It can be hard finding balance on a family vacation between doing things that interest you, and doing things that you know will interest your kids too. Thankfully, Charleston is a city that offers great ways to create a trip that everyone in the family can enjoy.

I’ve put together a list of activities that you can use to plan the ultimate family vacation to Charleston, or simply as a collection of options that can be sprinkled into an itinerary you’ve already created:

1. Go Kayaking or Paddleboarding on Shem Creek

This option has the added benefit of being multiple activities wrapped into one, because Shem Creek offers enough things to do to fill an entire afternoon. My suggestion: Start the day by booking a reservation for kayaking or paddleboarding at Nature Adventures. The kayaks come with a single or tandem option, so if you have younger kids you can pair them with an adult. This is the perfect way to explore Shem Creek and the Charleston harbor, and Shem Creek offers a great opportunity for dolphin spotting. They’re pretty playful and it’s not uncommon for them to pop up close to the kayaks, which will be an absolute highlight for your kids. I’ve even seen a manatee while kayaking in the harbor, but they tend to stick to the quieter areas.

When you’ve finished, you can grab a bite for lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants along Shem Creek. They all offer outdoor seating and are used to receiving customers who have just been out on the water. Finish it all off with a walk along the boardwalk for some beautiful views of the harbor.

2. Visit Fort Sumter

This tour is great for families with small kids because it doesn’t involve a lot of walking like some of the tours downtown. The tour is a 2 hour, 15 minute trip by ferry to the fort and back, and once you’re there you’ll have plenty of time to explore the fort and take in the views of the harbor. The kids will enjoy playing make-believe at the old battle site, and you can take in a history lesson with one of the guides. You can book your tour at Fort Sumter Tours.

3. Book an Escape Room

This is a family favorite for us. For families with slightly older kids, approximately 8+, this is a great way to spend an hour. If you’ve never done an escape room before, you essentially work together to find clues, solve riddles, and locate hidden objects to escape the room in one hour. Each room is themed so you may be escaping a prison cell, an Egyptian tomb, a haunted house, etc. There’s lots of variety in the rooms, so this can easily be an activity that you turn into a vacation tradition for your family. Our kids LOVED this when we took them. When you call to book, ask for a family-friendly suggestion, as some rooms are more difficult than others. We’ve used both Escape in 60 and Time Traveler Escape Games in downtown Charleston and were very pleased with both experiences.

4. Have a Picnic at Waterfront Park

This is an especially good option on a warm day. Grab take-away sandwiches, drinks, and desserts from Christophe’s Chocolatier on Society and then head down to Waterfront Park off the east side of the peninsula on Concord St. You can have your picnic under the trees, the kids will have plenty of space to run around, and because it’s right on the water you’ll catch a nice breeze. The whole family will enjoy walking down to the end of the pier to look out over the harbor and spot dolphins, plus there’s a fountain that lots of little kids use as a great way to cool off – they can have a run through the water while you rest in the shade. Just make sure to either bring along a change of clothes if you want your kids to play in the water, or just plan to make this a middle of the day activity so there’s plenty of time to dry off while walking around elsewhere.

5. Visit Middleton Place

I have visited all of the plantation homes in Charleston, and have enjoyed each experience for different reasons, but for families with kids I always recommend Middleton Place. This location includes working stables where families can watch live-presentations in the blacksmith, carpentry, textile, and pottery shops – jobs that skilled, enslaved workers used to do on the planation. You can visit the animals housed in the stables and farm yard, walk the trails through one of the best gardens in the country, tour the plantation home, and learn about the lives of the enslaved people who used to work on the plantation. It’s a great educational experience for kids and there really is something for everyone.

6. Spend a Day at Folly Beach

Obviously, spending a day at the beach when you come to Charleston is a given for most, but I think Folly Beach is a particularly good option for families because you can be off the beach and inside an ice cream shop in minutes! Folly Beach is definitely the liveliest of the local beaches with plenty of shops and restaurants all located within a short walk from the ocean. I highly recommend The Lost Dog for a bite for lunch! And if you happen to be traveling to Charleston in September, you may catch the Sea and Sand Festival that Folly Beach hosts every year, which is also a great event for families. If your crew prefers a more low key setting, then either Isle of Palms or Sullivan’s Island would be a great option for your beach day.

7. Visit the Children’s Museum

This is a great activity for families with younger kids. And it’s located in downtown Charleston, so you can easily plan an afternoon of sightseeing some areas that are interesting for you, with a visit to the Children’s Museum afterwards to give your little ones something to get excited about too. And honestly, this museum is pretty amazing. Each room has a different theme so kids can choose from things like painting in the art room, doing an experiment in the engineering lab, and dressing up like a knight in the medieval castle, just to name a few. I’ve linked the activity page on The Children’s Museum website so that you can read more about what they offer. And a heads up for the locals, many of the libraries in the area allow you to “check out” a free family pass ticket to the museum with your library membership.

8. Spend an Afternoon at the Aquarium

The Aquarium in Charleston is such a fun place for kids. It’s a great way to teach them about the marine life in the area and there’s multiple interactive activities. My favorites are the petting areas – you can dunk your hands into a tank of baby sharks and other creatures and pet them as they swim by, and the sea turtle hospital where you can watch as the medical staff take care of turtles in need of some love.