Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park Visitor Center

"• 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. • 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 decided against it."

"Ultimate example of preservation. Fort Moultry was beautifully intact and a joy to walk through. With an entry fee to get inside Fort Moultry, you can view armaments and buildings that remain on its interior. Fort Sumpter can be viewed from the sandy beach just 50 yards from Moultry. Visitor center is missing some exhibits but has multiple NPS Passport stamp cancellations for the National Military Park, Charleston Light, Underground Railroad, Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, and the nearby Charles Pinckney NHS."

"Super fun place to visit! Good spot to escape the crowds. A National Treasure. I really enjoyed visiting because they showed how Fort was utilized in its early years and how it was transformed during WWII! This Fort was used to defend Charleston against the British early on! The British under estimate it and lost many ships and had to retreat! The British did come back and recaptured the area but they by passed the fort. It was a great spot to visit and it showed cannons from the 1600s and when the Fort was upgraded it showed off the new technology! There was plenty of parking and it was a good spot to escape the crowds that Sullivan a each brought in! You can see Fort Sumter in the back ground! There are underground bunkers that are cool and a good spot to escape the heat! I went to this Fort twice during my stay in Charleston because it was peaceful and it had really good views! I paid only $10.00 to visit! All the staff was super friendly and knowledgeable about the fort! They were passionate about the Fort and were excited to explain its history! There was tons of Information and the premise was very well maintained! It was a too 3 destination in Charleston for me! I wish I had taken pictures to post! There was a cool little church on the compounds and other cools buildings! I will go back! It was a great spot to bring a family!"

"Showed up 30 minutes before closing and they still let us go out to Fort Moultrie- in fact they insisted. The rangers are passionate about the fort and informative. Super nice folks."

"So the visitor center was a great place to start my visit of Fort Moltrie. The staff was great and the history on display was all very interesting and gave a good background on the fort. One cool thing that you can do is go up to the roof to look out at the fort and the surrounding area, so if you get a chance that’s a must do."