Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:360 Meeting St.
Charleston, South Carolina
Tel:
(843) 722-2996
America's very first museum, the Charleston Museum was founded in 1773. Preserving the culture and natural history of Charleston and South Carolina ever since, the museum takes you on a rich historical tour, all downtown in America's most historic city. You'll find exhibits on the Lowcountry and its people, reflected in two special houses, as well as artifacts, slave tags, and other priceless items from the cotton and country era.
Visitors to Charleston Museum can see the chair in which delegates sat to sign South Carolina's Ordinance of Secession, as well as firearms and ordnance from the War Between the States. The special Charleston Silver gallery showcases outstanding early silver collections featuring the christening cup of George Washington. The Early Days exhibit features an Egyptian mummy and a plaster cast of the statue of Pharaoh Ramses II.
Kidstory, a special exhibit for the very young, brings history alive and promises to spark a keen interest in history for years to come. Temporary exhibits, which change a few times a year, are also on display.
Visit the museum store for books, gifts, jewelry, toys, and art reproductions.
To get to the museum, take the I-26 to the Meeting Street/Visitor Center Exit. Travel south for about 1 mile and you'll find the museum on the corner at John St.
America's oldest museum is also one of the best, so be sure not to miss it!
From Charleston Museum - South Carolina:
Welcome to The Charleston Museum, America's First Museum, founded in 1773. Its mission is to preserve and interpret the cultural and natural history of Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry. We invite you to explore this rich, varied history at the Museum and its two National Historic Landmark houses. All are located downtown, in America's Most Historic City.