Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
South Carolina
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
7.3 h fully dark
Crowds
low
Open today
Open
Fort Moultrie: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Fort Moultrie: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1; Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1
Entrance
$10
No Public Beach Access from Fort Moultrie during Carolina Day weekend
There will be no public beach access from Fort Moultrie during the Carolina Day weekend (Saturday June 27 and Sunday June 28).
Patriots Point Ferries Accessibility Information
Ferries to Fort Sumter from Patriots Point are not always accessible for individuals who use mobility assistance devices or have trouble navigating stairs. The Fort Sumter Visitor Center departure location is fully accessible or visitors can call Fort Sumter Tours (843-722-2628) for current Patriots Point accessibility conditions.
Fort Moultrie Fishing Dock Closure
The Fort Moultrie Fishing Dock is currently under construction through Spring 2026.
Two forts stand at the entrance of Charleston Harbor. Patriots inside a palmetto log fort, later named Fort Moultrie, defeated the Royal Navy in 1776. As Charleston blazed a path towards secession to preserve slavery, construction on a new fort, Fort Sumter, proceeded. The Confederacy fired on the US garrison of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 opening the Civil War, which redefined American freedom.
Activities
Topics
Entrance fees
$10.00 — Entrance - Per Person
Hours & seasons
Fort Moultrie represents the entire history of static seacoast defenses in the United States, from the American Revolution through World War II. The site includes a visitor center with museum exhibits. The Fort Moultrie Visitor Center is open daily 9:00 am-4:30 pm. The fort itself is open until 4:30 pm all year. There is an entrance fee for the park.
⚠ Fort Moultrie: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Fort Moultrie: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1; Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 (843) 883-3123
✉ fosu_information@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan
Typical crowds: low
Weather now: ☁️ Overcast, 84°F
☁️ 85°/78°
☁️ 86°/76°
⛈️ 87°/77°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
35%
Feb
51%
Mar
99%
Apr
100%
May
87%
Jun
97%
Jul
99%
Aug
67%
Sep
54%
Oct
65%
Nov
56%
Dec
59%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Visitor centers
Fort Moultrie Visitor Center
Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square
Accessibility
11 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park — each spans a cross-park journey.
Abner Doubleday
— Civil War, MilitaryAbraham Lincoln
— Civil War, Politicians Government Officials, UnionAbram Allston
— Reconstruction Era, Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, Reconstruction Era National Historic NetworkAlexander Leslie
— American Revolution, American Revolution In The South, British ArmyAndrew G. Magrath
— American Civil War, Charleston, South CarolinaAndrew Pickens
— Military, French And Indian War, Politicians Government OfficialsAnnie White
— The Planter, Reconstruction Era, Reconstruction Era National Historic NetworkAnthony Wayne
— American Revolution, US Army, MilitaryPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Fort Moultrie Visitor Center
🎫 Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square
Places to see
1809 Powder Magazine in Fort Moultrie
audio
Battery Bingham & Battery McCorkle
audio
Battery Huger
audio
Battery Jasper
audio
Cannon Row at Fort Moultrie
audio
Fort Moultrie Fishing Dock
audio
Fort Moultrie Torpedo Storehouse
audio
Fort Moultrie Visitor Center
audio
General Moultrie's Grave
Harbor Entrance Control Post at Fort Moultrie
audio
The Bench By the Road
audio
USS Patapsco Monument
audioAudio & media
🎧
🎬
🖼
Learn more
Uncover the hidden history of World War I in the national parks!
The National Park Service is pleased to congratulate the recipients of the 2022 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service.
The National Park Service congratulates the regional recipients of the 2025 Excellence in Volunteerism Awards. These nominees embody the values of service, engagement, and stewardship fundamental to our national parks.
The 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first regiment of African Americans from the North to serve during the Civil War, bravely assaulted Battery Wagner in Charleston Harbor. Their bravery increased Northern efforts to enlist African Americans. By war's end, over 180,000 African Americans fought in the US Army, roughly 10% of the fighting men.
While parks work with local tourism offices to a variety of degrees, staff at Fort Sumter & Fort Moultrie NHP lean in to the relationship. Park staff collaborate with their local convention and visitors bureau to amplify public engagement and share the site's unique and pivotal role in U.S. history.
Confederate defenders of Fort Sumter defeated a direct assault by Union sailors and Marines on September 8, 1863. This constituted the only direct assault on Fort Sumter in its history and allowed the Confederates to retain Fort Sumter until Charleston's evacuation in February 1865.
The bombardment of Fort Sumter by the Confederacy in Charleston Harbor from April 12-13, 1861 began the American Civil War. The battle ended in the evacuation of Fort Sumter by the US Army. The Confederates occupied the fort and held it for the majority of the war.
With new military intelligence from Robert Smalls, an escaped slave and harbor pilot, Union forces advanced up the Stono River and landed on James Island in June of 1862, threatening Charleston, South Carolina. At the Battle of Secessionville, the Confederates defeated Union advances on their earthen fortifications, ending the only significant overland campaign to threaten Charleston during the Civil War.
How Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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