The Charleston Museum — Attraction in Charleston

This museum was wonderful. There were so many artifacts, that I recommend setting aside a few hours to be able to read everything. My favorite part was the textile portion. They had beautiful wedding gowns from various time periods. The coolest part? Pictures of several brides were posted right behind the dress, which gives a fuller picture and allows the viewer to really step back in time. A couple of hoop skirts, wrap skirts, and jackets were provided for people to try on....yes I definitely tried them on and you should too. It's fun! They also have interesting ceramics. The slaves badges were very interesting and hearing the difference in roles between rice and cotton slaves was very educational. They definitely only skimmed the surface concerning slavery though. If you're looking for a more in depth look, I heard the Avery Research Center (part of the college of Charleston) does a great job at chronicling African American history in Charleston.

My main criticism is that there's nothing about the Gullah people. I know technically they inhabited an island off the coast so they're not necessarily Charleston history. However, if you take a carriage ride, walk through the market, or listen to other tours, they often mention the Gullah people (especially in regards to the beautiful baskets sold in the market). I was just hoping that the museum would mention their background a bit, how they inhabited the island, their culture, and how their culture was influenced by or has impacted Charleston. Other than that, it was wonderful. I highly recommend spending...

We love the museum. As lifelong customers, it's a familiar quiet place where we can still learn something new every time. Today was like no other, however.

I am on EBT at the moment, and when I showed my card to the grey-haired lady at the front desk, I was treated different suddenly. i remember her from times before, when i could pay with cash or card, but of course i dont expect her to remember me.

First off, she kept announcing loudly that I had an EBT card, as if she were trying to embarrass me, and said in a repulsed tone, "Everyone is coming in with these lately..." Second, she scowled and huffed and puffed that she couldn't read my name on the raised lettering on the card. She looked at my ID and said she'll have to take my word for it.

Then when I inquired about parking in the museum lot, she kept looking over her glasses at me and talking to me like I was an idiot and interrupting me.

I had my 12 year old history-loving child with me. I didn't appreciate being insulted this way for no reason at all!

The other woman with brown hair at the desk was beyond gracious and customer service-oriented when we came back through after finding a different parking spot. She even asked us what our favorite part of the museum was.

We'll be back, but now i know what to expect from...

I enjoyed this museum but I have a couple reservations about the way they are exhibiting items. For one, I was really surprised by the lack of history on enslaved people. Charleston was literally built by the exploited labor of enslaved folks, and the lack of information and exhibitions in regards to the history of enslavement in the area was striking. Yes, there were some areas where it is talked about but I think there should be a whole exhibition clearly outlined about the Black community and their history in Charleston… Yes, there are other museums in the area that go into detail but I’m sure this 200+ y/o museum has many pieces they can display in regards to Black culture and community and history in the area. Maybe I missed it?

I also found it inappropriate that they house real human remains from Egypt in the museum. Anything like this is questionable, and having someone’s sacred remains on display is disrespectful in my opinion. The museum should repatriate the body and the sarcophagi back to Egypt where she can lay to rest in her homeland. Putting her on display like that strips her dignity.

Otherwise, they have some really interesting pieces there that my family and I enjoyed including the Funeral Carriage. It’s a good museum...