Reviews of Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon (Museum)

Cat

Very interesting history here. I went to Charleston several times before visiting this site and I highly recommend it.

Tom Riggins

There is no reason you shouldn’t visit. This is one of only four buildings where the Declaration of Independence was signed that is still standing. If that’s not enough the staff was super friendly and entertaining. It doesn’t take a ton of time but it is a ton of history. You will not be disappointed.

Jason Ballard

Neat (short) tour of the dungeon/jail. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and we learned new things about the city of Charleston (“Charles Town”). Definitely worth 30min-1hr out of your day. They do offer a military discount of tickets.

Ocean Ray

Historic building. Knowledgable docents. Interesting history off the beaten path.

Jesse McBrayer

Great place to visit, rich in history

Derek Reaves

I really enjoyed visiting the old exchange. There's so much history in Charleston and this is a great place to learn a lot about it. It does cost a few dollars to get in but you get a tour of the dungeon and can tour the other floors at your own pace. My family did think the tour was a little boring but if you like history it's worth doing and doesn't take a lot of time. You can be in and out in an hour. The building is very old and historical and they even have an old copy of the declaration of independence. They do have bathrooms which is nice if you've been walking around a lot and a little shop as well.

juan velez

The museum was ok, but there is a maintenance guy who got into the ladies bathroom when my wife was in, and at the same time I was in the men's bathroom, my wife text me about, and when I check my phone he was out and very nervous, I saw him step down and forcing a door to get away very suspicious, I told the people at front and them he come and excuse us tell me he was checking the toilet paper, but why he didn't check the men's bathroom for that too.... very wear to me. So very careful ladies

Barbie E

It's pretty cool in here. It smells... dungeon-y. I didn't make a special trip to go here. I happened to walk by and thought it was intriguing. It's refreshing to have a Revolutionary War exhibit amongst all the Civil War and Confederate museums.

M

Curious place to see. Many times we underestimate these places but a part of history is stored in there and it was a pleasure to go through it.

shilohjackson1024

The "tour" was literally in one room. They've got mannequins set up and talk about history, but there is no tour. It's cool to see the old brick and the archways, but that's all there is to it.

Fog x Zeus

Wow! Absolutely beautiful! The dungeon is original floors, and you can see where the original sea wall was!

ic3dIGL00

It was good, very educational

Cherise Fillinger

Great tour. Nice staff.

Kelly Mak

Was interesting. Lots of cool history in this building. Students get discounts :)

Anita Anderson

Excellent must see historical destination!

Beverly Moore

Amazing place. Our tour guide was excellent, keeping both young and old enthralled. Well worth the price.

Christie Muster

The architecture alone was worth the time. The history of the building was just the icing.

Shannon Duffy

I love bringing friends from out of town here to learn of Charleston history. It is a beautiful building with an amazing history. The tour of the dungeon is always conducted by a knowledgeable guide. This place is a really historical treasure in the middle of everything.

Lorri Mazzell

Educational and fun. Our guide was fantastic. Very informative.

Marslion1969

The history, the area, and everyone who worked there were great. It was all such a fun experience! Highly recommend!....:-)

Thomas Lail

Nice day out.

Kevin Wales

Loved Charleston and this was one of the highlights. The history was unbelievable and the displays were very well done. The first two floors were self guided walk-through, the the lower floor "dungeon" was guided. Our guide was Chris and he was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. Charleston and the Exchange Building we're were important to our history pre-revolution and through the civil war. Very glad we did it.

Carmen L

Love it! The tour guide was very helpful

EJ Carpenter

Our whole family enjoyed both the exchange and the provost tour!

justin ching

Very informative the dungeon guide was funny and knowledgable

Steven

The inside is fairly small, but it is very rich in history. Get the dungeon tour as it's worth the $10 as it covers the history of it's construction, use by Americans, the British and finally back to the Americans. Even discussed the reason a secret wall was built to hide something valuable from the enemy.

Jon Neace

The dungeon tour is fantastic, good history lesson, and it's included in your ticket cost.

Sarah M.

Very informative tour of the old dungeon and exchange. Period pieces throughout displaying muskets, clothing, furniture. A bit pricey for the tour, if you get a bundle it's worth it.

Mr R

Great place and excellent staff. Very helpful and informative

Kim Michels

It’s quite amazing to think George Washington was here. Great history lesson for older kids, teens.

Randy Stubblefield

Tour guide was excellent

Yvette Russo

I've been to Charleston too many times to count, but only thought the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon was going to be another slow-going walk through and read history type of attraction. But this visit, with a lot of rain in the forecast, I planned to go for some indoor plans. It was so much more than a rainy day activity! Even though the top two floors of the old exchange is a self-guided tour, the docents who were on the two floors were very friendly and helpful. The welcome I received with my family was with a historically dressed docent. We paid admission (which was reasonable for Charleston attractions [see website for pricing.])After touring the first floor, my family and I made our way up to the Great Hall. The docent on the upper floor was FANTASTIC. He made the information we read on the many signs come alive! He had a table with items that the visitors could touch and view as he went over the history of Charleston's path to prosperity, through its changing resources of choice and opportunity, to its times after freedom from Great Britain and the birth of our nation. There was alsoa round table in the center of the room with a copy off the Declaration of Independence that visitors could sign their names to! Then we went down to the bottom level of the building: The Provost Dungeon. There we joined up with a medium sized group of people for a guided tour of the history of Charleston, very interesting information of how it expanded land mass by 40% by filling in the land. We also toured and saw original parts of the wall of the original brick which line the city at the harbor. Then we toured the history of all that took place in the dungeon, from political Rebellion from the British, to the dire conditions of captured prisoners while the building was under British rule. My children's age ranges begin at 1 and go to 14, and all of them enjoyed the tour and the personable encounters while learning new information about this historical building and Charleston's past. After we completed touring the building, we did stop in the gift shop at the front of the building (where we entered.) The items sold in the gift shop were very reasonably priced for a gift shop. If you are going to purchase gift items in Charleston, I would suggest giving them a good look. Lastly, a helpful hints for parking. There are 2 very small parking lots with old-fashioned parking meters located directly behind the building. Make sure you have plenty of coin change, or one of the city money cards pay for the parking in that lot. Though there are only approximately 20-30 spaces in the parking lots total, it is a very short walk to the front of the building, which is very uncommon when walking around and touring in downtown Charleston. You can get up to four hours of paid parking at the meter at a time, at $2 per hour.

John Ambro

One major historical sites of American history. It is a must see, great artifacts and historical content. Get your tickets as an add on to the Pirate tour. Our guide for the dungeon tour was a wealth of information and very funny.

Hillel Weinberg

Worth a stop. Tour guides are engaging.

Larry Allen

Interesting place and informative.

The Traveling Shintoist

This was a great experience and the tour was fantastic. It only cost $10 per adult and well worth it! The dungeon tour was a little hot but what do you expect for a dungeon. The information was well worth it and glad to learn more of this country's history.

Karen Jorgensen

Sad place, many interesting people imprisoned here. I enjoyed the period clothing and seeing this place. Too bad the tour guide wasn't a little less impressed with himself but I really dislike people who are all about themselves and consider themselves to be so charming and endearing.

Mary Flores

We had great time our tour guide was amazing so many things we learned. The staff at the entrance was very pleasant and helpful. A wonderful place to visit.

Rick Gantt

Very interesting! Lots of history shared!

Dj Helmes

This was super cool, awesome history. People of all walks of lives were imprisoned here. Including 4 signers of the Declaration of independence.

Mark Garrett

Really interesting and the guided tour of 'dongoun was great

Zep Henson

It was a great tour experience with many interesting stories and items. Would recommend if you have the time to spend.

Kourtney Fitzgerald

Lots of history in this place! Would have appreciated more information about things... Much of it was artifacts in cases but no signs about them. Admission price a bit steep.

Fusion Martial Arts

The tour was good the guide was great.

Brittany Foster

We had a blast and they made learning a blast for all of the students.

April Parmley

Always worth the visit!! A must see!!

Angela’s Awesome

Really cool history.. My brother brought me and my family here. Surprisingly my teenagers enjoyed the history and were really fascinated.

Sarah Perlitz

Such a neat and historical place to visit! It is always fun to learn of the very unique and dense history that is Charleston. The pirate dungeon is a personal favorite! So interesting and spooky!

zhyzeon

Very nice to visit. It was very authentic and wasn't very busy.

Don Paustian

Very historic and educational. 2nd visit and learned many things.

Shawn Hughes

Nice place good tour. A lot of history

Felicitas Squires

Loved the tour through the basement/provost.. love history... great place

Jessica Jernigan

Tour guide was awesome.. Really knee her history. Worth the money. Love it!! !

David Shaffer

Neat history . Have been to better .

Myrtle Vaughn

The your was enjoyable. The dungeon is pretty neat, though the history of it is disturbing and sad. The ghost stories about it are fun to hear and people seem to really get into it. Like an adult version of scary stories to tell in the dark. I would say it's a regular tourist spot so keep that in mind. The staff do have a good time with their roles which is cool.

Jimmy Blue

We had a very interesting tour here today. This is a definite must see when you are in Charleston.

James Napier

Dungeon is the highlight here, but the tour is short. It does illustrate the fragile nature of building in Charleston, how the peninsula has grown over the years by filling in the marshes and bays, and of course the harsh conditions that prisoners were subjected to. Get the combo pass with the slave mart - it is worth it.

Glenda Harris

A great experience to learn some history about Charleston. We took our 12-year-old grandson and he enjoyed it very much. Maybe an hour can be spent there with the guided tour.

Lickson Gungira

A touching place to be giving the history of Charleston town.

Tracie Wardlaw

The staff was ridiculously knowledgeable and kind. We will visit again.

Jay Dingman

Very interesting historical place with a great guided tour of the dungeon!

Clay Hall

Must see when in Charleston. Extremely interesting. The dungeon tour is a must. Highly recommend, along w the slave market tour

PHIL'S WORLD TRAVEL

Did We Choose the Wrong Time for our Visit? Other than most Charleston museums this one was nothing remarkable to us. Staff members were nicely dressed in historic costumes but didn't show much commitment to their mission. At the time of our visit some of them were even hanging around involved in private conversations among themselves. Walls and floors of this facility deserve some renovation to keep it attractive for visitors. We at PHIL'S WORLD TRAVEL hope to see some improvement in the near future so we can recommend a visit to our clientele from overseas again.

Jessie Nickelson

A great place to learn about the history of Charleston, SC. I enjoyed the enthusiasm of our guide, he was professional and told the story well.

mcrobrum

Interesting historical building. Learned some history and the dungeon tour was fun.

Claire WithLove

We got the combination ticket for the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon plus the Slave Mart Museum (which is closed on Sunday but you can use the ticket on another day). It was $15 per person, and it was a good deal. It is $10 for just the Old Exchange. Take the tour of the dungeon. You may have to wait and there is a replica of a post office on the main floor and upstairs are the bathrooms and ballroom where George Washington and many other historical and famous people have danced. They have old gun and some toys that that you can touch and get pictures with. The dungeon is downstairs, and I didn't see any elevator, so if you can't do stairs, you may want to ask before you buy a ticket. The dungeon tour was half an hour. The rest is self-guided. As an empath who is sensitive to the emotions and energies of places and people, I was a tiny worried what the dungeon would be like, but other than feeling a little dizzy and a slight feeling of dread as I descended the stairs, it was fine. The tour guide was very engaging and enthusiastic. There was a few exhibits of mannequins of "prisoners" seated and standing, but nothing scary. The Exchange used to be the Customs house and holding place for goods. It is a big part of Charleston history. It was used to secretly hold hundreds of pounds of gunpowder from the British. The dungeon was a jail used to hold military but also other people who did wrong - women and blacks included. Infectious diseases and death was very common because of the unsanitary conditions, lack of food, and diseases bought in. If you only have time to do the Old Exchange or the Slave Mart Museum, see the Old Exchange.

Mike Bubb

Fairly interesting tour. Worth your time if you are a colonial or civil war buff.

Rick Skaggs

Really enjoyed the tour. Lots of history to learn about.

B Smitten

A must do when exploring Charleston. I highly recommend this place often. Lots of history. Plan to spend at least an hour here. The Dungeon is good to take the kids, it's not scary. I wish they would get the animatronics working again down there, my son loved to go when he was younger. Have been several times.

Peter Brainard

Great historical building. Very interesting collection here, some of it is hard to decipher where to begin the self guided tour. The dungeon, guided, part of the tour was quite informative. I could do without the hokey jokes from the guide, just stick the the facts which are plenty interesting anyway. Don't miss the George Washington and his horse painting on the 2nd floor!

Barbara Gifford

Very interesting tour! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and informative. The history of this building is fascinating. I never realized how many uses this building had throughout history. What a great historic asset this is to the city of Charleston.

Jerry & Lorie Widmann

Very educational. Revolutionary war as a topic. This place is great!! Highly recommend!

Lee Wright

Really cool piece of history. The tour and the building are worth stepping into. Interesting to go back in time and see parts of the founding of the country.

Diana Warren

We got the combination ticket for the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon plus the Slave Mart Museum (which is closed on Sunday but you can use the ticket on another day). It was $15 per person, and it was a good deal. It is $10 for just the Old Exchange.Take the tour of the dungeon. You may have to wait and there is a replica of a post office on the main floor and upstairs are the bathrooms and ballroom where George Washington and many other historical and famous people have danced. They have old guns and some toys that that you can touch and get pictures with.The dungeon is downstairs, and I didn't see any elevator, so if you can't do stairs, you may want to ask before you buy a ticket. The dungeon tour was half an hour. The rest is self-guided.

Cathryn Bagley

This was very informative, fun, and engaging. I recommend taking older kids, it is seen as boring from a little kids veiw. I quiet enjoyed it however.

Dave Miller

Dungeon tour is quite interesting. Great view from the top floor windows.

Kaycee D

Very interesting tour and history. The staff is great and informative

Faith B. L.

Very informative about the history of charleston's gruesome, sad, and malicious past. The guides here are very helpful and knowledgeable. If you go, its better to buy the combo tickets to visit this place and the slave mart a few blocks away. Student and adult was $23 for both places. They do have the dungeon tour downstairs and both guys are helpful to answering questions. Sad but loved it.

Noel Bowman

Very educational visit, very nice

Wendy Bowers

A MUST SEE the tour guide was very informative lots of history.

Rachel W

I love the fact that the dungeon included a free tour with your ticket price. Super informative too

Danita Eldridge

The tour of the dungeon was adequately timed and the pace was good without being rushed. Depending on the narrator/tour guide, the talk itself came off as scripted a bit and the was a disconnect between what he was saying and what we were actually understanding. Especially since he was trying to effect a southern/colonial accent. He's used to saying the same thing over and over that the deer in the headlights looks he was getting from everyone didn't seem to phase him.

Sudeep Deb

Unexpected and great. From outside looked like a normal building in the city. One of our tours suggested a visit. Ticket prices about $10. Discount if combined with tickets for the Old Slave Mart Museum. The collection is good and well preserved items from centuries old. Tour of the dungeon every half an hour for about 25-30 mins, depending on questions. The tour guide did a great job of keeping it interesting and sharing anecdotes. One of the few places where you can actually see the original battery wall. Recommend to the visitors if interested in learning about the city history and British - Spanish wars around the city. The dungeon looks more fortefied and well built than the buildings made today.

Kevin Rice

Awesome place with a lot of history

Lauren Hulen

Interesting artifacts. Significant piece of history. Tour guide lacked charisma and knowledge unfortunately.

Marcia Hutchins

Fascinating! One of the three "most" historic places in the country. There is so much to see and learn. If you can only see one historical place in Charleston, choose this one.

Emma Irish

I thought it was very interesting and had a few surprises. If you go it is worth it to take the 10$ tour and a great bonus is a student discount. It is probably a 45 min to an hour visit. If you are very interested in history there is a lot of information to read and learn. I would recommend just didnt give it a 5 star because it was very short.

Lynn Abdouni

Five stars is all for the dungeon tour. It was very informative and Chris did a great job storytelling. I hope they plan to do something more interactive in the great hall upstairs.

Derrick Huey

Very informative tour of one of the oldest public buildings in town. In the dungeon you can see part of the old city wall

Trish Halick

Very interesting

Dustin Jansen

The museum was a bit sparse though still interesting. The tour of the basement/dungeon terrific, it's filled with so much history. The tour guide did an amazing job presenting, reenacting, and answering questions. For the price, you won't want to miss this experience.

Stephen Johnston

This a great way to spend a few hours. Building is about 300 years old and has a lot of historical significance. The tour is fascinating for young and old.

Michele Chatelle

Pleasantly surprised by how much history was packed into this building. And the tour of the old jail basement was very well done and the young docent really knew her history!

Julie Hawk

This was my third time visiting the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon. It was just as fascinating this time as it was the first time over 10 years ago. There is so much important history hidden in that building, and they really enjoy sharing it. I would recommend a tour to everyone who visits Charleston.

Rebecca Jordan

Great for kids of all ages.

Arley Smith

The guide was very knowledgeable, patient and kind with our school group. The building has so much historical past

Connie Guinn

Very interesting and informative. Our guide answered questions, tour was well planned, and we were able to wonder the museum at leisure, afterwards, to view all the historical artifacts.

Joshua Thurman

This place here!!! Amazing history here! Guided tours of the provost with the guides dressed the part. I really enjoyed the tour and learned so much about the history of Charleston! I recommend everyone go here if visiting Charleston and definently go up to the great hall!

Jason Gant

Fantastic museum with a dungeon as the highlight. Military and teacher discounts available.

Ashley Berry

I discovered this historical gem while attending a ghost tour. The guide told such wondrous stories I had to visit the dungeon myself! However. The Old Exchange doesn’t focus on its darker narrative. Instead choosing an upbeat narrative of its history. It is a great family museum but not what I was expecting.

Nicole Foulkrod

This was a great place to visit on a rainy day during our visit to Charleston! Chris gave an informative and entertaining tour of the dungeon (30min) and the rest of the building was self guided, although there were guides around to answer questions. Everything was very fascinating. You can easily spend about 1-2 hours here and they have a partner museum as well for $5 more

jess Seymour

The dungeon tour was small and a little short. I don't think children would be very interested. The tour guide was great though and you could tell he enjoyed his job. The history was interesting to learn. On the top floor a copy of the declaration of independence lay out for everyone to sign.

Christie Lee

Very educational. Love the stories our guide told. Highly recommend to anyone wanting to hear some history of Charleston.

Leah Medley

Great historical lessons about things you may not know of Charleston.

Rob Tulloh

Enjoyed our visit and learning more about the history of Charleston from Colonial times to modern day.

Hans Schweizer

Fun historical location focused on the Revolutionary period. Particularly good for kids.

Lester Ng

Definitely recommended! Historical site..

Johnny McMuffin

I liked this historic building, but I don’t feel that I need to be back here soon. There is about a 30 minute tour of the dungeon that is just ok. It is a well built building and has survived a lot of wars, hurricanes and the big earthquake of 1886. It has a nice little museum that you can tour in 30 to 45 minutes. The building is one of a few remaining buildings where the US constitution was ratified and also was of big Importance when George Washington came to Charleston in 1791. It is worth the time and money (admission is $10 per person).

Kevin Werner

Plan for a rather short visit, but it's a nice little museum. Good talk in the dungeon. Plenty of interesting nuggets. From there you can go upstairs where the SC delegates debated ratification of Constitution. Of little surprise, there was a divide between rural and urban voters then. Some things never change. There is an entertaining read on two George Washington potraits which reifies that passive aggression has been around for a while. Don't plan to spend more than 40 minutes there, but take time to read the stuff on the walls. There's some good stuff.

Sandy Roozeboom

Very good historical information and tour!

Diane Langan

Great presentation and learning experience.

Casey Melissa

Dungeon is a bit misleading... The cellar was used to lock people up but its its mostly a musueum with a tour of the cellar.

Colin Dempsey

Very interesting history

Todd Bohn

The tour was very informative.

Rod Cooney

Very worthwhile visit in Charleston. Good history and informative Live guide thru old exchange dungeon. 1 hour...or more if you want to read historical documents. Inexpensive and usual discounts apply.

A Google User

For those who enjoy history, this is a must see in Charleston. There is a tour that you can sign up for, which will take you down in to the dungeon and allow you to see a part of the "old wall" that used to border the city in it's youth. You can also walk around upstairs and admire the building, views, and artwork that adorns the various rooms. Many of the staff is dressed in period attire, so you have the feeling of walking back in time (time travel perhaps?). I've seen this building go through many renovations over the years, and it's always a welcome sight when you're driving down Broad and heading towards East Bay.

Nancy Williams

Very interesting history and I love the fact that the dungeon is still in original condition

Rosalinda Wilson

Museum was awesome.

Drew Bell

Great window into Charleston's colonial history. The guided tour of the Provost dungeon is informative.

Kathy DeOliveira

We were lucky to find the Old Exchange during a Charleston Downpour! The exchange is full of History and the guides do an excellent job sharing stories of when it was built and rebuilt. The dungeon we found interesting specially since it's the only part of the original building that is still standing. The stories were fascinating. We were able to see the building well and tour the Dungeon with a guide in about one and a half hours.

Catherine Vaughn

Informative tour, knowledgable staff. Interesting information about our country's history.

Paul Castleberry Jr.

What an awesome, extremely historic place to visit. Well worth the money to walk in and see first hand. Words can't adequately describe the feeling you will get standing in the same room where the United States Constitution was ratified! Not only that, you walk upon the same states where the Declaration of Independence was read out loud! Most certainly a stop you should make when walking around town!

Clint Mchenry

For a cheap history lesson it's great! Such an important building in terms of shaping the country and the city of Charleston. The 30 minute guided tour in the "dungeon" is incredibly fascinating. I would highly recommend this for locals and tourists alike.

Raysha Ferguson

Very interesting and informational.

Brian Deppen

Great museum and history tour.

C Simonson

Great dungeon tour. Very informative. Small museum that I enjoyed. Very interesting.

Joe Procopio

Interesting place that is vital in our country's history in this part. As important to the South as Independence Hall is to the Northeast. Make sure you're on time for the dungeon tour.

Robin Hill

Amazing! Great historical site! Great tour and history lesson. The sweet lady hosting our tour was very knowledgeable!

Eva Ayala

Very cool, I love the history

LaRhonda Williams

10.00 for a guided tour which consisted of a short tour of the basement area which lasted about 30 minutes. Upstairs were a few Revolutionary items but a lot of vacant space. No guided tour upstairs. Disappointed. Not what I expected.

gloria prahl

Would have given it more stars but we where the second to last tour and by the time we got up stairs to look around and visit the gift shop everything was closed. Was disappointed that we couldn't see the rest of the museum because they where in such a rush to leave. It wasn't even 5 yet. So two stars on that , the tour guide was great which is why is why I gave it an extra star.

LB

A lot of interesting history here and the guided provost tour was a particular highlight. Definitely worth a visit.

Jaime Villaran

Great jewel, our guide was awesome!

Joyce Scheneman

Very interesting place!! We enjoyed the tour very much!! Great history!

Hannah Payette

Great tour, the guide was very energetic and fun. Lots of information and details throught the whole building.

Lisa

History man. Learn it so we don't re-do it.

Gary Lin

A well preserved piece of history

Leslie Volpi

This was one of my favorite field trip memories in grade school. I recently got to enjoy it again with my daughter on her grade school field trip. Our favorite os the dungeon!! It's a great place to learn about history!

Darren Stukes

The history here is mind blowing. What a cool museum to visit and an opportunity to dance in the same room that George Washington danced in 250 years ago. Well worth the visit!