Fort Sumter Tours & Boat Cruises

We took the first ferry tour of the day and got to see them do the flag raising ceremony. It was very moving and patriotic. They asked members of the military to assist. We enjoyed all of the historical information shared on the ferry ride to the fort and also the museum at the fort. I would highly recommend this tour!

We had a great tour on the boat! Our guide was very knowledgeable, and we learned a few interesting things about the area. The boat portion of the trip was wonderful, and we truly enjoyed the experience out on the water. Unfortunately, once we got close to the fort, the wind was incredibly strong, and for safety reasons, the crew had to cancel the walking portion and head back. While it was a bummer not to walk the fort, we appreciated the crew prioritizing safety. We will absolutely be attempting this again on our next trip! Highly recommended—just keep an eye on the wind forecast!

Left from the Charleston Visitor Center. Only way to get to Ft. Sumter is by boat. Half hour ride over and back with a 1 hour tour of the fort. Park Rangers available to answer questions. Very interested history. Museum on site and exhibits. No restrooms at the fort so go while on the boat ride. Take water with you as the boat has a gift shop that sells drinks & snacks. Definitely worth the trip if you enjoy history and have never been to Ft. Sumter.

Great experience seeing a part of significant part of US history. Boat ride from downtown site (Liberty Square) next to the aquarium is about 20 minutes. It will be a little longer if boarding from near USS Yorktown. Plenty of seats and you can stand if top exposed level is full. Don't expect much on boat ride other than literally the ride itself. Great views though. The park Rangers on site at Fort Sumter were great. I can tell they like teaching and I appreciated that. We participated in the flag lowering and rolling as last tour of the day which is especially neat for kids.

If you are interested in US History, this is a must do attraction. Just standing on the island is enough to appreciate the journey over. We took the 1st trip of the day so we got to participate in the flag raising for the day. We arrived early to be one of the first ones on to acquire seating as I read reviews saying there wasn’t adequate seating. I found this untrue but it could be the early trip over. We really enjoyed this tour.

Such a great experience! First, I was glad that the boat ride was so comfortable. There were 3 levels, and you could stay inside or go outside if you wanted. Plus, there was an area to buy drinks and snacks. Fort Sumter is also beautiful! The museum and the fort itself were beautiful and interesting. Even my children loved it. Highly recommend, especially if you love history.

Great tour and very informative tour. Fort Sumter is a Bucket list item, which you should definitely do if you’re going to Charleston. This was a great way to do it. The Rangers had a great talk. The crew was very nice with every interaction. We saw dolphins on the way. Overall great experience.

It was a great tour. Loved the ferry ride. You have to get in line fairly early, though, if you want a seat. There was a bit of information about some of the fort while waiting at the dock, then again, while on the fairy ride over, especially about the other fort I didn't know about. There were snacks on the ferry, but the young man seemed more occupied in his phone than with helping customers. We met some nice people. The tour at the fort was very informative. The museum gave even a little more insight into the history that was on the tour. They were working on one of the canons, which was cool to see. The gift shops had lots of items to choose from in multiple price ranges. Plenty of parking and descent bathrooms. We really enjoyed the tour.

The tour itself was well worth the price we paid for it. HOWEVER, the $20 extra parking fee was over the top. No mention whatsoever of this when I purchased the tickets. If you are going to charge for parking then for goodness sake, incorporate it into the cost of the ticket. It took us at least 20-25 minutes to even exit the parking lot because the fees had to be paid via an attendant. Ridiculous!

Terrific experience. Hot dog could've been a little bit nicer, but otherwise the boat trip was wonderful and the tour guide was excellent.

The national park service runs the tours on the actual island, so there's not a lot of nuance in the information presented. You really only get about 45 minutes, maybe an hour, on the island, and there's not a lot of guiding or discussion that happens. The fort is really cool - I would have appreciated another half hour to explore. During the boat ride to the island, there is not a lot of narrative or story telling that takes place, and what little does take place was barely audible to us over the speakers. Pricing for this is pretty expensive because they have a monopoly on ferries to the island.

Its TS2uesday (Two Star Tue) again! The tour (booked thru Viator) itself was actually okay. I learned some things about the Civil War I never knew (Ft Sumter is where the first shots (cannons) were fired to start the Civil War). However, this was more of a self-guided tour vs a guide providing specific stories about the fort. Another thing to note is that Viator sez our tix had skip the line priveleges. The foregoing is BS. We not only waited in a general population line, we were in an unshaded area, and it was fairly hot. I would rate the tour itself a 3. The reason for knocking off a star is due to the fukd up parking situation. The Patriots Point location started charging for parking in Sept, 2024. Its took us a long time to exit bc instead of having one exit lane, they allowed another lane to merge into the primary exit lane. There were not that many people on the tour. In addition, parking for 3 hours was $20 (per person cost for the tour was ~ $30). The parking cost was ridiculous! If you go on this tour, avoid the Patriots Point location. Save yourself $20 or more.

While I've lived here a while, this was my first time heading out on this tour. The tour itself is neat, I took my brother (who is a history teacher and LOVES history) and my parents. The downside is this tour is really short once you get onto Fort Sumter. To be fair, I don't know if this is really within Fort Sumter Tours control, but my brother who loves to read everything barely got through half of it (and he's a book nerd, so it's not like he's a slow reader) and my parents also didn't get through most of it. So, overall, great opportunity, but just need a bit more time on the tour to be able to take it all in...

Great outing and totally worth the $37 cost per person for the 30 minute (each way) scenic boat ride across Charleston harbor and one hour visit inside Ft. Sumter. It's interesting and educational to visit Ft. Sumter, walking the grounds as you wish. The park rangers provide some history during the boat ride and at some points at the fort. Snacks and drinks are available for a small fee on the boat, and souvenirs can be purchased at the fort.

I had been wanting to check out Fort Sumter for a while. On a 2015 trip to Charleston, I was only able to squeeze in a visit to Fort Moultrie, so it was a treat to schedule a trip to Fort Sumter this time around. We booked our tickets a few days in advance; they were not cheap but were reasonable considering the ferry, short ranger talk upon arrival, and time the trip took overall. My friend and I parked at Patriot's Point, which offered ample spots, for $5. We then got in line to board the ferry. It took some time to load everyone onto the boat, being that there were bucketloads of us. Fortunately, there were some shady spots to stay out of the sun in line. Once aboard, we were given a little tutorial on how to behave on the boat and set off for the monument. It didn't take too long and the sea was calm that day. I found the lower deck to be my preference for seating, as the upper deck got a little toasty. Bathrooms on the ferry are TINY. I had to awkwardly jut a leg out and climb to get in and one of the toilet. It was something else. The monument itself was a Civil War icon, with a mini gift shop and an interior museum area with lots of reading and artifacts. You could also climb to the top where the flag is and get a good view of the whole monument. I am glad I've visited such a rich and critical part of our country's history.

We booked the tour for Saturday morning. Everything worked out great. You meet at the Fort Sumter visitor center to read through some of the exhibits and the gift ship, before boarding the ferry boat to travel 15 minutes to Fort Sumter. Along the way, you get a narrated history of the battle at Fort Sumter. It was very informative. The ferry also has a snack shop selling drinks and snacks. It is cash only. Once at the Fort, we had over an hour to walk around, take pictures, and walk through the indoor museum and gift shop.

Grateful for the trip - the information from the website was easy to plan for (30 min boat rides to and from, 1 hr on the island). The staff were all kind and happy to discuss the historical significance of our trip.

Our family came to Charleston to see the sights. We bought our tickets on the way over from Ga. We received the email with our tickets and all the rest. When we inputed Fort Sumter Tours in Google (which most people do) it took us to their main location and not where their tours leave from. We waited for an hour over there and saw all indications. There was a ferry museums, tour signs, boarding signs, ferries coming and going, however we were in the wrong place. Even-though the email included all the information, and we should have looked more carefully, it behooves the business to have all their address information agree online, we lost a day, the adventure, the money and there was no recourse. I got this response from the company. I called and they said that didn't know who wrote this and that they could not offer this. Response from the owner a day ago Good afternoon, Thank you reaching out today and sorry to hear about the experience. We will be happy to rebook your tickets for another day this year so you have an opportunity to use them. Please give us a call at 843-722-2628 if you would like to do that. Again, thank you.

We loved the ferry and self-guided tour of Fort Sumter! The guide on the ferry was very good, with a good mix of history and humor. The only drawback is the lack of seats on the ferry. We were able to get a seat at a table on the inside in the ride out. On a one hour visit, I headed back to the boat 15 minutes early in order to grab some chairs for one of our elderly guest but the boat was already packed and no seating was available. Other than that, I would recommend this tour to anyone that has an interest in the history of our country.

Cheaper snacks and friendlier service on the ferry than fort Sumter gift store at the fort

Very informative tour and we enjoyed the rangers talks. The boat ride there was very fun.

My family and I enjoyed this little tour. It's about a thirty minute boat ride where you get history information. You dock for an hour. There a lot of beautiful photo opportunities here! Then you return to the boat for a thirty minute ride back. I recommend checking it out.

The ferry left on time, 10:30 sharp. We first sat upstairs but it was nice to be able to move around the boat to stay out of the sun. The hour long stay at the fort was plenty of time. We arrived back at Patriot's Point exactly at 12:45. Nice breezes and clean bathrooms. The small bar on the middle level was fine, though please note that the water and beer were not very cold.

The fort itself is very cool with lots of signs explaining areas about the artillery And the foundation of the fort. There is a museum indoors that is extensive, which we did not have enough time for, i would check that out for 30 min instead of the 5 we had. The museum shop is very small but has some cute l Little things you could pick up. The compliment I have for the ship is that there is a narrator tour guide telling us interesting facts , which was appreciated as well as t v's scrolling photos and an educational history about the fort both to the fort and back again . The lady's bathroom was nice and clean too. However, there is nowhere to sit on this ferry! Half of the people are sitting on the floor or on top of tables, leaning against the walls or sitting in the stair wells. It is very unfortunate that there is no ample seating for people. I feel like a child sitting on the floor, in the way of others crawling over me, the floor is absolutely filthy too. Covered in snacks and trash and debris, and the staff just casually walk over everybody. The snack bar is also filthy. Where the cups and the lids go It looks like it hasn't been dusted or wiped clean in years. I am not crazy about cleanliness however, something that is so hihj trafficked It's not cleaned well. And to stress again, There is only half the amount of chairs for the people to sit on. We all paid about forty five dollars for a ticket and don't get a chair! That is why they are getting a bad review from me.

Something everyone should see at least once! Not as much to see as Fort Moltrie, but the ferry ride and explanation while going through the harbor is a nice touch.

Excellent opportunity to learn about a significant part of American history. The ferry ride was awesome and the lecture given on board was brilliant! Once we got to the fort, we had plenty of time to explore the ruins and the museum, as well as observe the flag-raising ceremony. I highly recommend this trip!

I've been on this tour multiple times over the years, as I grew up in the area. We had family visiting, and since they enjoy history, we all went on this tour the day after Independence Day. We launched from Patriots Point. Parking is $5. We sat on the main deck on the way to Fort Sumter. Even though it was in the mid-90s, the breeze on the deck felt good. The harbor is so beautiful, so while the ranger is telling you about the history of how the area all began, make sure you take in the view and really look around. They will remind you to stay hydrated when it's hot, so grab a bottle of water before you get off the boat if you don't already have one. It was only $1.75 for a bottle and was ice cold. There's also a water bottle refill area at the Fort with nice, clean water. You get about an hour once you get to the Fort, so while it will be crowded, you still get a decent amount of time to see everything and read what's around - much of what you read is what you hear on the way over. We enjoyed the museum, and there's some fun stuff in the gift shop as well. We sat downstairs on our way back. Even with the a/c, it was still quite hot down there. I would advise sitting on the main deck for a breeze and better view of our gorgeous city. I've always loved this tour and still do! Take your families and get a good dose of history and beauty.

Worth the time and worth the money. Step into the opening of our disastrous civil war. Highly recommended!

Ranger Chris very informative and funny. Beautiful day to visit and museum and fort were really cool to tour.

The boat ride over to Fort Sumter was great. We actually saw some dolphins. The tour guide was informative and knowledgeable. Once on Fort Sumter, it was pretty much self guided. Loved the history and how well preserved everything is.

The tour of fort sumter was awesome! The ferry ride was smooth and included a brief summary of the history of the fort. We were there for the flag lowering ceremony, which was fun and educational. All in all a great value and afternoon.

The ferry ride and tour of historic Ft. Sumpter are not to be missed. Most people don't know about the massive siege of Ft. Sumpter 1863-1865. Union guns demolished the fort with 46,000 artillery shells. The story you get depends on your park ranger. Fortunately, our ranger discussed the history of the Fort. I overheard another ranger who could not stop talk talking about slavery, and said little else. The ferry schedule gives you only an hour to hear the ranger talk and explore the museum and grounds. OK for most people. But if you are really interested, check the ferry schedule. You can pay $10 extra at the ticket window and take a later boat back. That gives you 3 hours. Take in the great views, see the museum, touch the bricks, stick your head in a cannon barrel.

Great experience!! We loved the boat ride to Fort Sumter with a history lesson. The Park Rangers gave a fantastic review on who, what, where and how. The flag raising was very cool with a lesson on flag etiquette.

Well you must use the ferry service to get out 5.8 miles to the fort! It was different than 2005 with moveable chairs and a snack & bar onboard. The price included commentary along the 30 minute route; 1 hour at the fort & back. Alcoholic beverages only on the return trip. Very nice bathrooms onboard and smooth ride outside or inside seating.

We understand that the ferry is a private company and the tour is conducted by the U.S. National Park Service but were disappointed that we did not get at least a discount with our NPS America the Beautiful Pass. The view from the upper deck of the ferry was beautiful, but we chose the indoor lower decks since the weather was unseasonably cold. We only got seats one way. Make sure to get there early if you want to sit in a certain area. Park Ranger Andy gave an excellent educational narration, with a bit of humor both on the ferry and at the fort. All the Park Rangers were hospitable and knowledgeable. Fort Sumter was authentic and amazing. Take some time to check out the museum at the fort. In addition to the exhibits, there is a model of the fort as it looked before the bombardment. Highlight of the tour was the flag raising at Fort Sumter. We were glad we decided to depart from Liberty Square rather than Patriots Point after we found out the flag is raised at the first trip of the day and lowered at the last one. Both of those ferries depart from Liberty Square. Don't forget to go into the Visitor Center. The exhibits are easy to understand and clearly explain how Fort Sumter was built and its significance in the Civil War.

We came here to learn about the history of this fort and to become more educated. When we got here, parking had to be done across the street in a parking garage. We walked across to stand in line and wait for our boat. When we got on the boat, the first level had a bar and the second level had bathrooms. When we landed at the Fort, it was surprising as it was tiny. The quick tour guide gave his teachings to us regarding how the fort was created and lived in. I found it educational. We then walked around like tourists reading all the stuff we could and taking pictures like tourists. We then got hustled back into the boat 50 min later from the time we landed. I thought it was educational.

If you come to Charleston you have to come visit Fort Sumter, right? I mean isn't it like going to New Orleans and visiting Jackson Square or San Antonio and The Alamo? After all, Fort Sumter is where the Civil War started. Of course, I did my good tourist duty and visited it earlier this week while in Charleston. At this time of year, tourism is slower so advance reservations weren't required and I bought my ticket just one day earlier. The first tour at 9:30 a.m. worked best for me leaving from Liberty Square (downtown). You can also depart from Patriots Point (across the river at the Yorktown) if you wish. I parked in the Aquarium garage across the street from the Fort Sumter Visitors Center and Museum. It's inexpensive to park there and is only about a 200 yard walk to the visitor center where the boat also leaves from. Upstairs is the ticket booth (if you already didn't buy yours online) along with a small but nice free museum and a small gift shop with restrooms. Budget about 15 minutes to see the museum before or after your voyage. The ship leaves on time and there are 3 decks. The lower two are enclosed and air conditioned. The upper deck is open air and has the most seating. If the weather is reasonable that's where you want to sit. The ride to the fort takes 32-35 minutes and is scenic with ship traffic passing by along with views of downtown Charleston and on the other side of the river the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point. When you arrive at the island fort they give you 1 hour to visit before your ship leaves for the return voyage. You don't want to miss your ride back! Since we were the first group of the day we had to raise the forts' flag and that ceremony took about 15 minutes with one of the park rangers giving a history of the fort before the flag raising ceremony. It took me about another 20 minutes to walk around the fort and read the various placards. Be sure to allow at least 15 minutes for the nice indoor and heated and cooled museum along with a few minutes for the small separate gift shop. If you are short on time skip this gift shop as the one back at the Visitor Center has the same stuff. Why 3 stars? The ride out to the fort and back is nice especially in good weather and the fort is truly historic. However, there really isn't a lot to see in the fort except for a few old cannons and some crumbling brick walls. My biggest turnoff is that the side of the fort that houses the museum and gift shop was rebuilt several years ago using concrete that turned black when settled (ranger told us that it was due to cost cutting) and the black concrete gives an unattractive look to the way fort should look. Doesn't look authentic. I think it's still worth the visit but only in good weather.

The visitor's center had really nice exhibits and gift shop. We explored that before boarding the ferry over. We went on the last tour of the day so the flag ceremony was pretty cool. There is a gift shop at the Fort, but items were the same. The museum was really cool! Ferry was clean, good seating and offered good commentary on the ride out and back.

Very informative and objective tour (especially in comparison to a horse carriage tour I'd done the day before and wouldn't recommend for many reasons including oppressive heat and horse cruelty). Ranger Andy was an excellent guide on our 9:30am departure from the downtown location (340 Concord Street - there's a second departure point across the water in mount pleasant). I highly recommend the 9:30 (earliest) ride because you get the live guide, not the recording, and also see the flag raising ceremony, both of which make the 9:30 twice as worthwhile as the trip at any other time (though the last sailing must also include a flag-lowering and guide back to the mainland). Perfect way to spend the morning in Charleston, and finish around lunchtime near an area with many good seafood options (Fleet Landing, Hyman's, etc) before they get busy.

The 30 minute ferry ride over and back was smooth and comfortable. I had read in several reviews that there was some historical info shared on the ferry ride over so I was pretty disappointed that we didn't get anything. My husband would have really enjoyed any extra info. But judged strictly as a ferry ride there and back, it was enjoyable. There was a 10-25 minute presentation by a ranger at the fort, then you are allowed to wander around and explore on your own for the rest of the hour. Overall we enjoyed the experience. It's definitely something everyone should see at least once.

This is the only way you can get to the Ft Sumter island/monument. The boat ride will let you see some nice views of the Charleston waterfront and has always let us see dolphins up close (even though it is just coincidental). I recommend doing this tour/seeing the fort before you try another cruise of the harbor, since this takes care of two items at once. Boat/chairs aren't the fanciest but they do have a small elevator on board for those with walking issues.

Fort sumpter tour and boat ride excellent...parking at the site ridiculously high...20 for a few hours...enjoyed the boat ride and fort tour however

I enjoyed the scenic experience. It was a good history lesson as well as a stunning view.

Main Points: VERY uncomfortable boat ride. Long wait times. Expensive for service. This tour was very underwhelming. We purchased ahead of time and paid around $120 for three adults which wasn't bad. We sat in the aft of the boat on the port side and could NOT hear the narrated tour. On the return trip to Patriots Point from Fort Sumter we sat on the Starboard side mid ship. Again--we could NOT hear the narrator. The top level of the boat was so full we were unable to sit up there. There were many people who needed assistanc, had wheelchairs, strollers, and small children so many of the younger, more mobile people sat downstairs as they should. Unfortunatel though, we could not hear and it was awfully HOT. The boat had some mini-split units that did not work and no fans. We all opened the windows to no avail. The tour at Fort Sumter was fine and we were grateful to get out of the enclosed boat. It took SO LONG to get on and off. There were very few people (staff) to help speed up the process, offer assistanc, or give some guidance on where people should go. This process took FOREVER and could have been mitigated by a more active staff presence. There are some snacks available (mostly melted chocplate) and drinks (our bottled water was HOT) and no visible trash cans on board. Overall, we are happy to pay to support the tour so that the historic sites can benefit, but there should be some serious upgrades and improvements. It was a lot of money to feel like we missed out on the narrated tour in the sweat locker.

The historical significance of the place is unique. Rangers were excellent and the boat ride was quick.

Great historical tour with ferry ride to Fort Sumter. The rangers are super knowledgeable and the displays in the visitors center and museum are very easy to read and informative. You only get an hour on the island, but you don't feel rushed because there's not a ton to see. Great views from the boat on the way there. Snacks and drinks available on the boat.

Nice boat ride but the kid behind the snack bar counter has anger issues. He's cussing at everything from the register to the customers. He slammed the register, picked it up and slammed it down, slammed the refrigerator door shut and was constantly complaining "does anything work in this place." The boy needs help and he needs to be kept away from people. Very disappointed

We had a great time on this tour. What a wonderful way to be immersed in history. My 11 year old daughter loves history and this was her favorite thing on our trip to SC.

We left from Patriot's Point. Total tour time was 2 1/2 hours, an hour of which was spent on the boat to and from Ft. Sumter. Boarding time at the fort was about 15 minutes. This only left about 1 1/4 hours for the actual tour which is not enough time to thoroughly tour the fort. There should be a minimum of 1 1/2 hours to see the fort. Two hours would be better. There were parts that I missed due to the short time available. Also, parking was $20. After paying $70 for two tickets for the boat ride, the parking was an additional insult. While the fort itself was interesting to see and historically important, paying $90 for my son and myself to see it is a rip off.

Tour was good but parking was outrageously expensive for less then 3 hrs. of parking it cost $17.50 tour was $30 per person doesn't make sense parking more then half of tour ticket at a national park event. Also took awhile to get out of the parking it only had 1 exit lane.

Easy reservations and knowledgeable rangers everywhere. Tons of historic displays (could be frustrating to the slow readers) both on land and at the fort. Harbor views and narration on the ferry were great with both comfy interior climate controlled or (covered) open air uptop in molded plastic chair options. Fort itself is pretty rustic. No biffys on site (need to go back to the ferry waiting for you at the dock) but worth the visit as part of a robust visit to historic Charleston.

This tour of Fort Sumter is a well oiled machine! I appreciated how prompt everything was and how knowledgeable the park rangers were. Everyone was friendly and kind. I definitely recommend this if you have any interest in the Civil War or America's history!

Excellent visit to a historical monument. Boat staff is friendly, boat is clean and has a concession on board. Limited seating so get in line early if you don't want to stand.

The staff is very professional and enthusiastic even at the end of the day! The ferry the ramps and entrances are all well maintained and convenient ! The museum is excellent !

Tour was very informative, ferry ride is very well organized. Could have used more time to explore the fort itself.

It was a fun tour. My kids loved the ferry ride and seeing the cannons. Definitely a good history lesson.

Great tour and had exactly the right amount of time to explore before heading back on the boat. Weather was great and the open air deck of the boat was fantastic! Recommend!