Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
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.
Alerts
- InformationFort Moultrie Fishing Dock Closure
The Fort Moultrie Fishing Dock is currently under construction and closed to the public.
- InformationAccessibility Lifts Out of Service at Fort Sumter
The mobility lifts at Fort Sumter are currently out of order. The parade ground (ground level) of the fort remains wheelchair accessible.
- InformationScam Warning: Book Ferry Tickets Through Authorized Concessioner Only
The National Park Service is aware of fraudulent websites selling invalid ferry tickets to Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park. Valid ferry tickets can only be purchased through the park's authorized concessioner at www.fortsumtertours.com. Visitors should carefully verify the website address before purchasing tickets.
- InformationPatriots 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.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Per PersonFort Moultrie charges a per person entrance fee for adults. Anyone 16 years old or older is considered an adult. | $10 | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkThe Fort Moultrie Annual Park Pass provides entry into Fort Moultrie for the pass holder and 3 other adults. The pass is valid for a year from the date of purchase. Each Fort Moultrie Annual Park Pass may have 2 separate passholders. | $35 | |
A site fee of $10 per adult is required for Fort Moultrie. Fort Sumter requires ferry tickets be purchased from a third party concessioner. For more information on purchasing tickets for Fort Sumter, please visit www.fortsumtertours.com.
Hours
| Fort Moultrie | Daily · 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
| Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square | Daily · 8:30AM - 4:30PM |
Fort Moultrie: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day |
|
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 8:30AM - 4:30PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Fort Moultrie Visitor CenterPassport stamp
The Fort Moultrie Visitor Center is located at 1214 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island, SC. Inside are an information desk, museum exhibits, a museum store. The visitor center and fort are open daily from 9:00 am-4:30 pm. The park is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
- Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty SquarePassport stamp
The primary departure point for Fort Sumter is the Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square, located at 340 Concord Street, in downtown Charleston. Visitors can find parking in the South Carolina Aquarium garage (fees apply) at 24 Calhoun Street, just steps away from the entrance to Liberty…
No campgrounds, no webcams, no things to do or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
News
- Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park to Commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island ↗2026-06-01
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park to Commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
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Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for the South
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 8× · Brown Pelican 7× · Osprey 4× · Belted Kingfisher 3× · Barred Owl 2× · Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphin 2× · Peregrine Falcon 1× · Great Horned Owl 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 181 birds, 12 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barn Owl · Black Vulture · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech Owl · Great Horned Owl · Hen Harrier · Merlin · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican White Ibis · Brown Pelican · Bufflehead · Common Loon · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Blue Heron · Great Egret · Green Heron · Hooded Merganser · Horned Grebe · Lesser Scaup · Mangrove Rail · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Red-necked Grebe · Snowy Egret · Tricolored Heron · Virginia Rail
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Oystercatcher · Black Skimmer · Black-bellied Plover · Bonaparte's Gull · Common Tern · Dunlin · European Herring Gull · Forster's Tern · Great Black-backed Gull · Greater Yellowlegs · Killdeer · Laughing Gull · Least Sandpiper · Least Tern · Lesser Black-backed Gull · Lesser Yellowlegs · Long-billed Curlew · Marbled Godwit · Pectoral Sandpiper · Piping Plover · Purple Sandpiper · Ring-billed Gull · Royal Tern · Ruddy Turnstone · Sanderling · Sandwich Tern · Semipalmated Plover · Semipalmated Sandpiper · Short-billed Dowitcher · Solitary Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper · Upland Sandpiper · Western Sandpiper · White-rumped Sandpiper · Willet · Wilson's snipe
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Ground Dove · Common Pigeon · Eurasian Collared Dove · Mourning Dove · White-winged Dove
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Red-headed Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAe'o · Alder Flycatcher · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Pipit · American Redstart · American Robin · Barn Swallow · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-headed Vireo · Boat-tailed Grackle · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Chuck-will's-widow · Common Grackle · Common Moorhen · Common Nighthawk · Common Starling · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · Dark-eyed Junco · Dickcissel · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eurasian Whimbrel · Evening Grosbeak · Field Sparrow · Fish Crow · Fox Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Gray Kingbird · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Least Flycatcher · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Marsh Wren · Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow · Northern Cardinal · Northern Gannet · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Painted Bunting · Pine Siskin · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Gallinule · Purple Martin · Red Knot · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-throated Diver · Red-winged Blackbird · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rusty Blackbird · Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow · Sand Martin · Savannah Sparrow · Scarlet Tanager · Seaside Sparrow · Sedge Wren · Shiny Cowbird · Snow Bunting · Song Sparrow · Sora · Surf Scoter · Swainson's Thrush · Swainson's Warbler · Swamp Sparrow · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Western Kingbird · Whip-poor-will · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Winter Wren · Yellow-bellied Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-headed Blackbird
Small mammalsEastern Gray Squirrel
Marine mammalsBottlenose Dolphin · Caribbean manatee
PredatorsAmerican Mink · Common Otter · Coyote · common raccoon
BatsBig Brown Bat · Brazilian Free-tailed Bat · Eastern Pipistrelle · Evening Bat
Also on the checklistdomestic dog
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 18 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Mild winters. Hot and humid during the summer.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie?
Entrance is $10 per person on foot or bike. Fort Moultrie charges a per person entrance fee for adults.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie-only annual pass is $35.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - 4:30PM, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie right now?
4 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Fort Moultrie Fishing Dock Closure; Accessibility Lifts Out of Service at Fort Sumter; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie?
814,658 recreation visits in 2025, number 79 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE. No reported coverage for AT&T and T-Mobile. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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