Museums
History BuffInternational African American Museum
Under $25Explore African American history on Gadsden's Wharf, where a large share of enslaved Africans arrived in North America.
Photo: JonathanLamb, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
AttractionsFamily FavoriteRainy-Day Pick
South Carolina Aquarium
South Carolina Aquarium is an attraction in Charleston, SC, part of the Lowcountry guide. Cost: $25 to $50.
100 Aquarium Wharf · Charleston, SC
Why you should go…
The South Carolina Aquarium sits on Charleston Harbor and follows the state's water from the Mountain Forest gallery, with its river otters and bald eagle, through the Saltmarsh Aviary to the coast. The centerpiece is the two-story Great Ocean Tank, 385,000 gallons and 42 feet deep, where sharks swim with a loggerhead turtle named Caretta. At The Shallows you can touch cownose rays, and Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery lets you watch sick and injured turtles being treated.
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- #sea turtles
- #touch tank
- #charleston harbor
What's around here?
The closest stops to South Carolina Aquarium, ordered by straight-line distance.
Steps awaySwitch it up: Museums
- ShoppingIconic
Charleston City Market
FreeBrowse four blocks of open-air sheds and the Great Hall for sweetgrass baskets, local crafts and souvenirs.
0.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping
- MuseumsHistory Buff
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum
$25–$50Board the WWII aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and the destroyer USS Laffey on Charleston Harbor.
1.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
- SightseeingFree
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge
FreeWalk 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
- SightseeingIconic
Rainbow Row
FreeSee 13 pastel-painted historic row houses lining East Bay Street between Tradd and Elliott Streets.
1.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
- SightseeingIconic
The Battery
FreeStroll the harbor seawall promenade past antebellum mansions to the oaks and cannons of White Point Garden.
1.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
