Haunted South Carolina: Charleston's Three Centuries

The city we cover in South Carolina

Charleston

Founded in 1670 and named for King Charles II, Charleston carries three centuries of unquiet history through its alleys, churchyards and harbor forts. Pirates, most notably Blackbeard himself, worked its waters, war passed through it twice, and the city's deep involvement in the slave trade is a weight it has formally acknowledged. The best ghost tours here treat all of that with respect, and our Charleston guide favors the ones that do.

Charleston's haunted geography is unusually concentrated. The churchyards sit right against the sidewalks and the harbor holds forts whose stories start before the Revolution, so a single evening on foot covers an enormous amount of documented history.

Questions people ask

What is the most haunted city in South Carolina?

Charleston, without serious competition in the state, and it regularly appears on national lists alongside Savannah and New Orleans. The two-city Charleston-and-Savannah trip is a classic for exactly that reason.

Is Charleston worth visiting for ghost tours?

Yes. Charleston pairs one of the country's prettiest historic districts with one of its darkest ledgers, and the contrast is the point. Choose walks led by guides who name their sources; our Charleston picks lean that way.

When should you go?

Evening walks run year-round. Spring and fall bring the famous garden weather, summer is humid with late sunsets that push start times back, and October books out first.

Compare Charleston with the rest of our haunted city guides, or walk with the team behind them on our Arizona tours in Flagstaff, Tucson and Prescott.