Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park — Attraction in Sullivan's Island

As always, a wonderful time at our nation's parks, forts, and historical sites! We visited Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie the same day on a recent trip through Charleston. The park rangers are always helpful, kind, considerate, and funny. I cannot praise them enough. When our trips were under tight time restraints, the rangers made sure our kids got their Junior Ranger badges there in person, and Hubby and I promised the kids would complete the requisite pages in their books, which they did with a bit more time.

Riding the ferry out to Fort Sumter was fun! Our kids hadn't really ever ridden a ferry before, and 35 minutes each way gave them a good taste of what it was like. There was plenty of seating and standing room on the upper and lower decks. The only issue I had, was the cost to get to the Fort. I understand that it costs money to operate the ferry, but over $100 for a family of four to visit a National Monument seems a little like price gouging. I thought National Parks were supposed to be accessible to average Americans. We were able to afford this today, in a more financially stable point in our lives, but only a few years ago, this ferry ride would have been out of our price range. A shame to miss this piece of American history. That being said, our time on the island was wonderful. The kids took pictures and filled out their Junior Ranger books. However, they felt rushed and stressed trying to complete so many page in the short 1 hour we had on the island before the ferry left. Again, I cannot praise the rangers enough, they presented our kids with their badges before we left the island, and the kids finished their book pages on the ferry ride back. It was just too much to accomplish in an hour. We were searching for information and getting their books completed, as a result we missed most of the museum on the Fort because we simply didn't have time. I think 90 minutes at least would have been better, maybe 2 full hours. For as much money as it costs to get there, an hour hardly seems like enough time to explore the fort. I wish the gift shop on the shore had had more about Fort Sumter, but most all of what they had was about the USS Yorktown. All in all, a good experience, and wonderful rangers all around.

When we got to Fort Moultrie, there was only an hour left before they closed for the day, so, again, we were on a time restraint. The rangers were so kind in helping remind us of closing time and making sure our car didn't get locked in the lot at the end of the day. The booklets were much more manageable at Fort Moultrie than they were at Fort Sumter. Even in a short hour, the kids felt like they could complete the activities and still have a chance to explore, see, and learn about the Fort, just just frantically filling in answers. It was really fun to explore more of the Fort. There wasn't nearly as much to explore at Fort Sumter as there was at Fort Moultrie. The underground exhibit was a fun treat to discover. After the hour was nearly up, we hadn't quite finished the pages in the Junior Ranger books, we were going to mail the books in after we got home, because we've had to do that before when we didn't have enough time at a park. Again, can't praise the rangers enough, they deputized the kids with their badges and made them promise to complete their pages. Fortunately, we had a 2 hour drive ahead of us after leaving the Fort, so they had ample time after we left to finish them.

Overall, we enjoyed both Forts, but agreed that Fort Moultrie was our favorite of these two forts. I recommend National Parks, Monument, Forests, Preserves, Rivers, etc. to anyone and everyone! The Junior Ranger Program is also a wonderful way to learn about those locations you visit! Check out these Forts if you get a chance! And if the price is too much, Fort Moultrie is better, and...

• We visited on a Sunday morning in late December 2023 (Christmas Eve). There was plenty of parking in the large parking lot. We actually got lost making a left after seeing the fort but the visitor center is actually the next right slightly down the road. • It was quite busy, much more so than Fort Sumter Visitor Center in Liberty Square. • They do request payment or showing your annual pass as you enter the visitor center. There are signs at the fort that say the same thing although there was no one out at the fort enforcing it so it’s on the honor system out there. • The bathrooms are located just outside the main entrance to visitor center. • The junior ranger books can be picked up at the main desk and they also happen to have the junior ranger books and badges for Fort Sumter and Charles Pinckney as well as this is the main office they do their mailings from. They also have the NPS Passport Cancellation Stamps for those sites. The junior ranger book for Ft. Moultrie can be done inside the visitor center. • There is a theater inside on the right that plays a short film. It’s funny as the Ranger at Ft. Sumter mentioned to us to count how many outfits the actor changes into as the whole video is shot with the same actor as he goes through the history of the fort in all the different outfits. I think my middle son counted 8. • The NPS store is also a decent size and includes a couple items from Charles Pinckney but didn’t notice much for Ft. Sumter. • The exhibits in here are relatively new and very well done. There were a few displays that were incomplete or under construction at the time of our visit. • Another Ranger was giving a program/tour of the fort at 11AM and he was fabulous. Very engaging while getting all the information across. We had a large group, and everyone was paying attention. • Ranger Rebecca (spelling?) went above and beyond and was awesome! She helped us with everything from NPS store questions to questions about the fort and the other local forts. She gave us info about status of the other parks as Charles Pinckney had closed for the entire day and also information about the local town and what to do etc. • The fort itself was fun to explore. There are signs that kind of guide you through the fort. There were some flooded parts from recent rains and so we could not get there. • We didn’t get to see everything and would probably stop by again if we were in the area to finish everything. Also see what the final exhibits would be inside the visitor center. Additionally, a number of people took the trails down to the water but we...

Great spot for history buffs. My original interest was in the role of the fort in the American Revolution. When I got here, I was at first disappointed to see so many modern structures. Then I realized the Park Service was being true to the full history of the island as a military installation. They trace the history of 250 years of coastal defense from the French and Indian War to World War II. It's fascinating, and makes this hallowed ground much more accessible and interesting to a much broader group of visitors.

The Revolutionary War structure was lost shortly after the war and is nowhere visible, but there are structures going back to 1809, and vibrantly recreated WWII offices and facilities, along with interesting exhibits on every period in between.

In addition to all of this, there is a beautiful landscape alive with wildflowers and butterflies (many 1000s of them), natural scenery to enjoy, and a pleasant walk that is both a nature hike and enriching historical experience. The only place I remember getting such an invigorating experience of both was at Manassas Battlefield.

AND, there's another bonus: Oceola's grave. The heroic Seminole leader is enshrined here for eternity. Some of you may have heard his name in the moving song by John Anderson. Here he lies, and for me anyway, this was inspirational surprise.

One warning: sitting through the movie will drop this 5-star experience to a 4. It's quite possibly the worst introductory film I've ever seen in a national park and strongly recommend you skip it. Spend your time exploring the battlements and...