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Charleston Historical Walking Tour
5.0
1,336 Ratings
Charleston
Experience an exclusive small-group walking tour of Charleston with a Ph.D. historian. Discover the city’s rich history and enjoy a personalized, in-depth exploration unlike any other tour in town.
Experience an exclusive small-group walking tour of Charleston with a Ph.D. historian. Discover the city’s rich history and enjoy a personalized, in-depth exploration unlike any other tour in town.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Mills House Charleston, Curio Collection by Hilton - The historic Mills House Hotel played an important role in the early part of the American Civil War.
- Dock Street Theater - Learn about the first theatre built in North America and the infamous characters associated with it’s history.
- Pink House Gallery - One of the oldest buildings…
- Mills House Charleston, Curio Collection by Hilton - The historic Mills House Hotel played an important role in the early part of the American Civil War.
- Dock Street Theater - Learn about the first theatre built in North America and the infamous characters associated with it’s history.
- Pink House Gallery - One of the oldest buildings in Charleston, circa 1712
- Washington Square - Historic square in Charleston with multiple monuments.
- Charleston City Hall - Learn about the evolution of this beautiful building that once served as a meat market and bank before becoming City Hall
- Charleston County Courthouse - Learn about what was once the old South Carolina statehouse.
- St. Michael’s Church - Learn about the fascinating history of Charleston’s oldest church edifice, completed in 1761.
- Heyward-Washington House - See where George Washington stayed while visiting Charleston in 1791.
- Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon - See the last public building built by the British in North America and where the Constitution was ratified in 1788.
- French Huguenot Church - Learn about the rich history of French Huguenot’s in Charleston and the first church built in the Gothic Revival style.
- French Quarter - Take in the beauty and charm of the French Quarter in Charleston.
- Hibernian Hall - Learn about the building where the seeds of disunion were sown and hear about America’s connection to Greek Revival architecture.
- Fort Sumter National Monument - See where the first shots of the Civil War were fired! We do not go out to the fort, we take a look at it from the Battery on Charleston Harbor.
What's Included
- All Fees and Taxes
- All Fees and Taxes
What's Not Included
- Bottled water
- Private transportation
- Bottled water
- Private transportation
Additional Information
Unlike many tour companies in town that allow up to 20 people in each group, my Charleston tour is guaranteed to have no more than 12. The most unique aspect of my tour is the high level of historical professionalism that I deliver to my guests. Earning a Ph.D. in history meant spending thousands of hours reading and researching primary sources in the…
Unlike many tour companies in town that allow up to 20 people in each group, my Charleston tour is guaranteed to have no more than 12. The most unique aspect of my tour is the high level of historical professionalism that I deliver to my guests. Earning a Ph.D. in history meant spending thousands of hours reading and researching primary sources in the South Carolina archives. I use the knowledge that I have obtained from that hard work and pass it off to you on the tour. Because I limit the number of guests to 12 and offer a tour that is 45 minutes longer than most in town, you will receive a degree of exclusivity and historical depth that is far greater than what is offered by the larger tour companies in Charleston.
Location
108 Meeting St
Meeting Street
This building has four small white Ionic Greek columns in front. It is now a graphic design center for the city of Charleston and not open to the public. We will meet on the sidewalk in front of the building. It is directly across the street from Hibernian Hall and the pink Mills House Hotel.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(1336 Ratings)
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Expat4ever1991
Jan 19, 2026
Great learning experience. - Dr. Eric Lager, being a historian, provided a concise account of the history of Charleston combining it with other events in the history during that time. He also pointed out the architecture of the various buildings which was a good addition. He had a some great pictures to add to his talk. Wish we had more time to visit the buildings.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rhigley0126
Jan 17, 2026
An Absolute MUST in Charleston! - This was the most informative, engaging and entertaining tour my wife and I have ever participated in, and we make sure to book similar tours whenever we travel. Dr. Lager’s passion for the history of this region is apparent from start to finish - I feel like he could easily fill full-day tours with countless entertaining stories and informative anecdotes about Charleston, but he has condensed his knowledge down into a more concise package that felt perfect from a timing perspective. We truly enjoyed every minute of our time spent with Eric and are so glad we decided to spend our Saturday morning learning about the rich history of this amazing city. Thank you again for such a great experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brianop
Jan 16, 2026
A great way to get a feel for Charleston! - I took part in Eric Lager, PhD’s first scheduled tour of the new year, on the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan 6. It was a very well-spent three-hour tour of Charleston! Eric’s love for his adopted city is evident, and as a historian, Eric can make interesting connections among facts and events that might not seem evident at first. He normally limits his tour groups to 12 persons, and we were only 7 of us on the tour, so there was lots of personal interaction between Eric and all those who were on the tour. If you do one tour during your time in Charleston, this is the one to sign up for!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
955dwightf
Jan 14, 2026
A grand tour! - The tour guide was quite knowledgeable and we received a good education on the history of Charleston. There were many interesting sights!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeff_b
Jan 12, 2026
Eric is an excellent tour guide. - Eric is an excellent tour guide. He was exceptionally knowledgeable about the history of Charleston making the information so interesting. I would definitely recommend him.
Review provided by Viator
Cliffmch
Jan 9, 2026
Amazing tour led by a true historian! - Wow! What an amazing tour by a guide who truly knows their Charleston history! Our small group of six provided plenty of opportunity for questions and conversation as we toured the beautiful city. We’ve visited Charleston many times over the last 30 years and have taken several tours. Eric’s was by far the most informative and enjoyable! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathryn_c
Jan 9, 2026
Great tour to get sense... - Great tour to get sense of Charleston through the years
Annoying that Viator sets minimum length ….. there
Review provided by Viator
Nadwal
Dec 24, 2025
Great tour for history buffs - Our walking tour with Eric was a highlight of our trip. He is very well versed in Charleston history, enthusiastic, and packs huge amount of interesting information into the three-hour tour. For history buffs, this is you tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
875carenp
Dec 20, 2025
Excellent history tour - Eric was fantastic. This is an awesome tour for anyone who is interested in history. We lived in Charleston and learned so much
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_t
Dec 20, 2025
Excellent and informative tour of Charleston - Eric is an excellent tour guide for his adopted city of Charleston. Like the tour says, he is a bona fide history professor at the Citadel, and it shows! We had a very detailed and extensive tour which gave context and depth to a broad survey of the city’s history. We covered a lot of ground and I left the tour knowing a lot more about a really interesting place. That’s a thumbs up from me!
Review provided by Viator