Patriot's Point, located just across the lovely Cooper River Bridge from Charleston, is an amazing museum of semi-modern warfare, naval and maritime history. They have an impressive collection of boats, including the aircraft carrier Yorktown, for which they are famous (you can see it all looming over the river just about anywhere), the submarine Clamagore, the Coast Guard Cutter Ingham , and the Destroyer Laffey. They also have a huge collection of various airplanes and helicopters from different eras.

While most people will go to see the ships, there is also a really neat display that recreates a Vietnam base camp. My father served in Vietnam, so I found this to be really interesting. They have weapons, an ammunition bunker, a swift boat, and other things that would have been seen at your average base camp. Keep walking past the gift shop to see the camp.

One thing to keep in mind is that Patriot's Point is quite large. There are many things to see (and many steep, scary staircases to climb!). If you aren't up for a lot of walking, climbing, and cramming yourself into tight spaces, you may want to steer clear of most of the exhibits. If you are up for it, wear comfy shoes and expect to leave exhausted!

I called this a children's activity because I think this is the kind of place that kids would love. There is so much that is hands-on, and it is easy to learn and have fun when you are seeing the real thing. Kids will especially like the submarine and the hangars located on the Yorktown that have a bunch of different airplanes and helicopters. There were a lot of children when I went, and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Patriot's Point is open daily from 9am to 5pm, with the ships closing at 6:30pm. Tickets are $14 for adults and kids over 12, $12 for seniors and active-duty Military (with ID), $7 for kids 6-11, and free for kids under 6. Tickets include all the exhibits.

You can also catch boats to Ft. Sumter that leave from the dock at Patriot's Point. And parking is free!

If you are coming from the two boats at the end of the dock, you will arrive at the exit to the ship before the entrance. You may be tempted to go in that way, since the tours of the other ships are somewhat fluid and you can go in whatever direction you want. DON'T!! If you run into another group coming the other way, they will become your best friends for life, as you will get stuck and have to live in the submarine for the rest your days.

The Clamagore was built in 1945 and decommissioned in 1975, being outdated by the new nuclear submarines. This was my favorite part of the museum because it was so neat. The ship is tiny on the inside. To get through the doors, you have to contort yourself to about 3 feet tall. There were many occasions on which both of my shoulders were touching the walls at the same time (and I'm not very big!).

When I read that 80 men shared this sub at one time, I was literally speechless. It seems inconceivable that more than 10 people could have ever fit at one time. I don't know how they did it. Even with bunks on top of the torpedoes (really!) and toilets in every nook and cranny that existed, it didn't make any sense. I don't know if they pick people for submarine duty based on size, but they should. Are you listening, U.S. Navy? I'm only 5’6", and I nearly banged my head 40,000 times.

If you are tall or broad, be ye warned! It will be a trial to make it through. If you are claustrophobic, don't even go near it. I'm not, and I nearly had a panic attack.

I will never have a desire to go on a submarine in my life again. Ever. But you should, because it is so cool. I promise you will enjoy it.

My advice is to first visit the two ships on the end of the pier, the Laffey and the Ingham, because they are not as cool as the Submarine, and you get some perspective to how small it really is after visiting the other two. You basically get to walk through the entire ships. I think they left very little out. You can peek into everything from the super-cramped sleeping spaces to the munitions bays to the control centers of the ships.

The Laffey is a WWII-era destroyer that saw action on D-Day and at the Liberation of the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and other battles. In April of 1945, she was hit by a massive airstrike that almost sunk her. Thirty-two sailors died in the battle, and they are honored on the ship.

My favorite thing about the ship was seeing the communications center (probably because my grandfather was one of those guys) and the galley. It was like a tiny little diner. I could just see the guys running in and out of there.

Next door is the Ingham, a ship from the Coast Guard fleet. This boat is a lot nicer than its neighbor. The living spaces are much bigger, and everything was generally fancier (there was a silver tea service in the officers' dining area). I thought that meant that it was newer, but it is also WWII-era. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that it is Coast Guard--I don't know. This ship was certianly roomier, and I liked it a lot. In the dining hall of this ship ("it looks like the Varsity!") there is a neat display on uniforms.

Both ships also have small, but interesting displays on the men and women whose lives were impacted by ships. They use a lot of pictures to tell their stories, which I found fascinating. They do a wonderful job of making the ships go from museums to places where people actually worked and lived.

Just a heads up--keep in mind that some of the rooms have mannequins in them, dressed and posed like the men who used the ship. They kinda jump out at you. Just expect them, because I almost wet my pants about 19 times.

After leaving the ships, head over to the Submarine and climb aboard!

The Yorktown Aircraft Carrier has been discussed in a separate entry. Other vessels located on the same pier include The Laffey, a destroyer, The Ingham, a Coast Guard cutter and the submarine Clamagore. A Vietnam Base Camp is located near the gift shop and snack bar and the Cold War Submarine Memorial is near the entrance to Patriots Point.

Aboard the Laffey DD-724 we went inside a cabin that had been hit by Japanese Kamikaze on April 16, 1945, killing 32 men and wounding 71 more. Many Japanese items related to that event were displayed in a glass front cabinet. Framed photographs and awards hung on the walls. Because it took so much abuse in that battle the ship became known as "The ship that wouldn't sink". We were able to walk through the ship and see where the officers and men worked, what they did, and where they ate and slept. On the aft deck we saw how the big guns were loaded and how 55-pound bullets were brought up from below. Also on the aft deck a helicopter was on exhibit. It was operated by remote control and was used to drop torpedoes on submarines.

The Coast Guard Cutter Ingham WHEC-35 was commissioned in 1936. It fought in convoy battles in the North Atlantic during WW II and sunk a German U-boat and engaged in more action in Vietnam. Walking through the ship brought us to the captain's quarters, we were able to view the engine room from above and we went through the sailors' dining room and sleeping quarters. We went past the brig.

We entered the submarine Clamagore through the torpedo room then climbed through three foot oval watertight doors to the living quarters. We past the conning tower that operates the scope and the devises that make the ship move up or down while underwater.

Patriots Point is open from 9am-6pm in the summer, and there is an admission fee of $13 for adults, $11 for seniors, and $6 for children

The tour entrance begins at the rear of the ship and is a single route, self-guided tour that includes the berthing areas, post office, ship's store, combat information center, bridge, and one of the gun turrets. As stated, the main draw at this museum is the aircraft carrier; with the exception of the gun turrets, most of the sights on the LAFFEY were smaller versions of what you see on the carrier. The admission price includes all exhibits, so see as much as you can.