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The Williams Mansion
16 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29401, United States
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An
Review №1

Amazing home! We went on a tour and loved it, not a lot of original pieces to the home, but nonetheless a gorgeous home with some amazing art pieces that have been collected by the current owner. I believe the current owner saw an opportunity to save this beautiful home and saw it as the ultimate art piece to save, which he did! He displays beautiful art inside that may not be original to the home, but is worth the visit as the pieces are amazing!

An
Review №2

It’s a big old house that you can pay to enter.

S
Review №3

Well worth the price, a thorough and well done tour. Phenomenal pieces of artwork and history that continue to amaze even more with every room.

da
Review №4

Huge private residential property open for public interest. Youll be awestruck by the collection of artefacts from the different parts of the world through out different eras. The guided tour is informative, basic one comes for 17$ and detailed one for 75$. Plan a stop over during your Charleston visit, if you are a history lover!

Br
Review №5

Interesting place. You get to visit the first and second floors of this historic mansion. The current owner, who lives in the home, is an art collector and the house is his store room. Most items are from the period when the home was built. Tour takes about 40 minutes to complete. Would recommend it to visitors who are interested in the history of the area.

Me
Review №6

An amazing collection of art...all kinds of art! Very eclectic collection...all displayed beautifully. I could go back time after time and see things I missed the first time around.

Li
Review №7

Stunning mansion! Worth stopping by and at least wandering through the garden. They have tours every half hour :)

an
Review №8

Loved this tour! Jennifer was very well informed and gracious to our group. I enjoyed spending a bit of time in the garden watching the turtles in the pond as well. Thank you so much for collecting all that amazing art, preserving this house and opening your beautiful home to us!

Ra
Review №9

No mistake marvelous, oh just marvelous! Sorry no pics aloud just go u will not believe what ur eyes will tell u ! Wonderful ! Thank U!

Ro
Review №10

A piece of history in shape of a very elegant structure an amazing mansion. Its history is quite interesting, if you like tours and history well this one is definitely a place you will like.

Bi
Review №11

The house and grounds are beautiful.I suggest you do your homework before purchasing tickets. A large majority of furnishings are from the private collection of current owner.

An
Review №12

Amazing and beautiful place. It also have amazing background story u never know

M
Review №13

One of the best places we toward during our visit of Charleston. Jennifer our tour guide was phenomenal. Definitely a must-see. The interior is absolutely spectacular with a collection of art and artifacts that second none.

Ra
Review №14

This place is a must see! The house and art work inside is overwhelmingly incredible. There are so many piece of art you could easily spend hours there. It is unlike any of the other houses with the amount of art inside. It is $17 for a tour.

S
Review №15

Very cool private collection in this restored mansion. Our tour guide was awesome... great history and could answer every question

Ge
Review №16

Lots of fun and very interesting to hear about the expansive antique collection housed here. The garden is beautiful. Try to take the 11:00 or 11:30 tour to hear all the clocks chiming at noon.

Li
Review №17

Beautiful home and stuffed with antiquities. Great tour guide. Pretty garden.

An
Review №18

A great tour by Jessica! The house is overwhelming in the amount of art exhibited. I could spend hours there. It’s well worth the entry price and a Charleston must-see.

CH
Review №19

Great house and a great tour. I think it would be better if the furnishings were period correct and if they talked more about the history of the house and the people who lived there. The house is one of the prettiest in Charleston .

Ja
Review №20

Amazing place with a truly unique story. Very cool what the current owner has done with this historic property. The gardens are beautiful as well. The tour guide (s) - I think theres only two - was outstanding and it was clear that he really enjoyed the property. Everybody visiting or living in Charleston should visit it.

S
Review №21

The tour was our best experience in Charleston. Jennifer was bright, very informative and utterly entertaining. The depth and breadth of the art collection was mind blowing. We would highly recommend this.

Be
Review №22

The amount of history and eclectic items in this mansion is absolutely extraordinary. I have never experienced anything like this place. Better than any museum you could ever go to. Our guide Madison was so fantastic and answered everyone’s questions. The Calhoun House is a MUST see while you are in Charleston. I cannot wait to return again one day!!

Ja
Review №23

Fascinating house. From the outside it looks like nothing but its a treasure trove once inside. The guides are very knowledgeable and make history come alive. Definitely recommend it.

FR
Review №24

Fascinating Mansion,built in 19th century,we have Mansion tour with a nice Guide,Ms.Sue...A lot of antique stuff and priceless statues..

An
Review №25

They sure dont make them like this anymore!! The quality craftsmanship that was put into this home is mind boggling. If you get the chance to view it in person do it.

An
Review №26

Very eclectic owner. No pictures allowed inside as he lives in the house and does tours while living there. Some interesting peices for sure, worth the 17 bucks just to see how this fellow lives.

St
Review №27

The house tour was amazing and so informative! I loved being able to step back into history and seeing all the different chandeliers and mouldings and woodwork! Then you step into the meticulously groomed gardens surrounding the house! Statues and fountains among the foliage make it so peaceful. So much beauty to take in! We thoroughly enjoyed our visit here!!

De
Review №28

Very beautiful inside and out. Cant take pics of inside residence because current owner lives there and its all his personal belongings but its worth it to go check it out if youre in the area. A lot of history and just beautiful items from the gilded age.

Ti
Review №29

Nice home that has been well preserved. So many antiques from all walks of life. Just like going back in time.

Ja
Review №30

Tour guidés are very knowledgeable and friendly! House is well maintained! Tickets are expensive at $17 per person!

Br
Review №31

Tour was AWESOME! So much to see!

Pa
Review №32

I was here several years ago and loved it. Went back last week, and found it too full of beautiful pieces and rooms roped off to hold them. Other rooms were closed completely.

Ti
Review №33

We did the basic $17 tour and it was excellent! Jennifer our tour guide was very knowledgeable & made it very interesting. It said 35 mins but it was more like 55 mins! It’s well worth the price.

Ti
Review №34

This place was absolutely amazing. The inside is beautiful and the artwork collection is beyond words. The only disappointment of this place is they wouldnt allow you to take any pictures.

he
Review №35

Great collection, and an amazing music room.

Ev
Review №36

I am a local. Anytime a guest comes into town, we take them downtown for the day. We do the Market and The Battery, but our favorite is to tour of the largest home in the city, the Calhoun Mansion. Today was really nice with our guide Kelsey. She was such a pleasant young lady. She was very patient with one the guest. You can tell she enjoys her work and being surrounded by such beautiful things. The collection of antiques is amazing. It is an ever changing collection from around the world, and rivals most museums Ive ever been in. My favorite piece in the collection is the Bosendorfer piano. I would love to hear it.You get to see history, preserved in the largest part of the collection, the house itself.

Ve
Review №37

The tour was nice. It was nice to know that someone saved this home from destruction. The home is a bit cluttered with artwork and collectibles but well worth the money and time just to see the architecture.

Je
Review №38

Wonderful tour by Jennifer. We were blown away by the amount and scope of the works.

Di
Review №39

We found the tour of the Calhoun Mansion to be very interesting. Given there is a ton of collectables in this home that are not original to the home, we still found them interesting to see and learn about. Our guide had very insightful information about the history of the home and what has been done to restore the home. You can certainly see the effort that has been made to bring the structure back to its historical beauty. So look past all the stuff 9 however much of it is very cool) and pay attention to the bones of the structure and the beauty and craftsmanship that went into building and restoring this home.

A
Review №40

Me and my wife took a tour of the Calhoun House last fall and we loved it. If you love architecture and antiques, it is a must see for a visit to Charleston. The tour guide was very knowledgeable about the house and answered every question we asked. We lucked out and there was only one other couple with us, so it was almost like we got a private tour of the house.

Re
Review №41

Wow, awesome dont even justify this place It is so gorgeous and Jennifer was a great tour guide and she is really friendly learned a lot of history here They are 99 ways to say Gods name and learned a lot more stuff oh my goodness The furniture the art in the wood just a art of this house the characters is also if youve never been you need to go you will love it

Ph
Review №42

Gaudy as was the time period. Unfortunately no interior photos.

J
Review №43

Amazing house, with wonderful artifacts. Tour guide was polite and knowledgeable.Super bummed that the third floor was not being toured when we visited, and that most rooms were roped off :(.

St
Review №44

We had a fantastic tour guide who did a great job explaining the house. It is absolutely filled to the brim with souvenirs from around the world that show the opulance of the house compared to that of the surrounding area. Very different from some of the homes in Charleston and definitely worth a visit.

lo
Review №45

Cool house, so much to look at, tour was a bit too short and not enough time to look at all the things.

Ma
Review №46

The house is neat, but inside is just a cluttered collection of period antiques. Frankly I found it to be claustrophobic inside. I would have appreciated less things crammed inside with more space to get a good look at those fewer things.

To
Review №47

Nice place to spend some raining day time.

c
Review №48

Are tour guide was amazing. House is an amazing piece of history.

Ma
Review №49

A nice little tour of an actual residence. The owner has a large selection of gorgeous, priceless pieces that hes collected throughout the years. The garden is beautiful as well. Our tour guide was awesome. She was Betty knowledgeable of the history and the pieces in the home.

Ry
Review №50

Great historic house, but its been cluttered with eclectic collection of unrelated collectibles of the current (unrelated) owner. Would be great if the tour focused more on the house and history of the area. Rather pricey.

J.
Review №51

Beautifully kept historical property.

C
Review №52

There are sounds and a garden that you can walk through that are just stunning! They also have a gift shop and you can take guided tours of this location. Im a freelance photographer and I got complete access to the mansion to photograph for book and website updates and this place is absolutely stunning. It is also one the location of the filming of The Notebook. So take it to her and go see the beautiful dining room and dining table, the beautiful staircase and hallway that were used in the filming of The Notebook.

Ch
Review №53

The whole city looks like Calhoun Mansion. I am talking about its natural State. Love it here.

Jo
Review №54

Nice mansion.

La
Review №55

The notebook being one of my favorite movies of all time made this a must. They dont allow cameras which sucks but I get it. This was used for the entry way of Allies family summer home.. the room where Noah sits and overhears her parents talking smack. The grounds are beautiful as well!

Br
Review №56

Incredible. Its not your typical historic home tour but more a journey through a most extensive private collection of Gilded Age antiques. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the collection. Would consider doing the private tour on my next visit.

Pa
Review №57

Not an inexpensive tour, but the mansion is incredible to see. Tour guide is very knowledgeable and provides more info than you can keep up with, and she was always willing to repeat info and answer any questions. If youre into seeing how the rich people lived, its worth it. If you like more museum style displays with placards, probably not going to be your cup of tea.

Jo
Review №58

Pretty interesting mansion named for a man that never lived there. The mansion is full of arts from all over the world. Our guide was excellent, he knew all the history of the mansion and we should be lucky for the people that can afford to buy these old homes and renovate them; because it almost got turned into apartments. The home is likely worth $15 million as is, beautifully renovated... But the art inside is unbelievable; Monets, Picassos, gifts from world leaders from centuries past, and items from our countrys founding. This wasnt on my things to do list, but im happy my wife took me along. No pictures, pictures are not allowed as it is a private collection and the owner does live onsite.

Me
Review №59

The mansion itself is beautiful, but its kind of like a fancy hoarder house—so cluttered with antiques that it detracts from the architecture. The tour guides say that the volume of objects in the house is historically accurate, but the pieces themselves are a hodgepodge of historical periods. The owners should consider doing more curating and less collecting.

Ge
Review №60

Dont come to Charleston and not see this mansion. It can change you...for the good!!

cr
Review №61

Interesting house, interior design is very bad. It hurt my eyes. Lots of art pieces but not first class art. Seems like piled on top of each other. I wouldnt recommend visiting it. Go to an antiques shop instead, its free. Or at least dont expect to be able to see much of the inside, its too cluttered.

Je
Review №62

Very informative guide and some amazing artifacts contained within.

Je
Review №63

Beautiful restored mansion from the gilded age that still serves as a private home and personal art collection exhibit. Incredible detail and opulence with an interesting back story. Our guide was very knowledgeable and was able to answer nearly every question. You only get to see the first two floors and photography is prohibited.

Do
Review №64

Great place with knowledgeable and friendly tour guide. So many interesting antiques, one tour is not enough to see everything.

Cr
Review №65

A beautiful home and amazing collection of artifacts from around the world.

Ar
Review №66

Place is overloaded of antiques. Valuable pieces from around the planet. Keeping them in their status is a great job.

Al
Review №67

Knowledgeable guide. Well kept and interesting history. 45 minutes isn’t long enough to absorb all the information and see the items in the rooms. Smaller groups are better than a big crowd

Ly
Review №68

John Caldwell is actually my great great great grandfather I would love to visit south Carolina see the museum, visit his grave site because there are not many family members who would even consider doing that since they didnt know him! But he is my grandfather . And a very important part of history ️

Ma
Review №69

This mansion, by far, was the highlight of our extensive Charleston visit. Although we visited more than 10 houses and 5 plantations, Calhoun stood out! We did the Grand Tour, which was worth every penny of its hefty $75/person price tag. We got a generous 90 minute private tour, which included many floors, many rooms, and the largest, most impressive collection of art and antiques collection I have ever seen from around the world (and I say this as someone who visited the Newport mansions and historic homes throughout NY, NJ, CT).We took our three kids with us (ages 8-9 yo), and they loved it as much as my husband and me. The tour guide was especially great with them, pointing out items that would especially appeal to them, and allowing them to go on the antique elevator. We truly felt like special guests in a private home. The fact that the house is actively lived in by its owners also wowed me. We felt very fortunate that they shared their beautiful collection with us. At the end, we were hugging folks goodbye, as we purchased the book, which includes great photography of the many rooms and items - a wonderful souvenir.Please, take the time, and the extra expense, to check out the Grand Tour, which is far more extensive than the standard cheaper tour. Treat yourself.

St
Review №70

Rude tour guide. Started tour 15 mins late. Too much clutter too enjoy architecture

Ro
Review №71

Incredible restoration of a historic Italianate mansion filled to the brim with international antiques presented by a knowledgeable and pleasant guide. Well worth the 35 minutes and reasonable fee.

Al
Review №72

This place is precious It is a old renovated mansion full of art cllected over the years and a nice and pretty garden The mansion is real southern Charleston style and has still some original features in it The tour explains you all details

Jo
Review №73

A phenomenal collection of the decorative arts in a Gilded Age setting.

La
Review №74

This place is very underrated. Its a small group tour and you can get really close to some amazing artwork from around the world. Around every corner my jaw dropped by how many great works of art were in a private home. Art from Europe, Japan, India, Egypt, China, you name it. All sorts of crazy taxidermy stuff too.

Me
Review №75

We loved our visit to The Calhoun Mansion. The collection housed there is truly amazing; we had no idea what we were walking in to! Our guide, Kelsey, was knowledgeable and very personable. We arrived late in the HOT afternoon and were the only ones in our tour group. The house has some remarkable features. We hope to return again and see what pieces have been added!

No
Review №76

Absolutely loved this place! The tour was very detailed and the house and grounds are spectacular. We were given a great deal of color from the tour guide who really knew the history of the house and owners. Highly recommended!

Ty
Review №77

Southern Charm oozes out of this historic mansion in Charlestons historic downtown district. The mansion is massive and charismatic with a large variety of well decorated rooms. Part of a bridal present from the vice president of the confederacy, the history of the house isnt always pleasant, but it is an impeccable model of the style of the time. Its well worth a tour while visiting the town.

Je
Review №78

Very interesting guiding by Anna. I definitely recommend you to do the tour of this amazing house!

Br
Review №79

Beautiful house; very good guide. It was the last tour if the day so I think she was rushing a little. Well worth the $17 entrance fee.

Da
Review №80

Love the tour , I recommend going on the Grand tour

Gi
Review №81

Rich history, well told wish just enough personal touches. We highly recommend a tour.

Lu
Review №82

Interesting pieces but not worth the price of admission. Not really educational like other historical tours. More like antiques roadshow speed dating.

Ba
Review №83

I suggest the self guided tour with headphones. Very informative and interesting.

ce
Review №84

I feel ripped off and I will tell you why...$16 dollars a person. For a restored mansion 35 room, 24thousand square foot Mansion that we only saw about 10 rooms, if that. No kitchen or bathrooms included. Oh, you could look at a photo of the kitchen in the gift shop, tour guide said. Hardly anything original. A private man’s collection of valuables to look at basically. Definitely for us, not worth the cost of admission!

Bo
Review №85

As a tour guide myself in Savannah, I constantly promote this house to my customers along with family and friends. Its just got an amazing story, is beyond beautiful and love that its more than a peek into a private home. The guides do excellent tours here! Dont forget to tip!

La
Review №86

This wasnt worth our time as tourists in my opinion. The house was cool, the history behind the house is funny. The tour guide was really nice. BUT the people that own and live in this house are collectors of artifacts from that time period, which you would think would be really neat.... But this is extreme. There is stuff EVERYWHERE! I felt as though I couldnt appreciate any of it. You couldnt appreciate the house and architecture, because every inch was covered with something, and to someone not familiar with antiques I didnt really know how cool all the stuff was either.Do yourself a favor, listen to the story of the house, walk the grounds, but dont bother paying for the house tour.

Ja
Review №87

Ive never been to a more gorgeous place! Over A BILLION dollars in antiques. Ive never been anywhere like this! And, my guide Denise was AMAZING!

Al
Review №88

Its beautiful but theres so many artifacts in the mansion that in my opinion, take away from the beauty of the home. You only learn a little bit about the artifacts and are left wondering about a lot of things. Worth a visit. The home is stunning.

**
Review №89

If you love American history and architecture, highly recommend. The house and gardens are beautiful and the tour informative.

Bo
Review №90

My Friend Courtney and I took a private tour this morning and was able to tour with the owner! What an honor to meet and spend so much time with him! An absolute gentleman with such a passion for this home and everything in it!As a true lover of Victorian history I felt like I was in a dream! To see so many beautiful things in one place was an opportunity you seldom get to enjoy! Charleston should be honored and grateful for someone to come in and save one of its most treasured gems! Will go back over and over! The owner made us feel like we were at home! We left there feeling like we owed a whole lot more then we paid! Thank you Mr.Stahl for sharing your amazing home with us!

Sh
Review №91

Beautiful home, but too many collectibles for me to truly experience the architectural elements of the home. To each his own, though. With the size of the home, I would have enjoyed seeing more of it! The exterior and the gardens are fabulous!!

Lo
Review №92

Interesting tour of 10000 square feet of a 24000 square foot home. Gaudy pieces from all over the world ...a perfect representation of the gilded age mentality. Architecture of the house is stunning. Would have lived to have seen more of the house. Hard to tell from the street that the house is so large.

El
Review №93

Felt ripped off. Saw only a fraction of the house. The collection was simply clutter to be observed from behind ropes

Ha
Review №94

Beautiful and divine place to visit! The tour guides give healthy amounts of information, and the owner provides antique pieces that you will never see any place else. Best tour that we did on our whole trip!

GA
Review №95

Very interesting. Reminded me of colliers collection

St
Review №96

16 Meeting Street has well over a billion dollars worth of every type of art, antique, militaria, and collectible on display under one roof from all four corners of the globe. The Syrian furniture with hand inlaid ivory in the Middle Eastern themed room is priceless. There are many other interesting things throughout the property such as historic Samurais armor, the dining set from the Czar of Russia, and best of all, a lot of Americana. The Calhoun house of Charleston, South Carolina is a must-see whether youre just passing through or local.

Ch
Review №97

Not what we expected, definitely not worth 17 apiece to tour. It is all restored and full of the current owners private collections. And basically has nothing to do with the Calhoun famy. So disappointed! We should have tried the Nathaniel Russell house or ventured 30 minutes north to a plantation.

We
Review №98

Excellent property and tour. Had a great time and learned a lot!

Ke
Review №99

Cool to see the inside of the house. But you only get to tour a part of it. It was fun, but I wouldnt do it again

Ro
Review №100

Our docent was nice and knowledgeable. Impressive collection, almost too much to comprehend.

Information
100 Photos
100 Comments
4.3 Rating
  • Address:16 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29401, United States
  • Site:https://www.williamsmansion.com/
  • Phone:+1 843-722-8205
Categories
  • Historical place museum
  • Museum
  • Tourist attraction
Working hours
  • Monday:11am–4:30pm
  • Tuesday:11am–4:30pm
  • Wednesday:11am–4:30pm
  • Thursday:11am–4:30pm
  • Friday:11am–4:30pm
  • Saturday:11am–4:30pm
  • Sunday:11am–4:30pm
Accessibility
  • Wheelchair-accessible lift:Yes
  • Wheelchair-accessible entrance:No
Amenities
  • Restaurant:No
Crowd
  • Family friendly:Yes
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