Yeah, I had no idea what I was getting in to. Do you like to explore all sorts of nooks and crannies, climb into tight spaces, and get a very hands-on education? Then you will LOVE Patriots Point. There are three vessels to explore – the USS Yorktown (a large aircraft carrier from WWII), the USS Clamagore (submarine) and the USS Laffey (destroyer.)

As we boarded the Yorktown and passed the customer service desk, one of the very first things we see is an airplane that you can actually climb into and take pictures. I was totally not expecting that (and can proudly say I was the first to take them up on it that morning. What can I say – I’m a little kid at heart!) You can’t climb into *all* of the planes, but at least they gave me one to play in!

They also have an interactive exhibit with Apollo 8, where you can crawl into the capsule, sit where astronauts have sat before, push the launch button and experience what it’s like to shoot into space. It was pretty amazing (though nerve-wracking at first! The whole thing was loud and shaking; I was a little afraid the thing was going to break apart on me!)

Overall, this was definitely worth the trip. Be prepare ahead of time though – to see everything, this is an all-day experience that includes a lot of walking and climbing. There are places to purchase food on the ship and on land. You can also bring food and leave it in your car.

Here are some tips you should know before going:

– Wear sturdy shoes. You will be climbing up and down ladders all day. Dress shoes and flip flops are NOT recommended. The steps are mostly small bars.

– Go first thing in the morning. There is no air conditioning or windows in the majority of the ship! Charleston stays fairly warm for most of the year. With no air flow, it can get very stuffy and uncomfortable in large portions of the ship. Sometimes it can be awhile before you emerge from your current path or reach an outdoor portion of the ship.

– Some of the spaces are VERY tight. If you are claustrophobic, you may have issues doing a few of the self-guided tours, particularly the ones that go down into the ship. People of a certain size may find this difficult as well. (I am a big woman. I made it through just fine, but there were parts where either I was hitting my head or had a wall pressed up against my back as I tried to climb. I think if I were another four inches taller and/or another 50lbs heavier, this would have been very difficult for me.) This is particularly true if you decide to go into the USS Clamagore while you are on site.