Charleston History Tour /

Joyce Weir of Charleston History Tours is the FANTASTIC! She took us all around the city, both on foot and by car. Her knowledge of Charleston's history and present-day culture is incredible. She is energetic and full of enthusiasm for the city she loves. Her stories kept us entertained and we learned so much! This was our second tour with Joyce and we look forward to spending another day with her when we are lucky enough to come back to Charleston!

We highly recommend Charleston History Tours! This was our second tour which was led by Joyce. Joyce is knowledgeable, entertaining, enthusiastic and the best person to share her love of Charleston with you. She knows the history of her city in great detail and she shares interesting tidbits about every stop on the tour. Our tour combined driving and walking. Highlights from our previous tour included the Old Angel Oak Tree and The old dungeon, as well as Rainbow Row and the harbor. Last weekend we visited the amazing Cypress Gardens as well as revisiting the mansions and history of Charleston. We even had lunch at the best barbecue ever! Joyce will customize your tour to meet your interests. You will not be disappointed if you allow her to show you around Charleston!

We had a guide named Joyce who was excellent. She knew tons of history and you could tell she was passionate about her job, but it was not too much history. We had an excellent time!

First met Joyce in 2023. Great tour. Had to rebook when we returned in 2024. Very adaptable to needs and capabilities. Definitely would recommend.

This half day private tour was so worth it!! We learned so much about the city, history, culture and all of the little things about the different homes that made this unique. Joyce knows her city! I would highly recommend to anyone especially a first time visitor. The visit to the Boone Plantation was interesting especially seeing the slave homes and hearing the stories about Guligh history. Unfortunately the tour of the mansion is pretty limited because it is owner occupied on most of the floors. We also did a private tour in Savannah that did not come even close to the quality of this tour with Joyce. It was disappointing after having such an outstanding experience in Charleston.

I totally enjoyed the tour today, learned so much and had a lot of fun. Dennis is a terrific tour guide and has a vast amount of knowledge and a love for his subject, the city of Charleston and its people. He is able to turn history into fascinating storytelling and create an enjoyable, interactive tour. He also highlighted opportunities for great photos and for further exploration of Charleston that we could do after the tour. I highly recommend this tour, especially if you can get a spot on Dennis' tour.

This was about the eighth time I have gone out with Joyce with visitors to Charleston. Her tours never get old, Even after the number of tours I have enjoyed with her, there is always something new. My guests yesterday were so impressed that they have expressed an interest in returning solely to do another tour with Charleston History Tours. I, personally will be taking the photography tour sometime after the first of the year.

I had the great pleasure of an excellent photo tour in Charleston, SC on October 8. Joyce Weir was the guide/instructor and she was FANTASTIC! She obviously knows and loves Charleston and she was a fount of knowledge about the history of the town, its inhabitants and the architecture of the city. She also provided many good photo tips and suggestions for making the best images. I was most fortunate to be the only participant on this tour, so I had one-to-one instruction throughout the tour. (TIP: Joyce used an iPhone throughout the morning. I had lugged along a DSLR, lenses and other accessories. My only regret was that I didn’t just stick to my iPhone. The other stuff got heavy! But that’s on me, not the tour.) I would heartily recommend this tour to anyone visiting Charleston, anyone with an interest in photography, history and architecture. It was a great morning, thank you Joyce!

This is a must do for anyone visiting the city. Emilie is a terrific guide who had so much information to share with funny and delightful stories throughout the tour about the city from its beginnings through the Revolutionary War to the Civil War and beyond. Highly, highly recommend.

We had a great tour with Joyce. She was extremely knowledgeable of the city's history, high energy, and very sweet. We saw and learned about things that we would have never on our own while in the city. I highly recommend taking a tour with Joyce.

My husband and I had two tours with Joyce Weir on December 19th (Boone Hall) and December 20th (downtown Charleston). Both were wonderful, and we saw so much and learned so much. Joyce was awesome, and her knowledge of the area was extensive. It is obvious that she loves the city and that came through in her tour itinerary and commentary. We would recommend her without hesitation!

Best tour around. If you love History then Joyce will deliver. Highlight of our Charleston experience. We did the 4 hour walk/drive tour and Joyce was amazing. I am blown away with how much this lady knows about Charleston. This is a must do if you are visiting.

What a wonderful tour with Joyce! Her knowledge and enthusiasm made the time fly! We learn so much- definitely worth it!

A wonderful tour with Joyce W. She was enthusiastic and loved Charleston and sharing all her knowledge. She was knowledgeable about Charleston's history and sites. Two and a half hours was not enough time, we could have walked for another hour easily. I highly recommend this tour.

Had an afternoon tour with Joyce W. and the time flew by. So knowledgeable about the history of this Holy City from its founding through the Revolutionary War to the Civil War and into today. She also explains the architecture of the city and takes you to the most interesting homes and buildings. Joyce is truly a delightful and funny four guide and you will have a wonderful walking tour experience. She also limits the number of people on the tour so you don't feel like you're in a herd of tourists.

We had a wonderful time exploring historic Charleston with Joyce W. She was very knowledgeable, and her expertise on the architecture and photography was an added bonus. Joyce was the perfect tour guide, and I would highly recommend using her for your walking tour. Ask for Joyce, you will be glad you did.

I worked with Joyce W planning 3 days of touring for my elderly clients during the Christmas time including all of the specialty themed events occurring for the festive season and she was very knowledgeable and accommodating to their needs. They had an amazing time and loved their time in Charleston and said they learned so much and enjoyed Joyce's company and expertise in showing them the city and plantations. I found Joyce very professional and prompt in her replies to any correspondence. It is exactly what I look for in a guide.

Very fun time. Love the emphasis on architecture. Perfect length, just about 2 hours. Lots and lots of fun information. Highly recommend.

I loved our tour and learned so much about this great city. I think taking a walking tour is the best way to kick off you visit. There is so much you will learn about the place and you will definitely get a ton of ideas about what else to see and even about where to eat. I loved our tour!

We had a wonderful walking tour with Joyce on July 4th. Joyce was excited and energetic about the history and story of Charleston. We very much enjoyed our time with her and learning about the origins of the city. It was great to do at the beginning of our trip, so we could point out the little things we learned as we explored during the rest of our stay. It made our time in Charleston so memorable! Thank you Joyce!

Excellent tour! Our guide, Joyce, was very knowledgeable and interesting- she covered history and development of the city, military related facts, architectural points, and cultural highlights. She was enthusiastic and pleasant; and it was like strolling through the streets of Charleston with a friend showing us the sights! We actually ended up being the only two people on the tour; so it was eventually a private tour.

Enjoyed our tour guide Amy. Very informative, and gave time for questions. Great way to begin our first day in Charleston!

Joyce Weir is a treasure. Combining ridiculously high energy with an unashamed adoration of her adopted hometown, tours will get a firsthand panorama of the incredible history and architecture of Charleston. Above all - Joyce has the inside scoop. She shares stories of the calamity of circumstances that made Chucktown a one of a kind place. She’s a youngun but its like she was born there to see it all first hand. Joyce has got the dirt on everybody and makes it fun and compelling. The brothel stories were the best. We appreciated that she tuned in to our interests (arts, music, and theatre) and tailored her stories for that.

This horse drawn carriage tour was excellent. Our "recovering lawyer" guide, Dave, was very knowledgeable and very proud of his city as well he should be. All of our tours in Charleston were so well managed. I hope to come back and do it all again!

This is a 1 hr tour with a very good guide with great knowledge of the areas, with great stories of the past and how Charleston was came about! A can't miss tour. Your are given a $2.00 off per person even if you didn't have a coupon!

We thought the combined city and waterfront tour was wonderful and covered all the historic and important areas of the city. It visited the Citadel as well. Our tour left from the Visitors' Center.

My daughter and I had the pleasure of taking the tour with Joyce Weir. Joyce was an energetic font of information, covering the architecture, history, and spirit of Charleston. In addition, she shared her love of photography, and helped us to compose some wonderful shots both with an iPhone and camera. She really made Charleston come alive for us.

We had the best tour with Joyce. She is not only knowledgeable about the history of Charleston, she guided us on some great photo ops! Her love for the city is contagious! Highly recommend. Thank you- Heather and Kevin

Added to my understanding of American history and Charleston's early roll in making religious freedom a norm in the United States.

Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the city. I found myself questioning other guides later in the trip who didn't know as much as our guy! Fun tour with interesting stops.

I booked this tour because we had limited time to see Charleston and my husband loves to take photographs. We had no idea we would learn so much about Charleston in only 2 hours! Joyce is extremely kind and accommodating and is a fountain of knowledge about Charleston's architecture and history, the Civil War, and photography. She shared so many ideas for how to use our cameras more effectively, told us some of the tricks she uses to get great photos, and set us up to return home with beautiful images of Charleston. She absolutely loves the city and her enthusiasm was infectious. We both walked away with a greater appreciation for the beauty of the city and the rich history of the area. I cannot say enough great things about Joyce. She made the time we spent with her so enjoyable, it just flew by. This tour is worth every penny and will make your visit to Charleston much more interesting and memorable.

Our tour with Joyce was the highlight of our trip to Charleston! She was wonderfully accomodating. The weather was going to be rainy so she contacted us in the morning and we scheduled to meet a few hours early so that we could get as much in on foot as possible. Her timing was spot on! She has an enormous breadth of knowledge about this fascinating town. Joyce has an excitement that is contagious which made spending time with her an absolute delight!

I booked this tour for 5 couples in Charleston for 2 days and they were mixed about doing a 2 hour walking tour. What a surprise, it was absolutely terrific and the entire group loved it! Joyce was high energy, had a great sense of humor and was so incredibly knowledgeable about so many aspects of Charleston - very impressive! I have been on walking tours before but this one was by far the very best I have ever done. We never would have seen so much of the city, and learned so much about the history, architecture, traditions etc had we ventured out on our own. Very highly recommend!

This is a two hour walking tour that really gave us a fine feel and look at anumber of sites and places that we probably could never have done by ourselves. And we are not first-timers to this lovely old city.

Having just toured Savannah, Charleston history tour was a disappointment. The architecture was not as exquisite and interesting as Savannah's. We walked through the French quarter and down Anson from Meeting. Those are charming neighborhood. On the whole, Savannah is even nicer than what could not found in Charleston.

Our guide was very knowledgeable on the history of Charleston. He gave in depth answers to every question anyone asked.

Joyce Weir leads an outstanding historical tour through the sob and snob areas of downtown Charleston. So so much history, architectural details and local flavor are imparted and to be enjoyed along the way. Joyce’s natural and genuine delivery adds to the make this a very memorable experience.

This is an excellent tour and covered a lot of the city, I think moreso than the carriage ride tour which we'd done on a previous trip (although not as romantic as the carriage ride!). Our tour guide was not real personable but he talked almost non-stop during the tour and was a wealth of knowledge. We really enjoyed listening to him explain the various buildings and history behind them. The air conditioned mini-bus was also very comfortable, esp in the afternoon of a typical humid day in Charleston. We also added the option of touring the John Manigault mansion and the tour guide there was very good. This is located just across from the visitors center where the tour began. I would not suggest this part if you have kids as they'd probably be bored but it's great if you like history and old homes.

Charleston evokes a spirit of days gone by with its horse drawn carriages and gracious old homes with magnolia filled gardens. So much history from the American Civil war to view. These history tours are very interesting. I fell in love with Charleston and its gracious genteel athmosphere.

We took this tour led by Steve Bailey and learned so much. Steve was very thorough and knowledgeable; not just what I’m sure was the typical script but added a personal perspective as well since he was born and raised in Charleston. Well worth the walk on a very hot and humid day!!

Took the tour with Evans and learned so much about the city. He is incredibly knowledgeable and also really funny. It was so nice to learn about the city from someone who really enjoys what they do. Highly recommend it.

Went on this walking tour through Charleston with a friend. Our tour guide Evans knew everything about the town and its history. Highly recommended!

This is one way to see Charleston's historic buildings and at the same time learn about history and famous characters who played an important role in shaping this beautiful historic city.

Enjoyed the trolley tour, most of the tour was story telling and horror stories of how many people were in mass graves and buried under the buildings and the streets, made you see the city in a different light.

We had a great tour and learned some history and a bit off the beaten path facts about Charleston. I would go again!!

After a bit of a scheduling snafu, we met up with Joyce a day later than planned. She really knows the history of Charleston and was very helpful with our photos. She clearly loves Charleston and brought the city to life for us. We met a lot of different people on our walk - Joyce knows everyone - and really enjoyed our time with her. Plus, we have some great photos to remember our trip to Charleston.

This was our first time in Charleston and thought a walking tour would be a good way to tour the city. Joyce was an enthusiast guide, knowledgeable and punctual. This was a great tour and we recommend it to anyone.

Waited an hour for guide to turn up but it was a no show. I emailed her later to ask why and she claimed injury and said she had left a message on my UK mobile, that's not much use when you are in the USA. If she had emailed me i would have picked it up. There was another guide at the same site waiting to start a tour who we talked to and said she knew Joyce, presumably the guides all know each other. So would it have been too much trouble for her to get this other guide to include us on the tour? The bottom line is we wasted an hour of our vacation and didn't get a tour. Very poor customer service.

We scheduled a history tour of Charleston with Joyce Weir almost at random, and it was a lucky accident. The fact that Joyce, unlike some other guides, is not a local actually seemed an asset, because it gave her an enthusiasm and sense of continued discovery of this fascinating city that you might not get with someone else. She was very knowledgeable, without overwhelming you, as congenial as could be, and, well, fun. Plus she is a skilled photographer who enabled me to bring back pictures of Charleston sights that I never would have taken on my own. We recommend her tour without qualification to any visitor to Charleston.