Booked this Highlights of Charleston walking tour after the Charleston Marathon in January, and regret not getting to reviewing it before now. Palmer was our guide and we met her at the new custom house across from the city market. She took us on a 2+ hour walking tour through the city, talking to us about Charleston's history, notable sights (even those without much history, a la Rainbow Row). We first wandered over to St. Philip's Church, then down to the Dock Street Theatre, then down past the Pink House and the Old Slave Mart Museum. From there down to the Old Custom's House and then Rainbow Row, then down Bay Street to the water where we talked about the mansions, construction, history, some of the water sights you can see from the boardwalk area, etc. We ended out jaunt along the water at the White Garden Park, then came up Battery to the Calhoun Mansion and ended a bit further north. Palmer was stellar throughout the lengthy tour, answering all our questions and keeping the group engaged throughout. I'm always a sucker for a walking tour of cities that I visit, but Palmer stands out as an exceptional choice. Don't miss the opportunity to do a walking tour with Oyster Point, or check out some of their other offerings! read more

Excellent walking tour. William related the history of Charleston in both a social and economic context, rather than merely reciting facts and dates. We could have stayed with the tour the entire day. He has exceptional knowledge of and passion for the history of the area. read more

Highly recommend this tour! Engaging and informative, learned a lot more than expected. read more

Oyster Point - Historical Tours Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

My family and I took a tour with Bill last month and all of us unanimously agreed that this was the best walking tour that any of us have ever been on! He was extremely knowledgeable and clearly passionate about Charleston and its rich history. We also all really appreciated his in-depth insight into the societal and cultural implications of past events in Charleston and their meaning for today. He made this tour not just a historical fact walk but really brought the city to life through stories from the past that were relevant and interesting! We highly recommend this to anyone visiting Charleston--whether it's your first time or your hundredth! read more

Easily the best tour I've ever been on in any city! Bill was a passionate and very knowledgeable tour guide. He articulated the history of Charleston in an unbiased and engaging way. He was funny and relatable. If you are in the Charleston area, this tour is a must. History buff or not, you will not be disappointed. read more

We had the best walking tour with William, so much history and he was very knowledgeable! The best walking tour on our trip to the South. read more

We had a private walking tour of the city of Charleston with Bill, the proprietor of Oyster Point. Bill was knowledgeable and informative and enthusiastic. He was reasonably priced at $180 for a two hour tour compared to other private tours. There were four of us on the tour. We give four thumbs up to Bill and Oyster Point for a private tour of the City of Charleston. read more

First time in Charleston- learned more history in the 2 hour tour than my entire time in school. William has an incredible way of engaging his audience. Highly recommend! read more

Wonderful history tour of Charleston! My husband and I have been to Charleston 4 times before and done other tours and Bill's was by far the most informative! It takes about two hours. Lots of information about slavery and Charleston history! read more

This company is amazing and Palmer was the highlight of our vacation. She was so great that I booked her twice in the same trip; once for me to go on a private tour and once for my husband and myself to go on a group tour. She can customize your tour to exactly what you are looking to learn more about and her energy/passion for Charleston's history is invigorating. While on our tour, a woman turned around and said "she is amazing!" And indeed she undoubtably is.You don't need to look any further. This is the company to use. read more

From the beginning of the tour, Bill was a captivating storyteller, sharing Charleston's varied history, which he clearly has a passion for. Throughly enjoyed this energetic and informative tour. read more

Palmer from oyster tours was amazing. She's fun, upbeat and full of great information. It was freezing cold Even for New Yorkers and we still didn't want the tour to end!! We were with 2 teenagers who also felt the same way!! She showed us so many great areas in down town Charleston and gave recommendations for anything anyone asked for. Ie restaurants happy hour etc. We highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting Charleston! read more

Great job Bill, tour was very informative and entertaining! Definitely worth doing and would highly recommend it.

We had Bill as our guide for the Highlights of Charleston Tour. He was very articulate and passionate about the history of Charleston. He touched on subjects that might be considered sensitive/taboo considering the deep roots of slavery that is very much part of Charleston's history. If you're looking for a superficial and uninspiring tour go to one of the carriage/horse tours. If you're looking for a more stimulated experience than I definitely recommend this tour. Didn't give it a 5 because he talked really fast and was hard to keep up with all the information and walked really fast when I wanted to take a moment to take pics and look around some parts more. Wear comfortable shoes and bring some water! read more

Kicked off our Charleston visit with an Oyster Point walking tour. Our guide, Palmer, was fantastic; her knowledge, expertise and energy were matched only by her charm and storytelling ability! At $20 per person this was a great value and we highly recommend Oyster Point Tours! read more

Bill Harris is an awesome guide. We embarked on a 2 hour walking history class with this knowledgeable and frank historian. A must if you're visiting this spectacularly beautiful and historically rich city. read more

What a great tour! My husband and I were visiting Charleston from NJ and were looking for an interesting walking tour. Palmer was amazing and so very knowledgeable. I don't always feel compelled to write reviews, but wanted to share with others just how impressed my husband and I were with this tour. I'm pretty sure you will feel the same if your looking for a quality historical tour of Charleston! Nice job, Palmer!! read more

Took the Highlights of Charleston tour our first day in town it was so fantastic we signed up the next day for the Civil War and Secession tour. Bill was our guide for both tours and he is the best! Brimming with information, he presents the material in a thought provoking, humorous way. If you take any tours in Charleston, take one of his! read more

One of the best tours I've had anywhere. Palmer moved from history, architecture, economics and religion seamlessly. She had lots of energy and wasa joy to spend time with. Great for first time and repeat visitors. The two hour tour flew by. Will try the civil war tour on the next visit. Take advantage of this great resource. read more

Took the Civil War tour this afternoon; i'm so tired of the superficial, faked history, and silly other tours. Our concierge highly recommended this group, and i have to say, the best part of charleston; we had an articulate, passionate, expert on the history that lead up to and through the Civil War. Perhaps not for everyone- but if you want to be with the creme de la creme of intelligent tours, this is the one for you. thank you ,, and i cant wait to come back to Charleston ( i always return,,,) and take more tours with Oyster Point Historic Tours! read more

Palmer was great! she was very informative and had alot of energy. we will return for another tour sometime in the future. thank you Palmer

A tour is only as good as the guide giving it, and the Highlights of Charleston Tour that we took with Bill Harris was informative and quite a bit of fun. Be prepared to answer questions, as Bill keeps folks engaged and focused by employing the Socratic method to stimulate discussion. Charleston holds a singular place in American history, and you will get the unvarnished and sometimes brutal truth with this absorbing, sometimes irreverent historian as your guide. read more

I have a great dread of tour guides who make stuff up. Bill is an historian who talks fast in order to share his wealth of knowledge about Charleston. He conveys his passion for the city with facts and humor. If you are interested in real history this is the tour for you. read more

My husband and I went on the Highlights of Charleston tour with Bill today and thoroughly enjoyed it. Bill was very informative and engaging with a robust amount of information about both historic and present day Charleston. We learned so much info on this tour, some of it piqued my curiosity and I've already followed up with further reading. Bill is particularly passionate about acknowledging how the city grew due to its slave trade; I really appreciated his honesty about that history. His engagement with our small group even caught the attention of a woman walking by on the street who double backed to get his card because she said he sounded so interesting. We definitely were happy that we selected this tour and I believe that you will feel the same way. read more

I loved this tour. History, jokes, trivia, great weather, and even better tour guide. Palmer was fantastic, and she loves what she does. She has so much she wants to share with everyone who walks with her, but is also mindful of keeping this interesting. If you can walk with Palmer, you'll be walking with a fantastic guide!! read more

Just did the historic Charleston walking tour with Bill as our guide and all I can say is "wow". We had a group of 20 and the tour was interactive, funny and most important, historically and culturally relevant. He doesn't pull any punches about Charleston, it's history, or its present. Telling the story of the American south with Charleston as The lens was a unique and incredible way to learn about it. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who comes to this town. It's an afternoon well spent. read more

William was incredible. He gave you the real history and wasn't afraid to elaborate on the slave trade and other details of history to make Charleston what it is now! read more

We were lucky enough to have Bill/William as our guide, and it was the best history tour we have ever been on. His extensive knowledge and passion is a rare combination to find on a tour. Must do! read more

Bill Harris provided us with an entertaining and informative walking tour. His perspective on the development and history of this fine town was presented in a clear, unclouded voice. He pulled back the covers on the city, and presented the warts along with the beauty. I learned a lot, and we all had a great time. read more

This was the highlight of our visit to Charleston. I loved how Bill, our tour guide, weaved in the economic dependencies which explained the growth of Charleston. The tour was thorough and engaging. We took three tours during our trip and found this to be the most honest and had the best perspective of the history of Charleston. We highly recommend it!!! read more

Bill was fantastic. My fiancee and I took the historic Charleston tour and also the Civil War tour (both in the same day). We made a great decision. Bill was very engaging and passionate. I highly recommend Oyster Point Walking Tours. read more

Have lived in Charleston for 2.5 years and am familiar with the historic nature of the downtown peninsula, but tour was fantastic and illuminating about the involvement of Charleston during the Civil War. I would recommend to everyone and am considering going on the tour again just for fun. read more

If you are interested in any sort of tour. This is the one to take. It is a walking tour. The carriage tours maybe novel but this was educational and FUN. Palmer our guide was fantastic. She was very knowledgable, with a great deal of enthusiasm. I learned a great deal, never bored! Palmer really knows her history and shares it very well. This was the best tour I have ever taken! I am not a guy that likes tours but this experience was stellar! Be sure to ask for Palmer she was OUTSTANDING. Did I say the cost of the tour was $20 each. Did I say bargain! Palmer made me fall in love with charleston! read more

Bill gave an excellent tour-delivered great details and provided relevant context to make the sites/facts have more meaning. As a business person myself, i very much appreciated the economic lense through which he views history. We are looking forward to taking his Civil war tour as well. read more

It was our first trip to Charleston as a family and we decided to do Oyster Point's Historical walking tour of the city. Bill did an awesome job at describing the city's history and heritage. He did not sway away from some of the city's darker past and stayed true to the facts. Our two teenage boys even enjoyed it. Highly recommend this tour company. read more

Excellent tour! Bill is an excellent historian and gave us the history of Charlestown and a fun tour around the town. He was very personable and knowledgeable. I highly recommend this tour! read more

My friend was visiting SC and I took her to Charleston. I've been 3 times now and have been on a few different kinds of tours. This was one of the best by far, and more informative and interesting than most. If you want sugar coating, this isn't it. Charleston has a peppered history, and Bill is honest about that. You get the good and the not so good on this tour. Bill has done extensive historic and academic, primary document research on Charleston and it shows! His knowledge has a depth to it. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour, no matter how many other tours you've been on...you'll learn something new and interesting from Bill. It is a wonderful, educational, and informative tour. read more

We had Bill for our tour, and he was absolutely outstanding. Wonderful tour, with excellent historical detail. I would highly recommend any tour from this company! read more

Palmer has a true passion for researching and sharing Charleston history and it's key sights. You won't be disappointed with this tour.

Bill was an amazing tour guide- high energy, passionate, witty, and articulate. He led the group through Charleston and provided an engaging tour covering the history of Charleston from the colonial era to present day. Each stop was used to weave together a very interesting and detailed narrative of Charleston's history. I cannot recommend his tour enough! read more