Private Tours Charleston

private Driving Tour Charleston       |       Plantation Tour Charleston

You’re coming to Charleston and you want the best experience possible. You’re staying at a great hotel, you’ve made reservations at some of Charleston’s finest restaurants and you want to learn about this wonderful beautiful city, it’s rich history and you want to know what it’s like living here today. Historic Charleston Tours is a boutique tour guide company that specializes in small group and private tours. All of our guides are licensed by the city (no longer required in Charleston), but more importantly all of our guides live in the Old and Historic District. They can offer you interesting and amusing insights as to what it’s like living in this truly fascinating, historic neighborhood. Virtually no other tour guide company in Charleston can make such a claim. See why so many of Charleston’s finest hotels choose Historic Charleston Tours for their guests. 

It's never too early to learn about our history

Our Tours

HISTORIC PLANTATION TOUR

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DRIVING HISTORY TOUR

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Reviews

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    "Mike is an excellent tour guide who is very knowlegeable. He was very flexible and allowed us to see what we wanted. I highly recommend this tour."

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    Pleasantly surprised!

    Tripadvisor review: Historic Charleston Tour, Civil War in Charleston Tour

    Mike was extremely friendly and well informed about the area we were in. His stories mixed with the history was great at showing the character and history of Charleston and some of its unknown facts. Was a nice and easy tour and you would never of known of so...


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    Interesting and informative tour of Charleston. Mike provided an detailed history of Charleston both past and present. Gained by being a long time resident knowing many of the important families who descended through Charleston we learned a lot of background information. Additionally, a detailed history of where the civil war started. You will not be rushed through in big crowds, this should be a must on your list of tours. Written March 22, 2022


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    Fun and Interesting Walk Around Historical Charleston Our tour guide Mike was an excellent host. He lives locally and has many fun personal stories to go along with the history portion of the tour. The walk covers quite a bit of area. We walked along The Battery, Rainbow Row, up to St Michaels, The 4 Corners, and stopped at many spots in between. We did walk a lot but stopped plenty which allowed for a quick rest if anyone is in need/is concerned about the heat/walking for long periods of time.


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    "Our tour guide Mike was an excellent host. He lives locally and has many fun personal stories to go along with the history portion of the tour. The walk covers quite a bit of area. We walked along The

    Battery, Rainbow Row, up to St Michaels, The 4 Corners, and stopped at many spots in between. We did walk a lot but stopped plenty which allowed for a quick rest if anyone is in need/is concerned  about the heat/walking for long periods of time. Mike pointed out the obvious and shared tidbits about the not so obvious. A very enjoyable walk and one I would highly recommend. As a bonus he offered up a delicious lunch spot with a rooftop view and even gave us a ride there. Excellent (and personal)

    customer service all-around!!"


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    "Mike was great, very knowledgeable and took his time to show us some great spots. We started our tour in the rain (our choice to not cancel) and not even the rain could deter him from offering so much rich history about Charleston. He even went out of his way time to drop us off at our restaurant as we were so tired from making all day! Highly recommend Mike and this tour!"


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    "Interesting and informative tour of Charleston. Mike provided an detailed history of Charleston both past and present. Gained by being a long time resident knowing many of the important families who descended through Charleston we learned a lot of background information. Additionally, a detailed history of where the civil war started. You will not be rushed through in big crowds, this should be a must on your list of tours."


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  • Slide title

    "Interesting and informative tour of Charleston. Mike provided an detailed history of Charleston both past and present. Gained by being a long time resident knowing many of the important families who descended through Charleston we learned a lot of background information. Additionally, a detailed history of where the civil war started. You will not be rushed through in big crowds, this should be a must on your list of tours."


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    Best tour guide in Charleston

    Tripadvisor review: Charleston Plantation Tour - Middleton Place Plantation

    Mike made the tour so spectacular with his deep knowledge e of the area and history. A remarkable experience. Highly recommend Mike!


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    My husband & I were so fortunate to have this wonderful tour by ourselves with Mike! He was kind enough to pick us up at our Charleston hotel in his nice clean vehicle. We spent some time driving through Charleston so Mike could share highlights and historic facts about many areas and properties. Mike got to know us enough to tailor the time to suit our interests. The short trip to the plantation was nice chatting and hearing so many things about the area. Mike really knew the plantation well and gave us so many fabulous facts about it along with the plantation tour guides. We never felt rushed, in fact Mike took extra time to show us some potential lunch and dinner spots for our stay. We will recommend Mike to anyone we know visiting Charleston and will be sure to contact him again when we return! A++


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    Mike was an amazing guide - very insightful and informative. We got a truly VIP experience walking around the historic grounds. Lots of great history to take in and the gardens were also magnificent. Highly recommend this tour.


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    Note I gave this a 5 out of 5 - Excellent!! Somehow the 5 became a 3 when I saved it. When reviewed by staff please change to 5. - Kathy H. Miklus Tour was Thursday Nov. 9, 2023. I had an excellent tour of Middleton Place Plantation with tour guide and operator Mike Frederick on a beautiful day in November. Drove through historic Charleston including a short visit to St. Michaels Anglican Church where George Washington once visited and prayed. Then drove to and walked all over Middleton Place Plantation with Mr. Frederick who is very knowledgeable, friendly and patient (I had to walk slower than usual with a bad knee.) Highly recommend this tour and Mike also gives walking tours of the city. Want to visit and tour again with Mike. Excellent!


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    Mike, Thank you so much for your tour today. Erika and I greatly enjoyed your hospitality, knowledge, and guidance in Charleston. I highly recommend this tour over any other and will be back for additional tours with you. 


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    Unforgettable amazing tour with Mike

    Viator review: Middleton Place Plantation - 3 hour guided tour - hotel pickup The tour is excellent! Mike is caring, patient, and super knowledgeable. I can feel his passion and love for the tour and Charleston through the detailed history stories he shared. The tour started with a drive through historic Charleston and a quick visit to Saint Michael's Church. Then we went to Middleton Place Plantation and had a detailed tour of the ground, garden, the house, and the stable yards. I learned so many things through this tour and enjoyed it from start to finish. Highly recommend this fantastic and full-of-history tour, and kudos to Mike!

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About Us

Our small group tour takes place in the Charlestowne neighborhood at the very southern tip of the penninsula. There you will tour Charleston’s most prestigious neighborhood and see 8 of Charleston’s largest homes including the Williams mansion at 25,000 sq. ft. Charleston’s largest home. On the high battery your guide will talk about the civil war, Fort Sumter, where the war began, the different Union and Confederate positions and Fort Wagner - featured in the movie Glory. In addition you will see White Point Gardens, the original walled city, Rainbow Row, wonderful old churches, museum houses and much more. As you casually walk through Charleston’s oldest alleyways Mike will speak to you about what it’s like living in the wonderful city today. See why Charleston’s leading hotels choose Mike for their guests.

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