Charleston: Small Group History Walk with Citadel Professor

4.99

(1243 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I thought I knew Charleston — or at least, the version you get from postcards and movies. But walking those uneven cobblestones with Dr. Carter (he insisted we call him Mike) felt different right away. There were just nine of us, so when he paused outside the Mills House Hotel to talk about its role in the Civil War, I could actually hear the faint clatter from inside the lobby and smell something sweet drifting from a bakery down the street. It was humid, but not in a bad way — more like being wrapped in a warm quilt that smelled faintly of salt and old bricks.

Mike never rushed us. He pointed out the Heyward-Washington House, and told this story about George Washington staying there — he made it sound like gossip you’d overhear at a coffee shop, not some textbook fact. At St. Michael’s Church, I remember this odd silence when we stepped inside; even the city noise seemed to hush for a second. He explained how the church survived hurricanes and wars, his voice echoing just enough to make me shiver. I’m still not sure if it was the history or just the draft by my feet.

We didn’t go out to Fort Sumter itself (it’s across the harbor), but standing at The Battery looking out over the water while Mike described those first shots of the Civil War — that hit different than reading about it in school. Someone asked about the French Huguenots and suddenly we were off on this tangent about Gothic Revival churches and family names that still pop up around town. I tried pronouncing “Huguenot” properly; Mike laughed but didn’t correct me (I probably butchered it). The whole thing felt less like a tour and more like wandering with someone who really cares about these stories — which sounds cheesy, but it’s true.