Tips for Visiting Fort Sumter National Monument

By Land and By Sea

There are several ways to see the Fort Sumter National Monument. This sea fort played a pivotal role in the beginnings of America’s Civil War, and for any history buff, this is a must-see attraction when visiting South Carolina.

A Little History

We won’t go into too much detail on the history of Fort Sumter because you will be immersed in the details of its role in the Civil War on the boat ride over and during the “tour” of the fort. However, if you are wondering what makes this place so special and why you should go see it, the answer is quite simple; this is where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.

The View from Outside

There are several ways to see Fort Sumter by boat. If you just arrived in Charleston and wanted a quick overview of the city,  we would recommend the Charleston Harbor Tour. Board the Carolina Belle and enjoy the 45-minute tour around the harbor. The boat starts to board 15 minutes before taking off but a line will quickly form so you may want to get there even earlier. Don’t worry about which side has the best views as all the chairs are positioned for a right/starboard view. On a chilly day try to sit near the back to avoid the wind chill while out on the water. The boat tour is narrated and is both entertaining and informative.

You will see a few island forts spread throughout the Charleston’s harbor but Fort Sumter is easy to spot as it is the largest and flies the American flag high in the air for all to see. ‘Murica! The boat gets as close as possible to the fort but to get any good photos you are really going to want a camera with a telescopic zoom of at least 200mm.

If your traveling with some companions who may not enjoy history as much as yourself or don’t even know who fought in the civil war, this may be as much of the fort as they want to see. Otherwise, if you would like to get your knowledge on and actually put your feet on some historic soil head to the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center.

Stand Where It Started

If you took the Harbour Tour, you know by now the fort is only accessible by boat. Tour boats to Fort Sumter are provided by Fort Sumter Tours and that is the only option you have. If you are pressed for time when traveling to Charleston, we recommend skipping the Harbour Tour because the Fort Sumter Tour boat covers a lot the same info you would have heard on the Harbour Tour but puts more emphasis on the Civil War facts.

One thing to be aware of when visiting Fort Sumter is you only are allowed 1 hour to explore. This is a bummer because you could spend a few hours here really soaking in the history but you will have to spend your time wisely. Here are few tips:

• Pick an afternoon tour to avoid getting stuck on the same tour as the local elementary school field trip.
• There are certain presentations that happen at the fort depending on the day and time your tour is such the raising of the flag. Skip these because they take up almost half the time you have to look around.
• Save the museum for last and skip the gift shop altogether. You can purchase souvenirs at the visitor center when you get back to shore.

The easiest way to get around is to go from right to left. The fort is a hexagon shape so keep going in the same direction and you will get to see everything. Check out the enormous cannons and try to imagine the thunderous sound that would echo throughout the fort during a siege. Look closely at the walls and you can still see cannonballs lodged into the brick from the first attempt to take the fort which lasted 34 hours.

Overall

America’s history is short compared to the rest of the world, but there are also only a few places like Fort Sumter, that allow us to keep our connection to the past. It’s one thing to sit in a classroom and learn history through a textbook but to stand on the grounds where history was made is a much better way learn. Take some time to visit Fort Sumter and appreciate the opportunity to view the remnants of the war that almost divided our nation.