Historic Charleston Foundation
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Festival Tours

Fhe hallmarks of the annual spring Festival are the daily house and garden tours. These walking tours allow guests to go inside and experience first-hand the magnificent private historic houses and gardens of Charleston. Tours highlight American architecture and decorative arts from the Georgian period through the antebellum period and into the early 20th century. Seven to ten historic properties are featured on each tour, and sites are within walking distance from each other. Volunteer guides greet visitors at each property and interpret its unique history, architecture and furnishings.
Purchase tickets online or by calling the ticket office: 843-722-3405.


Anson Street Tour
Sunday, April 1 and Wednesday, April 4     2-5 p.m.
With its concentration of early 19th century dwellings, this neighborhood is named after Admiral Lord Anson, a British naval officer who allegedly won this acreage in a card game in 1725. Many of its antebellum houses were built in the years between the Great Fire of 1838 and the outbreak of the Civil War.

Anson Street 04/01/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   
Anson Street 04/04/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   



Church Street Tour
Saturday, March 31 and Tuesday, April 03             6-9 p.m.
Church Street, sometimes called the "most romantic street in America," is a visible record of Charleston history. The mosaic of famous churches, graveyards and Georgian style dwellings along this street appears much as it did when Washington, Calhoun and Lee visited and worked here.

Church Street 03/31/12 6-9 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   
Church Street 04/03/12 6-9 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   



East Battery Tour
Wednesday, April 18 and Saturday, April 21       2-5 p.m.
The East Battery tour is an invitation to investigate the links between maritime trade and local commerce that were the sources of prosperity in 18th and 19th century Charleston. Many early harbor-side dwellings, whose ground floors contained shops, have survived and are now intermingled with imposing antebellum mansions that make this one of America's most impressive domestic streets.

East Battery 04/18/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   
East Battery 04/21/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   


King Street Tour
Monday, April 9 and Friday, April 13               2-5 p.m.
King Street, named for King George I, was described in 1732 as "The little street that runneth from Ashley's River to the Broad path to the country." Untouched by the great fires that ravaged Charles Town, this street today boasts an astonishing variety of architecture, from early Georgian to late Victorian, from modest artisans' houses to outstanding examples of 18th and 19th century town houses and mansions.

King Street 04/09/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   
King Street 04/13/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   



Legare Street Tour
Saturday, March 24 and Tuesday, March 27      2-5 p.m.
In the prosperous decades preceding the Revolution, some of the finest mansions of the city were built in the neighborhood. Here one finds handsome gardens that stretch deeply into the original urban grid established by the "Grand Modell" in 1680. Many of the dwellings retain their original outbuildings, which served as kitchens, wash rooms, carriage houses and slave quarters.

Legare Street 03/24/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   
Legare Street 03/27/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   



Meeting Street Tour
Friday, March 23 and Monday, March 26           2-5 p.m.
Vestiges of 18th and 19th century America survive in the traditional facades, stately drawing rooms, and important ironwork found on the Meeting Street tour. Stretching from the historic "Four Corners of Law" to the legendary White Point Garden, this tour includes residences that date from the earliest period of English settlement on the peninsula to the larger, more imposing dwellings built in the Greek Revival and Italianate fashion.

Meeting Street 03/23/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   
Meeting Street 03/26/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   



South Battery Tour
Sunday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 28              2-5 p.m.
Although South Battery was heavily bombarded during the Civil War, new construction of the postbellum era included fine Victorian houses as well as early 20th century
waterfront mansions. The creation of Murray Boulevard in 1911 further
enhanced this development.

South Battery 03/25/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   
South Battery 03/28/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   



Tradd Street Tour
Tuesday, April 17 and Friday, April 20          6-9 p.m.
Tradd Street, which stretches from the Ashley to the Cooper rivers, is one of the original carriage ways laid out in the 1680 "Grand Modell" of Charles Town, and it reputedly carries the name of the first male child born in the English settlement. Today, this neighborhood contains the greatest concentration of early 18th century houses in the city, many of which were once home to seafaring merchants, royal office holders and gentry.

Tradd Street 04/17/12 6-9 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   
Tradd Street 04/20/12 6-9 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   



Wentworth Street Tour
Friday, March 30 and Monday, April 2          2-5 p.m.
Originally part of a grant made to John Coming and Henry Hughes in 1671-1672, this area, the city’s second “suburb,” was home to a diverse population of scholars, artisans, Charleston’s antebellum intelligentsia, and the city’s elite free black population. The first golf club in America was established here in 1786 by British merchants. Neighborhood streets were named for prominent men of the period, both in England and the Province.

Wentworth Street 03/30/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   
Wentworth Street 04/02/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   



French Quarter Tour
Wednesday, April 11 and Monday, April 16          2-5 p.m.
Settled as part of colonial Charles Towne's original "Grand Modell," this area was first referred to as the French Quarter in 1873, as many buildings damaged in the Civil War were restored. The name reflects the large population of French merchants who lived and worked here.

French Quarter 04/11/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   
French Quarter 04/16/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   



Houses & Sites of the Revolutionary War
Tuesday, April 10 and Saturday, April 14          2-5 p.m.
This tour features houses, gardens and historic sites associated with the people and events of the Revolutionary War era, when residents of “Charles Town” fought bravely to emerge as citizens of “Charleston.”

Revoultionary War Tour 04/10/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   
Revolutionary War Tour 04/14/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity:   



Hidden Gardens
Saturday, April 7         2-5 p.m.
These walking tours are arranged so guests may stroll leisurely through eight to ten private gardens. Guides are stationed at each location to provide information about garden design, plant material and history. The Hidden Gardens tours include a wine and lemonade reception at the The Shops of Historic Charleston Foundation, 108 Meeting Street, from 4-5 p.m.

Hidden Gardens 04/07/12 2-5 p.m.
$45   Quantity: