Best Museums in Charleston

If you're into old manuscripts and documents, this free museum is for you. Housed in an 1856 Methodist church, the museum wedges display cases around the pews. The revolving series of documents therein represent the eccentric private holdings of David and Marsha Karpeles. David began collecting historical documents in 1978, and now the series of libraries that he and his wife established are located in eight other U.S. cities in addition to Charleston. In the quarterly changing exhibits here, you might see papers ranging from letters from Roget's original thesaurus to letters penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes).

Located on the College of Charleston campus, the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art serves a dual purpose of being part of the undergraduate School of the Arts at the College and providing a cultural resource for residents and visitors to the Charleston area. The institute's name honors the late William Halsey, an accomplished local artist who taught at the College for 20 years. Since it was established in 1984, the Halsey has hosted hundreds of installations by regional, national and international artists. In addition to sponsoring between five and seven exhibitions each year, the Institute also presents public lectures and film series.

Arranged in chronological order, the permanent artifacts at the Citadel Museum cover the military academy's history from its founding in 1842 to its involvement in modern military operations around the globe. You'll learn about all aspects of cadet life here: where the students live, what classes they take, how they exercise and socialize. Historical photographs, uniforms, weapons and medals number among the items displayed. In the foyer, check out the exhibit of Citadel rings from 1895 to present, and leaf through the photograph albums honoring Citadel men who lost their lives in military conflicts beginning with World War II.

The perfect activity for a rainy day, Charleston's children's museum can keep little ones, from toddlers to age 10, occupied for hours. Infants and toddlers even have their own special play space with mini-slides and padded mats. Incite your creativity in the Art Room, with materials from recycled egg cartons to plastic yogurt lids. Be a buccaneer aboard the Pirate Ship, and dress up as a prince or princess at the Medieval Creativity Castle. The laws of physics make for busy hands at Raceways, as you send golf balls racing down ramps and spiraling through chutes. Who knew learning could be so much fun?

The stately Greek Revival Market Hall marks the beginning of Charleston's famous shopping venue, the Old City Market. The temple-like structure marks the site of a 19th-century meat market. Local architect Edward Brickell White designed Market Hall in 1841 of stucco-covered brick scored to look like blocks of stone. On the second floor, the Daughters of the Confederacy now show off their collection of uniforms, weapons, photographs and flags--including the original Secession flag--relating to the War Between the States. The first shots of the Civil War rang out on April 12, 1861 from Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.

Set on cobblestone Chalmers Street in the Historic District, the Old Slave Mart survives as a vestige of pre-Civil War Charleston. The museum is the only existing building in South Carolina where slaves were once auctioned. Built in 1859, the structure was originally open-ended; an imposing iron gate closed off its arched entrance. Inside the mart today, you'll hear the haunting and disturbing stories of some of the Africans who were brought to the coast of South Carolina and sold as slaves. Displays recount the African experience in South Carolina from Charles Towne's founding through the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Opened in 1905, the Gibbes holds more than 15,000 art objects. The permanent exhibit, The Charleston Story, rotates pieces among 150 works from the colonial period to the present. It showcases artwork that was created in the Lowcountry, painted by Charleston artists, and that illustrates life in Charleston through the years. Of note are works from the Charleston Renaissance, a period of cultural revival from 1915 to 1940, by Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, Elizabeth O'Neill Verner and Anne Heyward Taylor. The miniature portrait collection charms with its tiny likenesses by English, French and American artists, while temporary exhibitions related to Charleston appear throughout the year.

The nation's oldest museum was established in 1773 but did not open to the public until 1824. Today, it sits across the street from the Charleston Visitor Center. A good place to begin a visit to the city, the Charleston Museum tells the story of this area from its prehistory to the 20th century. Highlights of the permanent exhibits include a skeleton of a prehistoric crocodile, a fine group of early textiles and clothing, and the Loeblein Gallery of Charleston Silver. The silver collection showcases the work of talented local silversmiths who crafted pieces for the social elite in what was, in colonial times, the nation's wealthiest city. Children will love Kidstory, an interactive space where they can be pirates, play old-fashioned games and try on costumes.

Set on the banks of Old Town Creek, Charles Towne Landing brings the past to life at the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Carolinas. In 1670, the first English colonists landed on this spot and named their new town for King Charles II. Exhibits here today re-create what life was like for those early settlers: the earthen fort they built, the wooden palisade wall they erected to keep their enemies at bay, crops they planted to sustain themselves, and a reproduction of the 17th-century cargo vessel like the one they would have used to ferry supplies and provisions. There's also an animal forest where you can see native animals that the settlers would have encountered in their new home at South Carolina's first colonial settlement.

Just across the sparkling span of the Arthur J. Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Patriot's Point preserves naval history in its centerpiece, the World War II aircraft carrier USS Yorktown. Kids and adults alike love to scramble up and down the 13 decks of this 888-foot-long ship, which was commissioned in Newport News, Virginia, in 1943. As you roam the decks, you'll find 26 naval aircraft on board as well as the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum (in Hangar Bay #3). Also on-site are a recreated Vietnam Support Base, the Cold War Memorial, and two other World War II ships: the submarine USS Clagamore and the destroyer USS Laffey.