Planning your Charleston vacation? Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is a day of adventure and discovery for the entire family. Here, you can find the stories of American bravery, and walk in the steps of heroes. With more than a million square feet of exhibit space encompassing three ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, destroyer USS Laffey, and the immersive three-acre Vietnam Experience, there is so much to see. While it is possible to spend an entire day with us, we understand that you may want to tour for half a day at Patriots Point, so we have created this guide to help you discover the most in your time here.
Sitting proudly on Charleston Harbor, the USS Yorktown greets all visitors to Charleston. While it is the centerpiece of our museum, it is far from the only ship or exhibit to explore. Make sure you purchase your tickets before your visit so you can save time and walk straight to the entrance and down the pier. Take in the unmatched views of Charleston Harbor and the Ravenel Bridge, and if you’re lucky, you may spot some of the wildlife that passes through the local waters, including dolphins and manatees. For help getting down the pier, our volunteers are more than happy to drive you in one of our complimentary shuttles.
USS YORKTOWN
Entering the USS Yorktown, either from the pier level elevator or the staircase, you enter the hangar bay of the “Fighting Lady.” During its time in service, it could hold close to 100 planes, but now it is home to some of the most significant aircraft that flew in World War II and other conflicts. At the Information Desk, pick up a guide to help you navigate the ship, or if you need help, our wonderful volunteers are happy to help you. Heading to the bow of the ship in the hangar bay, young ones can climb into the cockpit of the TF-9J Cougar, the plane that the famous Blue Angels flight team used during the late 1940s and 1950s. As you head to the bow, you can see some of these historic aircraft, including the F6F Hellcat and Corsair. You can also head to the aft of the ship to see a B-25 Bomber restored to the appearance of the bombers that carried out the Doolittle Raid during the historic raid on Tokyo. Also located near the aft of the ship are the Snack Shack and our restaurant, The Fighting Lady Café.
Did you know that the USS Yorktown played a pivotal role in the Apollo space program? It served as the recovery vessel for the Apollo 8 command capsule in 1968, recovering the Apollo 8 astronauts after they became the first men to circle the moon. You can relive the historic mission for yourself in the forward-most section of the Hangar Bay in the Apollo 8 Capsule.
After the simulated splash landing back on Earth, take Tour 3 up to the Flight Deck. See some of the history of the Essex class carriers in the Essex room, and walk through the Yorktown’s Combat Information center and see the crew tracking planes, ships, and other objects in both the air and on the water. Once you arrive on the Flight Deck, you can take in the best view in Charleston. There are also some of the most significant planes that have served in the post-World War II era, including the A-6E Intruder and F/A-18A Hornet.
Once you have explored the Flight Deck, head up the stairs of the island to the bridge, and sit in the Captain’s Chair for a unique view of the Ravenel Bridge.
After descending from the Flight Deck, head back to the Hangar Bay to take a break in the air-conditioned Smokey Stover Theater and see the incredible film “The Carrier Will Lead.” Hear from the sailors and veterans that served on the USS Yorktown, and experience how carriers served as the backbone of America’s naval forces during World War II.
Before heading down to the lower decks of the Yorktown, visit the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum, where you can discover the stories of some of the bravest Americans to serve our country. This exhibit serves as a testament to those who fought in some of the most harrowing and dangerous conflicts. Taking Tour 2 to the lower decks, you can journey into the Engine Room, where this state-of-the-art exhibit will show what it was like for those who kept the engines of Yorktown running.
As you depart the Yorktown, the destroyer USS Laffey is moored just a few feet away. As one of the few surviving ships that supported the D-Day Invasion, the Laffey helped to begin the liberation of the European continent during World War II. Laffey is best-known though, for service in the Pacific theater of war, where during the Battle of Okinawa, it survived four bombs and six kamikaze attacks. In the Mount 53 Experience, you can learn about the historic battle and how this led to the Laffey gaining the name “The Ship That Would Not Die.”
Exiting the gun mount, enter the Laffey and take the stairs down to the Engine Room to experience an interactive exhibit where engines come roaring back to life to show how they navigated the ship. As the Laffey also served through the Cold War, you can head to the bridge and relive a close encounter with a Soviet submarine in the Combat Information Center, a high tech experience.
After your close encounter with the Soviets, disembark from the Laffey and head back up the pier to the Vietnam Experience -- a three-acre re-creation of a “Brown Water Navy” support base and U.S. Marine Corps artillery firebase.
Inside the exhibit, you will enter the Quonset Hut, where the history of Vietnam is explored. Visitors can watch a film about the Vietnam Conflict, as well as learn how the US Army Special Forces utilized and trained indigenous groups in Vietnam to aid in combat. Exiting into the support base, you will see one of the last River Patrol Boats that is known to exist. Boats like these patrolled the dangerous waters of Vietnam and were frequently part of some of the most intense firefights of the Vietnam Conflict. At the edge of the base is a tunnel that will lead to the replica of a U.S. Marine Corps artillery base. With mortar fire and helicopters in the distance, you can enter the Khe Sanh Experience to explore one of the most intense battles of the Vietnam Conflict.
After you leave the Vietnam Experience, it should be time to wrap up your visit to Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. There is so much more to explore if you want to stay longer. As you exit through The Ship Store, pick up a souvenir to remind you of your adventure. With special events throughout the year, there is always a reason to come back and see us again.