Fort Sumter Aerial View w/Dockage
Fort Sumter Tours is the only National Park Concessioner allowed to dock at the fort and is designated to provide public tours of the historic site. National Park Rangers are versed with a wealth of knowledge regarding the fort’s history, construction, military significance and ongoing preservation.
Fort Sumter National Monument Sign
Fort Sumter National Monument’s Sign welcomes visitors from around the world and preserves the site of the first engagement of America’s Civil War, occurring April 12,1861. The fort lies at the entrance to Charleston, South Carolina’s historic harbor on a manmade island today managed by the National Park Service.
Fort Sumter ‘Battlement’ Brick Walls
December 2019, the National Park Service moved several large rocks farther away from the fort’s walls. The rocks were originally installed to protect the walls of the 5-sided brick structure, each 5 feet thick and originally 50 feet over low tide mark. Sea level rise motivated this decision to create a protective breakwater area.
Fort Sumter American Flag
Fort Sumter flies the United States Fort Sumter Flag. The flag is a beautiful, diamond-shaped 33-Star pattern. During Fort Sumter’s bombardment by Confederate forces, the flagpole was felled by one shot. Second Lieutenant Norman Hall retrieved the flag and remounted it on a makeshift pole.
Fort Sumter Aerial View
April 11, 1861, Confederates opened fire on the Union occupied Fort Sumter. The Confederates demanded evacuation of the Fort. The Union troops refused. The Civil War began and remains the bloodiest conflict having occurred on American soil. The pock-marked battlements are today preserved by the National Park Service and FortSumter is a National Monument in Charleston’s historic harbor.
Fort Sumter Tour Boat
Fort Sumter Tours is the official National Park Concessioner operating the only Tour Boats allowed to dock at Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is now a National Park and the site where the 1st shot of the Civil War was fired. The Tour Boats are equipped with an Elevator/Lift and handicapped accessible bathrooms.
Charleston Rooftops & Church Steeple
Delicious food, drinks and ambiance can be found at several rooftop establishments throughout historic Charleston. Charleston’s iconic architecture creates interesting designs. It has long been local knowledge that ‘no buildings in Charleston are to be taller than her highest church steeple’.
Charleston Harbor & Playful Dolphin
South Carolina is home to a significant population of Bottlenose Dolphin. Dolphin are warm blooded mammals that surface regularly for air in a rolling motion. Intelligent and friendly they often seem to enjoy running alongside of boats in Charleston harbor.
Ravenel Bridge
Futuristic and enormous Ocean Freighters are able to access the Port of Charleston since the grand opening of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, July 2005. Two diamond shaped soaring towers allow clearance beneath the eight-lane cable-stayed Bridge.