Fort Sumter
City Marina, off Lockwood Blvd
803-722-1691
Fort Sumter is the site of the first battle that started the Civil War. A pleasant boat trip docks at this island which features a good Civil War museum inside the fort.

Splash Zone
James Island County Park
871 Riverland Drive
843-795-7275
Non-resident Adults $9.95; Children under 42" tall $6.95; Children under 2 free When the temperatures start rising, visitors of all ages will enjoy this favorite summer playground located within the James Island County Park. The park features two 200-foot tube slides, a Caribbean play structure with slides, a 500-foot lazy river, and a recreational pool.

Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
122 East Bay Street
843-727-2165
Often called the "Independence Hall of South Carolina," the Old Exchange was built in the late 1700's. Today, this impressive building is filled with historical items of the state and region.

American Military Museum
40 Pinckney St.
843-723-9620
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10-6, Sun. 1-6.
Admission: $5.
The museum has on display hundreds of uniforms and artifacts from all branches of service, dating from the Revolutionary War to the present. Its collections also include antique toy soldiers, war toys, miniatures and weaponry.

Heyward-Washington House
87 Church St.
843-722-0354
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 1-5
Admission: $7
Built in 1772, this home was the backdrop for DuBose Heyward's book Porgy, which was the basis for the beloved folk opera "Porgy and Bess". The neighborhood, known as Cabbage Row, is central to Charleston's African-American history. President George Washington stayed in the house during his 1791 visit. It is filled with fine period furnishings and its restored 18th-century kitchen is the only one in Charleston open to visitors.

Boone Hall Plantation
1235 Long Point Rd., off U.S. 17N
843-884-4371
Hours: Apr.-Labor Day, Mon.-Sat. 8:30-6:30, Sun. 1-5; Labor Day-Mar., Mon.-Sat. 9-5, Sun. 1-4 Admission: $12.50 This plantation is found at the end of one of the South's most majestic avenues of oaks, and was the model for the grounds of Tara in "Gone With the Wind." You can tour the first floor of the classic columned mansion, which was built in 1935 incorporating woodwork and flooring from the original house; however, the primary attraction is the grounds featuring formal azalea and camellia gardens.

Fort Moultrie
W. Middle St., Sullivan's Island
843-883-3123
Hours: Daily 9-5
Admission: Free
At this site Colonel William Moultrie's South Carolinians repelled a British assault in one of the first Patriot victories of the Revolutionary War. A 20-minute film tells the history of the fort.

Patriots Point
Foot of Cooper River Bridges
843-884-2727
Hours: Labor Day-Mar., daily 9-6:30; Apr.-Labor Day, daily 9-7:30
Admission: $9
Tours are offered on all of the vessels located here at the world's largest naval and maritime museum. Visitors may tour the aircraft carrier Yorktown, the World War II submarine Clamagore, the destroyer Laffey, the nuclear merchant ship Savannah, and the cutter Ingham.