Friends of the Hunley — Attraction in North Charleston

Can't give it "2 stars Disliked" because it is the first Sub to sink a surface ship, it's historic. But that's the only thing that made this a 3 Star review.

I'm a Navy vet, hunted Russian Submarines during the Cold War. Was really looking forward to seeing this great piece of American History. B o r i n g... Wow, what a big disappointment. The Hunley is in it's tank and you view it from a platform above looking down on it. Can barely see it, water is murky and they have no lights to brighten up the tank. One of the folks in our group asked why no lights and the tour guide replied, "Have no idea." The tour guide takes you up to the viewing platform and there, with a weak microphone, explains a bit about the tank, the Hunley, the story of the 3 crews, etc. You got about 25 people in your group, all crowding the glass wall to view the Hunley, and the guide using a laser pointer to point things out on the Hunley down in the dark tank. ?? Eh, ok. Not enough room at the glass for everyone and can barely hear what the guide is saying. Poor setup overall. We're here to see the Hunley, light it up or somehow make it more visible. They state that they have "Artifacts found on board" to view... there are 3, all in a single case. A ring, broach, and the famous gold coin. That's it. The guide tells of personal items found on the men in the Hunley; pocket knives, jewelry, buttons. NONE of it on display. Not even in a picture. C'mon... The web site states they have 'Films'. Nope, they do not. Nothing. Offer "interactive exhibits' for all ages. There's one, a small section mock up of the Hunely that you can sit inside and crank like the men did. 2 people can fit inside. On the main floor there a few poster boards on the walls and some on portable easels describing the history, they discovery, and a few other facts. But overall much info is missing and not available to read anywhere. The guide talks quite a lot, is knowledgeable of the Hunley history. But it would be great to see some additional info displayed. More images displayed. It's very much a warehouse floor with some items hung here and there, the Hunley in a tank in the corner, the 'lab' in that corner, and a decent gift shop. They are working hard to raise funds to help with the restore. I get that, wish them well. Eventually they want the Hunley on display outside of the tank, but that is many many years down the road. Much $$$ has to be raised and work to be done. It wouldn't take much $$$ to improve the experience here for guests now, shame they don't see that. It truly is a...

I love history so this was a museum and tour I wasn't going to miss!! I remember reading about the H.L. Hunley in our school history books so when they pulled it out of the water it was such an historic moment to see something I had read come to life so to speak. One of the stories our history teacher told us about was a gold coin that saved the life of Lt. George Dixon during the Civil War at the battle of Shiloh. It was said a bullet ripped through his pants and struck a gold coin in his pocket, leaving it bent. The tale was so intriguing but it was just a tale, no one knew if it had really happened. Until 137 years later when a team of scientists discovered the gold coin and some oranate jewelry near Lt. Dixon's remains inside the Hunley. The gold coin is indeed bent and on the back of the coin is a hand inscription that reads: Shiloh April 6, 1862 My life Preserver G. E. D. This is one of many artifacts you can see on display now. The submarine (as of this moment) is still immersed in water but you can see it from above, behind a glass panel. Scientists are still working to get years of salt water out of the submarine in order to preserve and display it out of water later. I can't even describe the feeling of getting to see the submarine in person, even displayed like this. It's incredible. The tour guide also gives you a plastic coin before the tour. As you go through the tour your guide tells you about 4 possible ways as to how the Hunley sank. At the end of the tour, you can place your coin inside a tube of which theory possibly made the Hunley sink. I felt this was a great example of critical thinking and very educational. This museum is very interactive so it's fun for kids and it's a great learning experience for all ages! I highly recommend adding this tour to anyone's Charleston...

Over the past 14 years, we have visited the H.L. Hunley many times & always find it fascinating. I have always been a Civil War buff & my husband is former Navy, who was stationed for a time where the H.L. Hunley Museum is at, so we both enjoy seeing the progress being made. We visited again on Saturday (10/19/19) & while we were blown away by what has been done, the changes to the museum & the awesome tour guide-there was one glaring change that is so disappointing. This is a CIVIL WAR submarine, an irreplaceable piece of CONFEDERATE history & the sole reason this place exists is to preserve it & honor the men who sacrificed their lives for their beliefs, but political correctness has evidently taken hold here. There are no Confederate flags anywhere, save a very small card of the different battle flag pins by the cash register & the Confederate cause-the reason the H.L. Hunley was made, is downplayed. On previous visits, the flags were displayed proudly-I know because I have several that I had purchased there. For those of us who are proud descendants of Confederate soldiers & still hold dear what those men & flags stood for-to see a place dedicated to preserving an important part of that history fall to the p.c. crowd is disheartening, to say the least. To 'cherry pick' what parts of history you chose to present & what you chose to ignore & hide is so disrespectful to the men who died in...