Charleston Museums, Gardens and Zoo.
Following are Charleston’s most popular museums and cultural venues. Click on the name of each museum, garden or zoo in Charleston SC to visit its website for schedules, fees, directions and more information. Also see Performing Arts, Things To Do and Charleston Attractions.
http://www.americanmilitarymuseum.org/
Located in Aquarium Wharf adjacent to the debarkation point for tours to historic Fort Sumter, the Museum is filled with authentic artifacts from 14 American conflicts from the Revolutionary War through the recent war in Iraq.
The Avery Research Center collects, preserves, and documents the history and culture of African Americans in Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry.
http://bestfriendofcharleston.org/
The “Best Friend of Charleston” now housed in the Engine House at 31 Ann Street is a full-sized replica of the 1830 train. The steam engine was constructed from the original plans in 1928 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the “South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company”.
http://www.charlestonmuseum.org/
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.
Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry
The Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry (CML) is Charleston’s first hands-on learning environment with interactive experiences with the arts, sciences and humanities. For children ages 3 months to 12 years and their families
The museum is located in Charleston’s Historic District at 135 Meeting Street. As Charleston’s only visual arts museum, our programs are designed to foster the development of a personal relationship between our visitors and the works on view. We want to generate conversations on art and culture and we welcome all audiences.
Macaulay Museum of Dental History
http://waring.library.musc.edu/
The museum houses an impressive collection of dental memorabilia, including a dental office of circa 1900; a series of dental chairs spanning many years, including a child’s chair; an instrument made by Paul Revere for Dr. Josiah Flagg, the first American-born, full-time dentist.
Patriots Point Naval – Maritime Museum
The U S Navy, Yorktown is open to the public as a museum. Patriots Point is one of the largest museums of its kind including other ships such as the destroyer USS Laffeye, the Treasury class Coast Guard cutter Ingham and the Balao class submarine Clamagore plus war planes from WWII and Korea to Vietnam War and Desert Storm.
The museum exhibits demonstrate a time line of history beginning with villages of the Seewee Indians and the settlement at Jamestown, S.C. by the French Huguenots, through the rice planting on the great Santee plantations and the establishment of the town of McClellanville as a coastal resort.