Top Charleston Architecture Tours

Fin was a fantastic guide! He was very knowledgeable about Charleston’s early settlement and architecture and kept our small group of seven engaged and moving at a comfortable pace. The two-hour tour was well planned, including a mid-tour water and restroom break—the restrooms were very clean.A couple of tips: read the fine print! Wear closed-toe shoes, and give yourself a little extra time to find the meeting spot. It listed 122 W Bay, but we actually met under a tree near the park benches. Not a big deal—just good to know ahead of time. Highly recommend the tour!

The tour was very interesting with the history and architecture. The guide was pleasant and knowledgeable. It was delightful!

We had the best tour with Alice! Our 3 hours went so quickly. I’d love to take another tour with her to a plantation or her food tour. Alice is a lovely knowledgeable fun southern lady. Her depth of history, fun facts and stories about architecture and historical people kept us entertained. Private tours are the way to go and Alice is worth every penny.

Miss Alice is not only very knowledgeable about the history and architecture of Charleston, she is also passionate about her beautiful city. She was very generous and gracious with her time.

Highly recommended if you’re interested in learning much more about the History of Charleston. Miss Alice delivers a professional and un-rushed tour that focuses on the people, places and events that shaped Charleston. You’ll ride around town in comfort where you’ll see everything from where the City began, the Architecture, and the Events. And you’ll also get a great perspective on Charleston today including recommendations for shopping, dining and events. Alice is knowledgeable and friendly with a terrific sense of humor.

I really enjoyed my time on the walking tour with Eric. He is so knowledgeable about the history of Charleston and knowing I am from Maryland he was able to tie in pertinent details and make connections. I really enjoyed all of the interesting architectural facts as well as his emphasis on all of the important roles the European and Island settlers made in the conception of the city as well as his high lighting the importance of the African enslaved peoples in building and maintaining The city. I did not know that Charleston was a leading rice grower prior to the Industrial Revolution- so many interesting tid bits. Thanks so much, Eric! I can’t wait to take this with my husband the next time we visit.

Eric was awesome. He knows so much about Charleston’s history and the History of the country in general which made for very interesting conversations. The tour was casual with room for lots of questions and tangents, which I really enjoyed. I would definitely do it again the next time I come back.

Karen was extremely knowledgeable! She was friendly, engaging and really spent a lot of time with us on the history of the city! We throughly enjoyed the tour and our interaction with Karen!

I know what it feels like to live in the smaltzy, waltzy, glitzy part of town, Chicago's Gold Coast, where the governor of Illinois lives, the home of the Archbishop of Chicago. So it is with the South of Broad, the most exclusive part of downtown Charleston, South Carolina, a prestigious and historic neighborhood located at the southernmost tip of the Charleston peninsula. It is a quiet residential area with many stately, graceful, prestigious and costly homes and gardens lined along East Bay Street, where carriages meander the cobblestone streets and tourists enjoy hearing about the history of the region. The area is bordered by Broad Street to the west and runs east to Charleston Harbor with the Ashley River and the Cooper River serving as bookends. See houses that range from $850,000 to over $20 million, including Rainbow Row, the Nathaniel Russell House dating to 1752, the Edward Rutledge House, the Williams Mansion, the Edmonston-Alston House, the Heyward-Washington Houses Museum, the Miles Brewerton House, the Simmons-Edwards House and the William Gibbes House. Visit Saint Michael's Episcopal Church, the oldest church in Charleston. Stroll through the Battery and White Point Gardens at the very southernmost point of the peninsula, offering a sweeping view of Charleston Harbor and Fort Sumter. South of Broad is more than just a place to live, it's a living piece of American history, like walking through a time capsule, from colonial times and the American Revolutionary War through the Civil War and Reconstruction. It has been the home to Charleston's most influential families since the 1700s, where wealthy planters and merchants built their grand mansions. We're not talking houses here, we're talking statements, symbols of prosperity, influence and architectural innovation with styles ranging from Neoclassical to Colonial to Italianate to Victorian to Federalist to Art Deco. Start with the Williams Mansion, the largest private residence in Charleston spanning 24,000 square feet and 30 rooms. It's a living museum. But a keen-eyed visitor can detect several design elements that are intertwined throughout the neighborhood that make the homes flow seamlessly together. The houses are almost always lined with piazzas in order to create shade and take advantage of coastal breezes. They feature tall ceilings, heart pine and cypress floors, iron gates, intricate gardens, winding alleyways and porches lined with colonnades. While you are admiring the architecture and the stately mansions, find time to stop for lunch or dinner at Iron Rose or Magnolia's or Husk or Oak Steakhouse or Millers All-Day or Sorelle or Poogan's Porch or Brasserie La Banque or Slightly North of Broad.

Brian did a great job! We truly enjoyed all the stories and the history of the area! Walking thru some of the residential streets was a highlight.

Brian was fantastic! He included lots of historical tidbits that you don’t normally hear. He kept the tour moving at a good pace, was really engaging, and held our attention for the full time.

We did the Charleston walking tour with Eric from Free Tours by Foot early in our visit, and it turned out to be a really great way to start our time in the city. Eric was knowledgeable and easy to listen to, and the tour felt well paced and thoughtfully put together. We came away with a much better understanding of Charleston and its history, plus useful local context that shaped the rest of our trip.I’d happily recommend this tour to family and friends.

Erik provided an excellent tour of historic Charleston. He is very knowledgeable and was great with questions. It was a small group and we were able to see specific places of interest to us. Highly recommend!

For the price, I found this to be a great value. It was annoying I had to paste the link for the sound bites multiple times because I couldn’t get back to the list of stops as I went in a different order. I really liked the map as well so I could plan my route based on lunch plans.

Brian was very good and very personable. I would do the tour again. It was a good way to get an overview of the city. It’s also clear he doesn’t follow an exact script and will adjust based on the audience and what’s going on around him. He clearly knows a lot about Charleston the city where he grew up. I’m a history buff and even I thought he spouted a lot of names and facts- I could tell that he thought he was weaving together facts but sometimes it was a little too much.

My bestie and I loved this walking tour! Our tour guide, Fin Smith, was amazing. So informative, engaging, and charming! He did a great job flexing to the needs of our group, and was so responsive to group questions. I loved learning about the city from him, and learning about his own history! Highly recommend this walking tour. It was also a very small group, which I really enjoyed!