The trip takes a half-hour each way, and we are allowed 1 hour to visit the fort itself and the museum. You purchase your ticket at the information building and then pass through to the Spiritline Ship. In warm weather, as many as 385 people crowd aboard, but on an overcast day in January, it was closer to 50. There is an audio presentation on the way over, telling about the building of Fort Sumter and the events leading up to the confrontation. On the upper deck, seating is in plastic deck chairs, or you can stand at the bow and feel the breeze in your face. Below deck, there is a restaurant, but it wasn’t open. Coffee, soda, snacks, and hot dogs were available at the main deck snack bar.

. Once you land at the fort, you can take a tour with one of the rangers, which last about 15 minutes. I would say that ours lasted closer to 30. We learned about the building of the fort and the changes it has undergone over the years. At one time, the officers’ barracks, which no longer exist, were quite luxurious. Our ranger talked about the history of brick forts and why they are no longer used. The bricks that constructed this fort were all made by slave labor. Evidently, the United States was not above using slave-made products when it suited them to do so.

There is a museum inside the fort. One of their treasures is the flag that was flying over the fort when the shelling began. Another is the flag of South Carolina. Standing on the wall, you can see other islands and Charleston in the distance. If you would rather not take the guided part of the tour, you are free to tour on your own with a map that gives very good directions.

There is a very small gift shop, both at the fort and at the information center. It has the usual park department items. I was very surprised to find no T-shirts with Fort Sumter on them.

Keep in mind that it will be a lot cooler out on the water than it is in town, so dress accordingly. Also, seasickness could be an issue, as the water was rough. There are stairs involved in getting onto the walls of the fort, but I believe that even with limitations, the lower level would certainly be accessible.

In April 1861, President Lincoln sent a letter to the military commander in Charleston telling them that he was sending a ship to resupply his troops, who were down to their last rations. The day before the ship was scheduled to arrive, Confederate troops opened fire on the fort from all surrounding points. After a day and a half of merciless pounding from the Confederates, the battered, ill-supplied Union troops surrendered. The Confederate army managed to hold onto the Fort until 1865, when the city finally had to be evacuated. When the Union army took Ft. Sumter back, they found that it was little more than a pile of rubble.

Today, you can visit Ft. Sumter and see this important and endlessly fascinating site. Boats depart on multiple trips from both sides of the Cooper River. After taking an informative and pleasant boat trip, on which a recording tells you a little about the history of the important Charleston harbor and points out some of the other sites you pass on the way to the fort, you are given about an hour and a half at the fort.

The fort itself is in various states of disrepair. You can really see the pounding it took from the Union gunboats. There are many different cannons still at the site, so you get a good sense of the weaponry the soldiers were fighting with. There is also an excellent museum at the site that contains, among other things, the original flag that flew over the fort.

If you decide to take the boat from the Aquarium Wharf, there is a parking garage very close where I recommend parking. That departure point has a small museum about Charleston on the eve of the war and also has a neat little gift shop where you can stock up on unusual Civil War-related trinkets and books. Make sure to strike up a conversation with the volunteers who are working--they always have something interesting to say!

If you decided to leave from the Patriot's Point docks, you won't get to see the museum, but you will get free parking! That should certainly save you a few bucks.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, and $6 for children 6-11. Kids under 6 are free. For more info, visit the Ft. Sumter website.

"Charleston: Where the Civil War Began and Someday it Will End!"