The music on board is also very nice.

To learn more, visit their web site.

See the H.L. Hunley Confederate submarine

One attraction you definately don’t want to miss when you visit Charleston is the Confederate submarine, the H.L. Hunley.

It is on display, in a tank, at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center just a few miles outside of Charleston.

Tours are for 20 minutes (where the Hunley is actually displayed) but you can take as much time as you want outside the Hunley exhibit area. Tours are available only on Saturdays and Sundays. Check the Friends of the Hunley web site for up-to-date information.

You can NOT take pictures of the actual submarine in the holding tank. There is a part of a replica in the common exhibit area where you can take pictures though.

This is a MUST SEE stop if you’re an enthusiast of the Civil War or of Southern maritime history.

Don’t miss the BEST Civil War walking tour in Charleston!

There are many choices for Civil War walking tours while in Charleston. How do you know which one is best for you?

You will probably enjoy any walking tour you take. Your guide could be a student from the College of Charleston, someone who rotates from leading walking tours to hosting carriage rides, and everything in between.

Civil War Gazette would suggest you start with Jack Thomson and The Civil War Walking Tour of Charleston. If you have time, try some other tour companies.

We recommend Jack Thomson for several reasons:

His knowledge of old Charleston and the Civil War is incomparable to the other tour companies.

His tour book is filled with authentic pictures he has compiled since 1986.

He is quite a Southern gentleman.

He knows how to lead a group. You won’t have trouble hearing him. His discussion is lively. Ask lots of questions.

He guides you by placing you in the Civil War period by helping you see the experience in Charleston through the eyes of a real former Confederate soldier named Gus Smythe.Make sure you get a copy of his excellent resource, “Charleston at War“, before your tour. Teh pictures (old and modern) in this book are incredible.Jack Thomson gets the Civil War Gazette Award for the best Civil War walking tour in Charleston.

Learn more