Fort Sumter National Monument
Park Regulations & Safety
Pets
There are no restrictions at any of our facilities on bona fide guide animals for the impaired.Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center (340 Concord Street, Charleston)
Pets are permitted on the grounds while on a leash. Pets must not be left unattended.
Fort Sumter
Pets are not permitted at Fort Sumter or on the ferry. Pets accompanying private boaters must remain on the boat, and must not be left unattended.
Fort Moultrie
Pets are welcome on the grounds while on a leash. Pets may not be taken inside any building (including the fort) or left unattended.
Your Safety
Fort Sumter National Monument is a special place. It is a monument to the people who fought and died at Fort Sumter and at Fort Moultrie. Many parts of the forts are fragile and so are you! Please keep yourself and the forts from being injured.
Climbing is unsafe and can damage something that cannot be replaced, including you. Stay on designated pathways.
Watch your step. Many historic surfaces are now uneven and some areas may be damp and slippery, especially in the rain. Use handrails when climbing stairs.
Some interior areas have no electric lights. They can be dark and dangerous.
As part of the National Park System, everything here is protected. Don't remove or disturb any part of the fort structure or any living thing. If everyone who visited this place took just one brick, the fort would quickly disappear forever.
Smoking is not permitted within the fort, even the areas with no roof. Smoke only outside the fort entrance.
Some areas are closed with chains and other barriers. Crossing them puts you at risk of serious injury.
Use insect repellent in the warmer months. Beware of fire ant mounds.
Summer here is hot and humid, so drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks out of the sun.
Skates and skating are not permitted anywhere inside park boundaries. This includes Fort Sumter, the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center at Liberty Square, the ferry to Fort Sumter, Liberty Square park, Fort Moultrie, and the Fort Moultrie Visitor Center. This restriction includes, but is not limited to, skateboards, roller skates, inline skates, and skate shoes such as Heelys.
Fort Sumter In Depth
News from the Parks
National Parks Escape, This Time Around
January 8, 2009 - 5:17pm
Unlike the last two years, popular recreation areas in Western Washington have escaped serious damage from this week’s heavy rain. Mount Rainier National Park and Gifford Pinchot National Forest were devastated by flooding in 2007. Last year, flooding hit Olympic National Park.
January 8, 2009 - 5:17pm
Unlike the last two years, popular recreation areas in Western Washington have escaped serious damage from this week’s heavy rain. Mount Rainier National Park and Gifford Pinchot National Forest were devastated by flooding in 2007. Last year, flooding hit Olympic National Park.
Dorgan with Game and Fish
January 8, 2009 - 5:06pm
Sen. Byron Dorgan, (D-N.D.) said he agrees with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department on the elk situation at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Since the unveiling of the National Park Service’s Draft Elk Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement on Dec. 17, Game and Fish officials have voiced their displeasure that the document did not include their “Alternative G,” as a viable option.
January 8, 2009 - 5:06pm
Sen. Byron Dorgan, (D-N.D.) said he agrees with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department on the elk situation at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Since the unveiling of the National Park Service’s Draft Elk Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement on Dec. 17, Game and Fish officials have voiced their displeasure that the document did not include their “Alternative G,” as a viable option.
Coming to the Inauguration? Read This First, Then Think Again
January 8, 2009 - 5:05pm
All roads will lead to Washington on Inauguration Day, but many of them will be closed. With packed trains, buses and planes, how will as many as 2 million people who are hoping to witness history crowd into a city whose subway system usually accommodates 718,000 a day?
January 8, 2009 - 5:05pm
All roads will lead to Washington on Inauguration Day, but many of them will be closed. With packed trains, buses and planes, how will as many as 2 million people who are hoping to witness history crowd into a city whose subway system usually accommodates 718,000 a day?
Scientists Ready to Analyze Yellowstone Park Quake Data
January 8, 2009 - 5:01pm
Between Dec. 27 and Jan. 2, more than 500 small earthquakes shook Yellowstone National Park. The swarm of quakes was centered below Yellowstone Lake, beginning southeast of Stevenson Island and migrating north toward Fishing Bridge before quieting.
January 8, 2009 - 5:01pm
Between Dec. 27 and Jan. 2, more than 500 small earthquakes shook Yellowstone National Park. The swarm of quakes was centered below Yellowstone Lake, beginning southeast of Stevenson Island and migrating north toward Fishing Bridge before quieting.
Haleakala National Park Gets New Superintendent
January 8, 2009 - 5:00pm
Sarah Creachbaum, a 15-year veteran of the National Park Service, has been named superintendent of Haleakala National Park.
January 8, 2009 - 5:00pm
Sarah Creachbaum, a 15-year veteran of the National Park Service, has been named superintendent of Haleakala National Park.
