By Horse & Carriage -- The Old South Carriage, 14 Anson St. (tel. 843/723-9712; www.oldsouthcarriagetours.com), offers narrated horse-drawn-carriage tours through the historic district daily from 9am to dusk. A 1-hour carriage tour goes for 2 1/2 miles, covering 30 blocks of the historic district. The cost is $20 for adults, $14 for children 3 to 11.
By Mule Team -- Palmetto Carriage Tours, 40 N. Market St., at Guignard Street (tel. 843/723-8145; www.carriagetour.com), uses mule teams instead of the usual horse and carriage for its guided tours of Old Charleston. Tours originate at the Big Red Barn behind the Rainbow Market. The cost is $20 for adults and seniors, and $10 for children 4 to 11. Daily 9am to 5pm.
By Boat -- Spiritline Cruises, 360 Concord St., Suite 201 (tel. 800/722-2628), offers a Harbor and Fort Sumter Tour by boat, departing daily from the City Marina and from the Patriots Point Maritime Museum. This is the only tour to stop at Fort Sumter, target of the opening shots of the Civil War. Rates are adults $14, seniors $13, children 6 to 11 $8, children under 6 free. The operator also has an interesting Charleston Harbor Tour, with daily departures from Patriots Point. The 2-hour cruise passes the Battery, Charleston Port, Castle Pinckney, Drum Island, Fort Sumter, and the aircraft carrier Yorktown, and sails under the Cooper River Bridge and on to other sights. Prices are the same as those for Fort Sumter Tours.
Walking Tours -- One of the best offbeat walking tours of Charleston is the Charleston Tea Party Walking Tour (tel. 843/722-1779). It lasts 2 hours and costs $25 for adults or $10 for children up to age 12. Departing year-round Monday to Saturday at 9:30am and 2pm, tours originate at the Kings Courtyard Inn, 198 Kings St. The tour goes into a lot of nooks and crannies of Charleston, including secret courtyards and gardens. Finally, you get that promised tea. Reservations are required.
Tours of Charleston's 18th-century architecture in the original walled city begin at 10am and 2pm, and tours of 19th-century architecture along Meeting Street and the Battery begin at 2pm. Departures are from in front of the Meeting Street Inn, 173 Meeting St. Tours last 2 hours and are given every day but Tuesday and Sunday. The cost is $15 (free for children 12 and under). For reservations, call tel. 843/893-2327.
