Charleston SC Transportation | Weddings | Special Events

I'm going back to dignity and grace. I'm going back to Charleston, where I belong. Rhett Butler, in 1939 movie, "Gone with the Wind"

"Come quickly, have found heaven." With these words, wired to his wife back home, the artist Alfred Hutty began an enduring love affair with the city of Charleston. Ira Gershwin & DuBose Heyward

"Summertime, and the livin' is easy." Ira Gershwin & DuBose Heyward

Aedes Mores Juraque Curat (She guards her Buildings, Customs, and Laws) Motto of the City of Charleston

"Charleston has a landscape that encourages intimacy and partisanship. I have heard it said that an inoculation to the sights and smells of the Carolina lowcountry is an almost irreversible antidote to the charms of other landscapes, other alien geographies." Pat Conroy

"You can even forsake the lowcountry, renounce it for other climates, but you can never completely escape the sensuous, semitropical pull of Charleston and her marshes." Pat Conroy

"Hugging the shoreline of South Carolina between the Cooper and Ashley Rivers, Charleston remains a genteel Southern belle who’s charming, intriguing and very colorful." Times Union (circ: 141,105)

"Charleston is all about history, and the intersection of culture in America. You can still find grace and civility in abundance in Charleston, a remarkably well preserved peninsular city between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers and the Atlantic Ocean. I'll always remember the first time I traveled to Charleston." Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor, NBC

"The elegance and rich history of Charleston, S.C., with her pastel-colored row houses, horse-drawn carriages, wind-blown forts and live oaks draped with Spanish moss have an appeal to all ages." Mary Sue Lawrence, New York Times

"Walk down one of Charleston's streets, listen to the palmetto fronds whispering overhead and the sounds of history aren't far off. The city houses some of the oldest architecture in the U.S., is where the first shots of the Civil War were fired and has survived earthquakes, fires and hurricanes." Joyce Barrett, Women's Wear Daily

"At the time of the American Revolution, Charleston stood as one of the nation's largest, wealthiest, and most dynamic communities, a city some called Little London. This sultry and gracious metropolis at the confluence of the Cooper and Ashley rivers remains unparalleled in charm." Patricia Schultz, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die

"I'm on our second stop here to America's most beautiful destinations. So pack your bags and your manners because this morning we're in Charleston, South Carolina! Known for its small town charm and its big city luxury...a city that is among America's most beautiful cities - that is rich in history and has fine hospitality." Kerry Sanders, The Today Show on NBC

"Charleston remains one of the most charming cities in America...the architecture and gardens are beautiful, the people friendly, and the food is outright fabulous.." Atlanta Journal Constitution (circ: 462,011)

"What’s appealing today about Charleston is that so much of the 19th-century feeling is still present here." USA Today (circ: 1900116)

Guides & Services |
Types of Tours

Many metaphors have been used to describe the distinctive geography of Charleston and the surrounding waters; some poetic, some less so, others nearly obscene. Let us just say that the city is serenely located at the tip of a peninsula formed by the Ashley and Cooper Rivers, which, according to local lore, meet in Charleston Harbor as the headwaters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Native Americans were here first, and the Spanish passed through on occasion; however, it was the English who made the most impact on area, starting in 1670. Charles Towne, as it was known then, was first situated a few miles up the Ashley River, but the lure of the peninsula was too great, and the inhabitants relocated after about ten years.

With one of the most successful economies in the New World, the citizenry laid out on a series of broad, elegant boulevards according to a British Grand Modell plan and fashioned a city that came be known as “Little London.” They looked back across the Atlantic to Mother England for correct and current taste and style in clothing, furnishings, and the arts and became a leader in the Colonies, establishing the continent’s first museum... the first public library... the first municipal college... the first theatre... and the oldest landscaped gardens in North America.

Absolutely Charleston provides private excursions and privileged experiences that showcase not only Charleston proper, but also area plantations, military sites, and nature-based excursions to uninhabited Atlantic Barrier Islands.

Overview
Linda Wohlfeil Jones, a founding principal of Absolutely Charleston and Director of Operations for our Tours division, is a native of Charleston and a member of a well-known family whose local origins reach back through the ages. A professional receptive operator and City of Charleston-licensed guide since 1983, Linda has provided guide services for individuals, families, and meeting and conference professionals on the national and international levels. Highly respected and much sought-after as a speaker to the myriad of corporations and organizations that elect to convene in the Carolina Lowcountry, Linda paints for visitors to Charleston a colorful canvas of the area's foundation and expansion, utilizing not only architectural, cultural, and religious facts, but also that always-entertaining information available only to those who are from here. Media features include Good Morning America; WGBH {public television} in Boston; the London Times; British BBC; and Southern Living Magazine, amongst many others.

Guide Services
Absolutely Charleston employs over 50 City of Charleston-licensed guides available for a variety of services, including tours, bilingual interpretations, costumed appearances, and historical presentations providing visitors an overview of the Charleston area.

Private Individual Tours
Offering customized private tours for individuals or families to include: Historic Charleston, House & Gardens, Civil War History, Fort Sumter, the Plantations, Winery, Boutique & Antique Shopping, Carriage Tours, Summerville and Mt. Pleasant. All tours are customized to suit your needs; meet your guide in Charleston or at the resort, tour in the morning, afternoon or early evening. Admissions are not included and larger transportation is available for an additional fee. Contact Linda Wohlfeil 843-345-1130 or via email lwohlfeil@absolutelycharleston.com.

Walking Tours
Walk the cobblestone streets and narrow alleys of historic Charleston while a well-heeled guide gives your guests the history and stories that make the city come alive. Walking tours may be generally focused on the historic district or specifically designed around a number of disciplines including:

Gardens • Historic Homes • Museums • Architecture • Military History • Shopping • Antiques • Culinary • Gullah Culture • History & Mystery • Houses of Worship

Motor Tours
When guests step aboard a motor coach with one of our City of Charleston-licensed guides, not only is the historic district available for touring, but outlying and surrounding areas are easily navigated to for guests, making more sites and attractions available for half-day and full-day excursions. Below is a sampling of some of the most popular options:

City Tours: Plantations • Tea Plantation • Winery

Military Sites: Fort Sumter • Patriots Point and the USS Yorktown • Hunley • Fort Moultrie

Surrounding Areas: Beaufort • Columbia • Myrtle Beach • Savannah

Step-On Guide
Our Step-On Guides are the ideal option for bus tours making their way through Charleston. Our guides can meet your bus and group at the Charleston Area Visitors Center and board your vehicle for a guided tour around the Charleston peninsula.

Carriage Tours
Carriage tours remain one of the most charming ways to see Charleston’s historic district. These leisurely one hour rides are led by licensed guides that share the history and stories of Charleston, making the city come alive.

Harbor Tours
Experience the history and beauty of Charleston from the water as you sail past famous sites and attractions such as the Battery, the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Patriots Point, Waterfront Park, and Fort Sumter.

Bicycling Tours
Enjoy a privately-guided leisurely ride through the picturesque area of Mount Pleasant known as the Old Village; often compared to Martha’s Vineyard and setting for the hit film The Notebook or for the more seasoned biker, take a thrilling ride across the 3.5 mile long Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.

Nature Based Eco-Tours
Take in the sights, smells, and sounds of the Lowcountry while learning about the various wildlife on private kayak rides through tidal creeks or from visits to one of the many neighboring uninhabited barrier islands.