Charleston Walking Tours For Every Type Of Traveler

Charleston’s iconic cobblestone streets and a seriously diverse selection of walking tours are perfect for travelers looking to experience this charming southern city on foot. From the savory to the downright scary, experience all the Holy City has to offer during these six Charleston walking tours.

For the photographer

You won’t do as much walking on this outing led by husband-and-wife duo Tiffany and Keith Briley, but if you’re always looking for the perfect shot, the Charleston Photography Tour is for you. Choose between the five-hour Sunrise or Sunset tours, where you’ll be guided to off-the-beaten path and frame-worthy snapshots of the Cooper River Bridge at sunrise or the iconic moss-covered oaks and sunsets over the coastline. If five hours isn’t enough, one-day and two-day tours are also available.

For the cocktail lover

Get into the spirit with a Dark and Stormy, and prepare to learn about the rum trade and piracy in fascinating Prohibition-era Charleston. Through Bulldog Tours’ Upper King Street Pub Tour, you’ll get an overall feel for life during the time of the speakeasy. Among many stories from those unruly times, hear the tale of bootlegger Vincent J. Chicco—chief investigator of alcohol-related crimes—who made his fortune from ticket sales to “Blind Tiger Fights.”

For the foodie

Eat like a local on a culinary tour of Charleston.

What trip to the Holy City would be complete without a little culinary sampling? A long walk is just what you’ll need if you opt for Bulldog Tour’s two-and-a-half-hour Savor the Flavors of Charleston Tour, which starts on Anson Street and winds through town, stopping to treat you to signature foods of the Lowcountry along the way. Expect to sample stone-ground grits, pralines, collard greens and, of course, South Carolina barbecue.

For the fearless

Legend has it that physicians in old Charles Towne were overly cautious when it came to contagious diseases—so much so that if you fell unconscious in a hospital, you might wake up in a grave! Hear the shocking details and other creepy stories along Bulldog’s Charleston Ghost & Graveyard Walking Tour. This exclusive access outing, which covers 10 to 12 blocks of the haunted historical district, takes you inside the gates of one of Charleston’s oldest graveyards—after dark.

For the thrill seeker

Eat like a local on a culinary tour of Charleston.

For one of the eeriest Charleston walking tours, opt for Bulldog’s Charleston Jail History Tour. Guides invite you to roam through the inside of Charleston’s Old City Jail building. Within the walls of this 215-year-old building, learn about the conditions experienced by inmates and soldiers, and dig into the stories of the most unholy inhabitants of the Holy City. For a haunted option—and for those with a strong heart—sign up for the after-dark Haunted Jail Tour.

For the history buff

Stroll alongside writer, historian and educator Damon Fordham on Tour Charleston’s Lost Stories of Black Charleston excursion. Fordham, a licensed tour guide among his many credits, blends storytelling with his own powerful personal perspective. This tour examines the stories of those who didn’t make the history books—but maybe should have—from before, during and after Reconstruction-era Charleston.

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