5 Kid-Friendly Activities in Charleston
The beach is always an obvious choice when on vacation with your kids, but we wanted to give you some other options for when you need a taste of something other than salty water. ;) We’ve done them all and loved them all, and we hope you do, too!
Head to The Joe to cheer for our Charleston RiverDogs. Baseball season starts in April and Sundays are family nights (of course, kids are welcome at all games). Charlie, the team mascot, will be moving around the stadium giving high fives and taking pictures. If the kids are getting restless, there’s a small padded hill that is great for running around and letting go of any pent-up energy. Hungry? Try a southern-inspired hotdog, The Homewrecker: a hot dog topped with cole slaw, pimento cheese, pickles, okra, and BBQ sauce. There are more kid-friendly options for the little ones, including plain hot dogs and PB& Js—and of course, don’t forget the ice cream!
IOP County Park is the perfect kid-friendly beach stop. Beat the heat, and make it a late afternoon trip! Before heading to the sand, you can pack a picnic dinner or order Luke ‘n Ollie’s Pizza to enjoy at the picnic tables. There’s a small playground so you can casually eat your food while the little ones play- or if you have older kids, they can bring a volleyball and play within eyeshot, too! Make your way to the beach to take a dip in the ocean and build sand castles galore! There are showers to rinse off before you climb back into your car to head home for some much-needed rest!
The SC aquarium is located in Charleston Harbor and is home to more than 5,000 amazing animals. Take a stroll through the turtle rehabilitation center and meet some of the sick and injured turtles that are working hard to be reintroduced back into the ocean. Did you find any cool shark teeth, shells, rocks, fossils, or plant parts on your vacation? Bring them by the trading post and their education interpreters can answer questions about your finds— or you can trade them for other interesting natural items! Around the corner, you’ll find a touch tank full of invertebrates, like hermit crabs, whelk, sea urchins, and horseshoe crabs. If your kids are more of the sit-back-and-watch type, head to North America’s deepest tank and enjoy watching the sharks, fish, turtles, and scuba divers move around the 385,000-gallon Great Ocean Tank. There’s so much to do at the aquarium and something fun for every age!
Take a stroll along the Cooper River and enjoy the perfectly picturesque park, filled with walking paths, benches, green spaces, nature watching, and more! There are plenty of spots to stop for a picnic, or sit by the water and watch the sailboats go by. If it’s hot out, kids are welcome to cool their feet on the steps of the famous Pineapple Fountain or walk down to the nearby splash fountain for some more water play. When you’re done, don’t forget to stop at Carmella’s: it’s one of our favorite dessert bars and offers various continually changing desserts, gelato, sorbet, fresh coffee, sandwiches, pizza, wine, beer, and more!
Enjoy a ride on the Black Ghost pirate ship with the Pirates of Charleston! Your little pirates will get dressed up in appropriate pirate gear, be given their own pirate name, and learn to speak in pirate — all before they set out on their own pirate adventure! Spend the next 1.25 hours cruising the Ashley River singing, reading maps, and searching the waters for dolphins and treasure! Coolers are welcome, so go ahead and pack your drinks and snacks to enjoy along the way.
Have you done any of these activities with your little ones? Let us know in the comments below, and what your favorite thing to do in Charleston is!
