This is a nice very old town dating back to the early 1700s. There's a lot of good local…read morerestaurants to try, a few museums and the old train depot from the 1870s is still here. Highlight one of the restaurants here in this town is music man, barbecue and the Barony, both local and family owned restaurants.

First class museum. Hope trump leaves it alone. Cover ALL southern histories very well. Proud…read morehistories , & some not. Wonderfully set outs. Would comer again

You have to come here when you visit Charleston. Oldest museum in the United States. I love the…read moreHunley submarine outside. I liked how you followed a course through the place... rather than a bunch of stuff in one big room...

We took advantage of the CoolPASS offered by Experience Columbia, SC getting us access to the South…read moreCarolina State Museum, EdVenture Children's Museum, and the Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend! Great dollar value if you're interested in all locations mentioned. The museum was easy to find and offered plenty of parking in a lot shared with the EdVenture Children's Museum. They had many exhibits that our 7 & 12 year old enjoyed but they thoroughly enjoyed the second floor galleries with the dinosaur exhibit and the habitat exhibits. Staff was very friendly and helpful when fielding our questions. They also enjoyed seeing the the history of SC through the years represented through artifacts and the changes from the colony, war, and industrialization of the city with mills and the railroad. They also have a planetarium and a 4D shows offered throughout the day. Highly recommend adding this to your itinerary if you are in the Columbia area! The selection of exhibits were fun to see and educational.

My family had such a wonderful time at the museum. We loved the mix of science and history. We…read morereally enjoyed the natural history and telescope exhibits. My son really enjoyed an old theater where you could see vintage cartoons. And one area you could see a picture of what the building looked like when it was a factory. They have a nice gift shop and a café. If you do not want to leave to eat lunch. We left and came back for lunch and there was still plenty of parking. We would definitely come back to the museum and see the war part that we didn't get a chance to see.

We went for the wine on the river. It was amazing. Super cool charcuterie board. They had gluten…read morefree crackers for me. The wine was also very good. The plantation is adorable. It is truly a hidden gem. The manager even drove us to town to help us get a Lyft back to our hotel. If you have not visited this gem you are missing out

I have been to several different plantations in several different states and was really looking…read moreforward to a great afternoon with my daughters at Hopsewee to include a booked Tea Time and house tour. I purchased the Tea Service ahead of time. Everyone was very friendly but I will say, overly cautious. I had indicated that I have a tree nut allergy on the notes when I booked our reservation and I have never had an establishment refuse me service because of my allergy , but they did. For the life of me I couldn't understand why a slight adjustment couldn't be made to remove almonds from one tiny dish. They also refused to serve one of my daughters for a lactose intolerance note. I assured them it was ok and I had a lactaid for her to take, she'd be fine. I had only included that note because SOME places will offer alternatives. Ultimately, they served us but I had to sign a waiver, never have I ever until now. Most of the tea service items were very good with the exception of the tiny lemon chess pie which was curdled and tasted of rotten eggs, awful. The tea was excellent and the scones and curd and cream were great too. The area where the dining room is, is nothing fancy at all. It was decent but I was truly disappointed as I was hoping for something more extravagant for tea service. The plantation home, while nice was also truly underwhelming. Great history, good tour guide who was very knowledgeable and a great storyteller, but the house was not anywhere near as fancy as others I have visited. I think what was the biggest let down was that this was the first time my daughters were visiting any plantation home and it was not at all what I was hoping for them to see and experience. If I had known what it looked like more ahead of time, I would have chosen another location in the area. Pictures inside the home are not allowed.

Nice visitor's center with a gift shop and extremely clean restrooms. There's an outdoor seating…read morearea out back and a pet walk next to the parking area. They even had a pet bowl filled with water on the front porch.

If you're heading south on Highway-17 on your way to Beaufort or Savannah, make the detour to…read moreFrampton Plantation to spend a half hour or so. Conveniently located immediately off 17-A (and with road signs to let you know you're approaching), the historic Frampton Plantation is a free Visitors Center/Gift Shop/Mini Museum. It's great to stop in to learn a bit more about the area, take a photo op, pick up a gift for someone, or even use the restroom. During COVID, you must be wearing a mask and the gift shop employee will meet you at the door to spritz sanitizer in your hands before you can enter the building. After you go through the building, make sure to wander to the back of the house to view the start of the SC Revolution Trail located in the Gazebo and view the remnants of an earthen work trenches from a Civil War scrimmage that occurred on the property.

Stopped at the Gullah Museum and had a great time. It's self guided and very informational…read more Recommend.

What a wonderful experience! An impactful museum created and curated by local historians. If you…read morehave any interest regional history and culture, do yourself a favor and visit. No fee but they welcome donations!

Well done! A plethora of civic and local knowledge is living here. The displays are really readable…read moreand the flow through is up to your pace. There are some nice change of pace factoids included. The galleries are quaint though. It's best to come during the weekday, very little people viewing. I loved the "seek-n-find" portion of the tour. The inclusion of the local history and influence of Florence is well preserved here. Both floors showcase many different aspects of the industrial might of South Carolina.

Free admission . Closed on Mondays . Large objects are not allowed in the galleries like large…read morebags, parcels, backpacks and umbrellas. Free lockers are available to store large belongings. Mobility accessible with both stairs and an elevator. My DAR chapter took a field trip to Florence County Museum because of their Revolutionary War gallery . The museum seems fairly new and modern . It offers two floors of galleries , exhibits and displays . The museum also offers interactive activities for both kids and adults like a museum scavenger hunt and activities in the museum courtyard. On the day we visited I was able to use indigo to dye a small planter and then plant a tomato seed in the planter . Nice , clean bathrooms and free parking . Plan to spend at least an hour or so here depending on how much you read and any activities you do .

Visited: February 16, 2026…read more The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon was the perfect blend of history and hustle. From the moment you step onto the grounds, you feel the weight of Charleston's past. Inside, the immersion begins immediately -- postcards, patches, and meaningful souvenirs that make it easy to bring a little history home for friends and family. The highlight, though, was the tour. Our guide was a jolly local with razor-sharp, dry Southern wit -- the kind of storyteller who can pivot from Revolutionary War imprisonment to a perfectly timed sarcastic aside without missing a beat. Equal parts charm and "bless your heart," she made centuries-old history feel present and personal. Down in the Provost Dungeon, those brick walls carry gravity. British occupation. Prisoners of war. Pirates passing through. It's one of those rare spaces where you instinctively lower your voice. You don't just learn history -- you feel it. History hit different here. If you appreciate immersive storytelling, preserved architecture, and a tour that balances education with personality, this is absolutely worth your time.

Fact: Provost Dungeon is older than our country!…read more The British originally owned it and used it as a commercial exchange and customs house. Also used as a post office, prison, and city hall, it is currently a museum. In addition, in 1788 South Carolina approved the US Constitution here. Yet another testament to the rich history of Charleston, Old Exchange, and Provost Dungeon a fascinating places to visit. Built in 1771, it has changed roles countless times: it was a British dungeon during the American Revolution, an elegant hall during George Washington's 1791 visit to Charleston, and a meeting place for the ratification of the Constitution, In 1780 the British occupied Charleston for two years and housed many prisoners in one large cell in this basement making it a provost, or dungeon. Because of the awful conditions here, disease was rampant due to crowding, and no bathroom facilities. Under these conditions, many people died while in prison here. This prison held all types of people, including American and British soldiers, private citizens, and slaves. The first and second floor of the building is home to a museum dedicated to the other uses of the Exchange Building. Fee: Admission to this historic building is only $12 for adults. For a small fee, a guided tour through the lower level and you can learn a lot from the guide.

The Old Mart Museum -- History, Not "His-Story"…read more When we toured the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, we were offered the chance to double down on history -- prepay access to the Old Slave Mart Museum just a few blocks away. We took it. But first? Food. Because nothing says "processing 18th-century imprisonment" like realizing your blood sugar is tanking. After regrouping and refueling, we made our way to the Old Mart Museum. The lesson takes place upstairs -- smaller space, more intimate setting. No theatrics. No dramatics. Just truth. Our guide -- well-groomed, composed, clear-spoken -- absolutely killed it. No sensationalism. No softening. Just facts delivered with gravity. What he described was horrific. Human beings cataloged. Sold. Families separated. Lives reduced to transactions. It was hard to hear. But it was history -- not HIS-story. There's a difference. This wasn't about personal interpretation or modern spin. It was documented record. It was accountability. It was context. Charleston is beautiful. Charming. Architectural eye candy. But layered beneath that beauty is commerce that once depended on human suffering. And standing in that upstairs room, listening quietly, you feel that weight. We walked out quieter than we walked in. Some stops on this trip were fun. Some were adventurous. This one was necessary.

Wonderful time shopping and talking to vendors and other shoppers. We got some excellent loose-leaf…read moretea!