24 Hours in Charleston: A Family-Friendly Adventure

My family visited Charleston as a 24-hour stopover during a beach trip to South Carolina. The day was nonstop fun and filled with unforgettable experiences.

We started our day at the USS Yorktown Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Charleston Harbor. One benefit of starting here was the convenient, inexpensive all-day parking! I was surprised at how much my kids loved this museum. You get to actually board the old battleship and tour various areas of the ship. The aircraft on the top deck is amazing to see. I do not recommend bringing a stroller on this outing due to the many steep stairs. It is worth a visit with a carrier for your littlest ones. My kids' favorite part was creating their own medals of honor in the Medal of Honor exhibit (they’re just stickers, but it's the little things).

We had a picnic lunch with a view of the USS Yorktown, but our next stop was the Charleston Water Taxi. The first stop after the USS Yorktown is the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, which has plenty of restaurants with great reviews if you aren’t the picnic type. We took the Water Taxi to Waterfront Park.

The appeal of Waterfront Park for parents is the breathtaking view. The perk for the kids? They have two amazing fountains that you are actually allowed to play in! My kids were in heaven running through the fountains and wading around the iconic Pineapple Fountain.

We walked from the fountains over to Charleston City Market. The market in Charleston is iconic and a must-see. My kids don’t have much patience for shopping at places like this, but the Savannah Candy Kitchen is right on the corner of the market. The kids loved getting gelato and some candy to entertain them while we browsed.

The Charleston Market was halfway to the South Carolina Aquarium, so we walked the rest of the way. Fair warning, it was hot, as we were there in July. We were very grateful for the air conditioning in the aquarium. You can’t visit Charleston with kids without hitting up the aquarium. We've been to many aquariums with our kids, and I loved how much this one leaned into the local culture. They have a whole area dedicated to the marine wildlife of South Carolina. They also had great presentations and interactive experiences. My kids loved getting to touch the little sharks and rays.

There is another water taxi stop just down from the aquarium by the International African American Museum. We took the water taxi back to the USS Yorktown to end our day. I loved using the water taxi throughout the day because it saved us a lot of walking and searching for parking. However, the best part was getting to see the city from the water, offering a completely different perspective.