6) Calhoun Mansion Museum

Calhoun Mansion Museum
Calhoun Mansion Museum

Fun things to do in Charleston : Seventeen. Calhoun Mansion Museum

14-16 Meeting Street (South of Broad)
CharlestonSC  29401
(843) 722-8205

The Calhoun Mansion is a 24,000 square foot 35-room Italianate mansion built in 1876 at a cost of around $200,00 and the lot was purchased at $40,000.The construction of the house took five years. The Italianate style home consists of 35 rooms and 23 period fireplaces. It was once the finest private residence in South Carolina. The 24,000-square-foot gilded-age mansion is equipped with 30 well decorated rooms and five smaller rooms.

The grand entrance hall is 14 feet high by 14 feet wide and is 65 feet in length. The house has 14 foot ceilings, ornate plaster and wood moldings, elaborate chandeliers, a stairwell that reaches to a 75 foot domed ceiling, and a music room with a 45 foot covered glass skylight. The Mansion also includes beautiful decorative paintings and lighting designed and installed by Louis Comfort Tiffany at the turn of the twentieth century. The Calhoun Mansion also features original walnut and oak woodwork, gas chandeliers, and Minton encaustic tiles. It still remains the largest single family residence private home and house museum in Charleston. On a visit to Calhoun Mansion, make sure to explore the beautiful gardens surrounding the house.

Guided tours are conducted every hour and a half with a knowledgeable guide who shares original stories related to the house all through the tour.

One of the locations used in the filming of Nichaolas Spark's "The Notebook".

Time to spend: Half day

Tours:
Begin at 11:00a on the hour and half-hour (Last tour is at 5:00p)

Seasonal Schedule
December - February Tours: 11:00a - 4:30p Daily
March - November: 11:00a - 5:00p Daily
Thanksgiving Day & Christmas Day: Closed