CHARLESTON GHOST TOUR FIELD GUIDE
Two Hours Through 349 Years: Charleston’s Social Rise from Pirate Port to Southern Jewel
An intimate, two-hour walking-history overview of Charleston led by award-winning guide Eric Lavender that traces the city’s evolution from a bawdy 17th-century port to a refined hub of wealth and culture.
Two Hours Through 349 Years: Charleston’s Social Rise from Pirate Port to Southern Jewel.
Founded in 1670 and shaped by 349 years of commerce, conflict, and refinement, Charleston unfolds here as a compact narrative of American history. On this two-hour tour, award-winning guide Eric Lavender moves visitors through the city’s most consequential chapters — from its rambunctious beginnings as a pirate port and red-light district to its rise as a center of wealth, religious tolerance, and sophistication — stopping at historic homes, churches, and public buildings tied to the Colonial Period, the Revolution, and the Civil War.
Highlights
Outing Highlights
A 349-Year Sweep
The tour compresses Charleston’s 349-year history into a two-hour narrative, emphasizing the city’s transformation from a bawdy pirate port to a refined Southern capital across the Colonial Period, Revolution, and Civil War.
Award-Winning Storytelling
Led by Eric Lavender, an award-winning guide, the tour focuses on human stories and the social forces that produced Charleston’s wealth, religious tolerance, and civic architecture.
Homes, Churches, and Public Buildings
Stops include tucked-away historic homes on cobblestone streets and prominent churches and public buildings that map the city’s civic and religious life across its major historical periods.
What the day feels like
What Two Hours in Charleston Feels Like
The Charleston History Highlights Tour is a compact, narration-driven experience: over two hours the guide threads together architecture and anecdote to reveal how a port town of pirates and negotiated affections evolved into a center of wealth, refinement, and religious tolerance, pausing at representative homes, churches, and civic sites to illustrate each era.
THE ERA
A 349-Year Sweep
The tour compresses Charleston’s 349-year history into a two-hour narrative, emphasizing the city’s transformation from a bawdy pirate port to a refined Southern capital across the Colonial Period, Revolution, and Civil War.
THE GUIDE
Award-Winning Storytelling
Led by Eric Lavender, an award-winning guide, the tour focuses on human stories and the social forces that produced Charleston’s wealth, religious tolerance, and civic architecture.
THE SITES
Homes, Churches, and Public Buildings
Stops include tucked-away historic homes on cobblestone streets and prominent churches and public buildings that map the city’s civic and religious life across its major historical periods.
Suitability
Who it's for
Who this tour suits — and why.
Practical planner
Details to review before reserving
This is not a costumed tour.
Review cancellation policies before reserving.
Frequently asked questions
Planning Your Outing
How long is the Charleston History Highlights Tour?
The tour lasts two hours.
Where does the tour meet?
The meeting location is the Bakehouse at 160 East Bay St., Charleston, SC.
Who leads the tour?
The tour is led by award-winning guide Eric Lavender.
What historical periods does the tour cover?
The tour covers sites and stories from the Colonial Period, the Revolution, and the Civil War, tracing Charleston’s development across 349 years.
Is this a costumed or theatrical tour?
No — this is not a costumed tour.
How old is Charleston historically?
Charleston was founded in 1670 and the tour presents a 349-year historical perspective.