Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, Mount Pleasant, SC

Photo: Proctorg76, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsHistory BuffFamily FavoriteRainy-Day Pick

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

40 Patriots Point Rd · Mount Pleasant, SC

Why you should go…

Patriots Point sits on Charleston Harbor at the mouth of the Cooper River, with the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown as its centerpiece. General admission lets you explore the Yorktown and the destroyer USS Laffey on your own, along with the Vietnam Experience Exhibit, the Medal of Honor Museum and 27 aircraft. The Yorktown recovered the Apollo 8 command module in 1968, and the Laffey is nicknamed The Ship That Would Not Die for surviving kamikaze attacks in World War II.

  • #naval museum
  • #aircraft carrier
  • #uss yorktown
  • #military history
  • #charleston harbor

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Free

    Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge

    Free

    Walk or bike Wonders' Way across a cable-stayed bridge with two 575-foot diamond towers and wide views of Charleston Harbor.

    1.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    South Carolina Aquarium

    $25–$50

    Walk from mountain streams to the open ocean through South Carolina habitats, then touch rays and watch sea turtles in recovery.

    1.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Museums
    History Buff

    International African American Museum

    Under $25

    Explore African American history on Gadsden's Wharf, where a large share of enslaved Africans arrived in North America.

    1.0 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Rainbow Row

    Free

    See 13 pastel-painted historic row houses lining East Bay Street between Tradd and Elliott Streets.

    1.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Shopping
    Iconic

    Charleston City Market

    Free

    Browse four blocks of open-air sheds and the Great Hall for sweetgrass baskets, local crafts and souvenirs.

    1.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    The Battery

    Free

    Stroll the harbor seawall promenade past antebellum mansions to the oaks and cannons of White Point Garden.

    1.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing