The History of Charleston Walking Tour

Charleston, United States

5

Open now

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 843-224-3962
Website:
www.historyofcharleston.com
Address:
Charleston, SC 29407
Cannonborough
Categories:
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Today

Today 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Charleston) 11:42 Saturday, 31 May 2025

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The walking tour lasts 2 hours. You will wander your way through the historic district, and end in the Middleton family’s private garden with refreshments. Seeing the city through local eyes will give you an understanding of the city’s rich history and eccentric characters. The Middleton’s can trace their family back to the founding of the city in 1670. Today, it may seem rare to meet a local Charlestonian, however Anne and Martha’s youths were spent romping around the peninsula with children whose families had lived here for generations. This city has changed dramatically over the last 300 years, and luckily the bricks and mortar of these buildings remain to help tell so many tales.

History

Established in 2010.

After 10 years in the mortgage industry, it was time to step back, raise the babies, and do what I enjoyed most: Talking about Charleston.

Meet the Business Owner

Anne H.

Business Owner

As a 13th generation Charlestonian, I aim to give a personalized tour with an insider’s perspective. If you decide to come along, I will invite you in to the garden of the home where I grew up for a refreshment after the tour. Find out more about me on our website: www​.charleston​walk​ing​tours​.net

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20 reviews of The History of Charleston Walking Tour

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Costa Mesa, CA
I was in Charleston last October for a conference and extended my stay to explore family history. We took almost every tour available, but this one is the VERY BEST. Martha even gave additional and in depth information on places we had seen on other tours. She knows and loves her city and she made us love it too. She kept us entertained and hanging on her every word. The concierge at our hotel had not taken the tour and asked for feed back. I told her that if you were to take only one Charleston tour, this is the one. Loved it, loved it, loved it.
Place rating: 5
Charleston, SC
This was me and my husbands favorite tour! We learned about so many new things in this tour. I highly recommend it!
Place rating: 5
Rockwall, TX
Very friendly and informative! Anne deeply cares about providing a high quality customer experience from the start to the end of her tour. She weaves in wonderful stories from her family history and her own experiences growing up South of Broad. I have been to Charleston many times since the 1970’s and yet she took us places that I had never been in the old city… she did an exceptional job of bringing the history, the culture and the people of the Holy City to life. I highly recommend her tour to anyone, both first time travelers to Charleston or seasoned veterans like us. Anne is engaging and her Southern charm combines with deep understanding if history to guarantee an experience you will be talking about for years to come.
Place rating: 5
Easley, SC
We took this tour with family aged 7 to 67. Everyone enjoyed it and learned something new. I highly recommend.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
I agree with the other commenters on the site. Anne gives a great tour of Charleston. You really get the chance to see the city through the eyes of a local. Anne will show you all the places you’d want to see, peppered in with the back alleys, cobblestone paths, and, believe it or not, a really cool parking lot to round out the experience.
Anne takes you through the city and its history and her history as well. Her family has been there for generations. Her family stories tie in to the history of the community– and the tour ends in her family’s backyard garden, where lemonade is a welcome relief on during a hot Charleston summer day. Oh, and it is the garden that Prince Charles visited when he came to Charleston sometime after Hugo. If it’s good enough for royalty, it’s good enough for me I always say.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
Anne takes you on a very personal tour of downtown through short cuts and alleys of her childhood. Charming and very informative about the history of Charleston presented with excellent facts and a sense of humor.
Place rating: 5
Murray Hill, Manhattan, NY
It was a great, personalized tour. Our guide grew up in the neighborhoods she talked about. Her family has lived in Chatleston for generations. Highly knowledgeable. A local. Friendly. Highly recommended!”
Place rating: 5
Orlando, FL
«There were several tours to choose from, but we were intrigued by the description of our Tour Guide: A multi-​generational Charleston resident. We very loved the tour and our tour guide Martha exceeded our expectations. It was a well paced tour, consistently interesting, interspersed with personal stories of a life in Charleston by our gracious Tour Guide. We were happy to each add a generous tip at the end to reward a really great job. p. s. I work in Orlando at a major Theme Park. This tour was even better than Disney could do. WS
Place rating: 5
Silver Spring, MD
I was so pleased by Anne and her personality as well as her education and organization of the walking tour. We met at the Customs House and as the tour progressed she was strategic in organizing the tour for multiple opportunities to sit down, sit in the shade and take occasional breaks for folks.
She is so sweet and friendly, beautiful stories about the city and cool spots to walk through the city.
The last stop is her families house and she shares some good ol’ fashioned lemonade with the group. How sweet!
Place rating: 5
Midlothian, VA
This tour is definitely worth taking. Anne offers a unique perspective on the history of Charleston. You see many of the key places that every tourist wants to see (The Battery, Rainbow Row) but also a lot of interesting places off the beaten path. She has lived here all of her life and it is reflected in the tour and the color of life in Charleston.
While the history that everyone knows about Charleston is primarily focused around the Civil War (or as older residents refer to it, The War of Northern Aggression), Anne starts with the history of the original settlement of Charleston, the old walled city, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War periods. Charleston’ role in the slave trade is also discussed
The day we took the tour was hot and Anne takes this into consideration by making a point to stop in shady places to give her talks. The tour goes through back alleys, narrow streets and narrow alleys between houses (all public property that you wouldn’t necessarily know about as a tourist) and ends at her parents house for lemonaide in the courtyard
Well worth taking
Place rating: 5
Bryn Mawr, PA
While in Charleston we wanted a walking tour which didn’t just show us pretty gardens and houses but also gave some insight into the history of Charleston. Anne definitely met those desires and went well beyond what we could have hoped for. She touched on a lot of the beauty of Charleston while also giving a lot of insight into how the city got to where it is today.
She was energetic, engaging, and lead us through some really neat back areas of Charleston. We really got the sense that she loved the city and was delighted to share the history with others. I’d definitely recommend her for anyone looking for a walking tour of Charleston.
Place rating: 5
Marietta, GA
Anne’s sister Martha conducted our tour and it was the best and most informative historic walking tour we have ever been on. We never knew that there was so much history in Charleston! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your personal touch too, Martha! We will come again!
Place rating: 5
Indianapolis, IN
What a great walking tour. I found myself in Charleston for an extra day following an interview, and I decided to do a tour to see more of the city. There are many tour companies, but I liked what I read about Anne’s tour and how she included personal touches. And this was so very true! Anne has a wonderful sense of humor, and she truly makes you feel like you are learning about this fantastic city from a true local! The tour does not feel like one of those tourist-​y type gatherings but rather Anne takes you to off-​the-​grid places you’d never think to visit. She supplements all of her rich knowledge of history with childhood memories, which makes for a truly unforgettable tour! Would highly recommend this tour to anyone who, like me, has never been here and needs a baseline knowledge of the city from which to build a great trip!
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
My army friends and I had our 41st annual reunion in Charleston, and we booked a private tour with Anne. There were eight of us on the tour. I cannot imagine a more enjoyable or informative walking tour. A 13th generation Charlestonian, Anne shared a wealth of knowledge about her city. She is a warm, gracious, and entertaining guide, among the best I have ever had. The private tour ended with champagne and refreshments in the garden of her parents’ house. This tour was a highlight of our reunion experience.
Place rating: 5
West Bloomfield Township, MI
Our guide was Martha who is Anne’s sister. Having get information from a 13th generation Charleston citizen firsthand was great. Besides the obvious history, she fascinated us with her personal stories of growing up in Charleston. She knew all the the nooks and crannies of the historic district. Martha even took us to her parents house which was built in the 1700’s. It was the best tour we have ever had. I’d give it more that 5 stars.
Place rating: 5
Chevy Chase, MD
My husband I were drawn into the near and distant history of Charleston by resident Anne’s lively and knowledgeable walking tour. Her history is enlivened with tales handed down through many generations of families and thorough grounding in research.
We are fit seniors though Anne gauges her walking to the abilities in the group. We recommend Anne’s tours.
Place rating: 5
Newark, CA
My wife & I took Anne’s tour this morning, & it was great! Anne is sweet, knowledgeable, & entertaining. She is a local, & has extensive knowledge of Charleston’s history.
Place rating: 5
San Carlos, CA
Anne Middleton Herron’s walking tour of Charleston is a must. She is clear, and knows the history well, descending from some of the original Charleston families. She took us through some of the interesting back alleys, cobblestone streets, brick walls, old churches. Her tour was wonderful and I am so glad that we took it.
Place rating: 5
Morristown, NJ
I highly recommend this walking tour! It’s like strolling through town with a knowledgable old friend. Anne makes history come to life!
Place rating: 5
Wellesley, MA
Anne’s tour was a great way to experience the amazing Charleston. She was very articulate and knowledgeable. She made all the stories very fun and inyeresting. My best part was that the tour ended at her parents place with lemonade :)