Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum — Attraction in Mount Pleasant

We spent far longer here than we had earlier anticipated as there was so much to see on this fascinating site. Clearly the biggest attraction is the huge WWII Aircraft Carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10). My son and I spent our time going slowly around the 4 separate walking tours on this ship. It meant a lot of climbing up and down the narrow, steep internal stairs (ladders) but we were really keen to see as much as possible. Down in the bowels of the ship you have to fight any concerns of claustrophobia, notably in the small space for the brig (ships prison). There is so much to see and read about the history of the ship. And, then on various decks, there is a plethora of fighter planes. Later I read that there are 29 different aircraft in total, each with its own description & history. We liked just walking on the main flight deck where we had excellent views of the surrounding area & right over to Charleston. Superb.

But the aircraft carrier is only one part of the museum. Berthed alongside it you have the WWII Destroyer USS Laffey (DD-724) which you can also walk around and explore all the many nooks and crannies. We sat for some time watching a short movie on the Pacific part of World War II including Pearl Harbour and the destruction caused, notably by the Japanese Kamikaze pilots. Must all have been terrifying.

On the outside decks of both ships I was intrigued to hear gunfire and sounds of bombing in the distance. Was it just my ears? No, when we walked over to the nearby Vietnam Experience all was revealed. This is a small but very visual collection of the key military equipment used in the Vietnam War - including very realistic and LOUD battle noises. As we wandered around I half expected to bump into Marlon Brandon in a remake of "The Apocalypse Now". We got talking to the gentleman who was overseeing this mainly outdoor exhibition. Very interesting. May I add that I have been to a big war museum in Ho Chi Minh city (previously Saigon)? It was intriguing to see the comparisons/impressions as perceived by both sides in this dreadful war.

I'm sure that we didn't see everything that this great place has to offer. But we did our best. Oh, by the way, I really liked the souvenir shop where you could buy at least three different types of hand grenades. Unfortunately we weren't sure how to get them back home to Europe as there was a helpful sign telling us that if we tried to take them through an airport then we'd get arrested. Oh well.

A fantastic, thoroughly recommendable day out. All for the princely sum of $27 (for adults) $19 (Seniors)....

Always incredible experience and has been for decades. The aircraft carrier is a literal museum on the water and there are several walking tours both below deck and on the top of ship. You also get to your a destroyer ship as well named the USS Laffey and there are 24 aircraft located on top deck and on the grounds as well. There is a submarine the USS Ckamagore however you can no longer go below deck because it has gotten too dangerous due to age and rusting. Also to top it all off there is what's called the Vietnam Experience which is basically like a movie set modeled after a base camp in Vietnam. There are several vehicles tanks helicopters and speakers throughout the area that make one feel that you are in Vietnam during wartime. Several veterans of that war stated it was so realistic it was intense. The speakers had explosion and announcements and just really really neat.... There is even a . 50 Caliber machine gun on top of tall gun turret that vibrates and has sounds that are like firing the weapon... An overturned rank with fake smoke coming out is just so real it's awesome... There is ALSO the Medal of Honor Museum on the Yorktown aircraft carrier that details everything about the Medal and it's recipients and historical data. This attraction draws more visitors than any other state park or attraction in the entire state and has to be experienced if visiting Charleston. It truly is ONE OF A KIND. Boy and Girl Scout Troops routinely stay overnight on the weekends sometimes numbering in the hundreds of kids learning of the history of these ships and aircrafts. There are always some of the dwindling numbers of WW2 veterans around that have such unique stories to tell. As a child we went on field trips here from school and just really neat that it has just gotten bigger and better over the years. A really great lady helped out a friend's son who is a Boy Scout that stayed overnight and was absolutely an incredible addition to the team there. Her name is Chasity Blackmon and she was just so helpful and courteous and knowledgeable it was awesome. Bottom line a must see if in...

My husband and I (and son) are Air Force veterans and loved touring these boats to see how our sister service lived. It also made me very grateful for the Navy and Marines that gave their lives for our freedoms. The tour is as long or short as you want it to be. It is self-guided. I think we spent four hours between the two boats and enjoyed it very much. It was a very cold day, so bundle up. The ships are metal and many areas are not heated. The smaller boat was warmer but much of the USS Yorktown was very cold. The bathrooms are heated and the chow hall area... There is a snack bar where you can self-serve snacks and there are heaters hanging from the ceilings so this was a great break area to get hands warm (we had gloves too). If they had fruit like bananas or apples for sale we would have bought something. We were probably here on one of the coldest days of the year...in February so this tour would be even better if you came in the spring or fall! The staff is very friendly and helpful. There was even a dog at the entrance whom was a highlight for my girls.

We also enjoyed the Vietnam War area which was highly interactive. This area could be triggering for vets- which they have ample warnings posted. There is a bunker you can enter and watch a video - which is triggering but very helpful for those to experience that have not been to war (my daughters) The area is set up like a forward operating base with all the sounds that would be there. For a family member to understand, I think it was a great representation to understand what our veterans endured during this war. To anyone that served during this time, thank you for your service. We love and value you and are so very grateful for you!!! God bless you!! We highly recommend this tour for young and older and all in between. There is a lot of climbing which we enjoyed but there are elevators for those that need them. The price wasn't out of line. We chose this over Fort Sumter because that is way more expensive but also even colder..we made a...