Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site — Attraction in Charleston

The park was almost unrecognizable. I had not visited it in over 40 years due to living out of state and having a busy life. I went there yesterday. What a disappointment! They have turned a once vibrant area full of family-friendly fun and lively events into a lackluster self-guided tour of “what”? Of course the boat is still there, and they added cannons to the berms. The house is still there and used for wedding events so it is closed to the public. The animal park is still great, but has not been updated much, and I saw the same amount of them as when I went to Bee city in Colleton. But, gone are the Pavillion area, the museum, the tabby cottage with stocks, the garden area showcasing crops grown in colonial times, the Dome, etc. Unless you are an historian you need a tour guide to guide you to the points of interest. The signage is small in certain areas, and if you blink you miss it. There is nothing but blank land in front of most of these signs. Could they at least place some exhibits there? When my family toured Jamestown in the 90’s we saw a museum and a recreated Powhatan Indian village. Why can’t they have more of this in Charlestown Landing since they got rid of all of the buildings that made this a fun place???. However, they blame everything on Hurricane Hugo. That is such an overused excuse! Hugo was almost 40 years ago! Really, in all that time they could not have added more? Instead of choosing not to update it since they took away all what made it fun? History can’t be fun as well?!?? They say they are self-sufficient, but that probably won’t last long as there are much more interesting places around Charleston to visit. It is probably due to a few tourists and the hoarde of people who have moved here recently. I wonder how many repeat visitors they have. It used to be one of my favorite places, but I will not be going back...

Financial Fact: Free admission the day after Thanks-Taken & December 25. Some exhibits are closed but worth a visit if you want to save some money while visiting.

The park is beautiful plus we went on a really gorgeous day.

I know the draw for me was the African American cemetery, the slave quarters, and the ship however they were non-existent during my visit. I enjoyed the inside museum which really brought together the history of the park, the significance and founding of Charleston. I never knew the connection to the Caribbean specifically Barbados for Charles Towne but now I do. I would have hoped that the outside could have provided more engagement for multigenerational visitors but I do see it’s efforts. However, it is well known how much African and Indigenous Americans viewed the land, yet, it didn’t seem to be an earnest effort to share more (outside) about them. The tiki statue, statue of the chief, native foundation and the marker for the African gravesite are minuscule and passive at best. More information (again, outside) could be provided to bring this to life for visitors.

Information about the shuttle and tour wasn’t shared. After walking 2 miles we started seeing shuttle stop signs, fortunately my son was a trooper the grounds were peaceful. It took us about 2 hours to walk 3.5 miles reading, taking pictures and enjoying the space. It’s expansive indeed and I can see how people can leave and return. And even stay for the full day with a meal to sit and have a lunch on a table or lay a blanket to dine by the marsh. The view towards Charleston is nice as well.

Highlight: It wasn’t major but the animal area made my sons day. It was a nice component.

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I think the park is beautiful and compelling, but I was very much put off by the condescending attitude of the "historian" at the site of the sailing vessel, who seemed more intent on telling us what we didn't know than what he did. This man was immediately unfriendly in jumping in and correcting me on something I said to the person I was with, and although he was correct then, he went on to ask us if we knew when the state capital was moved, to which I said correctly "1786" and he said "no, it was 1824", and when I started to say that it was moved after the Revolution, he tried to correct me again by saying the Revolution ended in 1785, to which I said, again correctly, "no the Revolution ended in 1783". The "guide" went on in his unfriendly, condescending way by questioning my knowledge, suggesting that because he was an "historian" that he knew more than I did, when any study of our history clearly shows that the state legislature agreed to move the capital on 3/22/1786 and that the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolution on 9/22/1783. Even after all this, I tried to engage the "guide" in conversation about the park and his Navy career that he was eager to tell us about, yet none of my comments brought any smile, agreement or interest from a man who is apparently a long-winded lecture in need of an audience. I ran a tour business for more than 20 years in Charleston and I tried to be congenial to those whose knowledge of history was lacking, without dismissing their comments as he did mine. I think this person could be a good guide and historian given his interest in the subjects, but I would recommend that he study his dates and lighten up a bit when dealing with people who are not visiting the park to...