Your Guide to the Festival of Houses and Gardens
Posted: October 9, 2022
2023 Festival Dates: March 15 – April 16, 2023
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Updated: October 2022
Thank you for your patronage of the Festival of Houses and Gardens, Historic Charleston Foundation’s largest annual educational and fundraising program. Your ticket purchases supports the preservation, advocacy, and education initiatives of the Foundation. We look forward to seeing new faces and welcoming back the familiar faces of those who have enjoyed the Festival in previous years.
Please bookmark this page or consider printing for future reference. (See Print button at bottom of page).
Tickets:
- No tickets are mailed.
- Your email confirmation is your proof of purchase. Check your spam, junk, or promotions folders if you do not receive the confirmation in your inbox immediately after you’ve placed an order.
- TOUR ticketholders* only will need to pick up TOUR maps and credentials at the ticket office. Please present your order confirmation and a photo ID to retrieve tour credentials.
- Ticketholders for Architectural and Garden Splendor Tours will receive an email with details about where the tour starts and other details. They will not need to pick up a tour map and credentials in advance.
- All other event ticketholders will show their confirmations at the door of the event location for admission. (*Locations are listed below.)
- Ticket sales are final. Refunds will only be given if HCF cancels an event due to unforeseen circumstances.
- If you are unable to use your Festival tickets, you may contact the HCF ticket office prior to the event to activate one of these options:
- Exchange your unused tickets for another event during the current year’s Festival for a processing fee of $10 per ticket plus the price difference, contingent upon availability and approval. Refunds are not given for exchanges to lower-priced tickets.
- Donate your unused tickets to HCF as a tax-deductible gift. An acknowledgment of your gift will be provided.
Ticket Office:
Phone: (843) 722.3405 | Phone lines are open on November 1st between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm. Phone hours will be extended closer to the beginning of the Festival. Messages are returned within 24 hours.
Email: [email protected]
Location: Inside Shop Historic Charleston at 108 Meeting Street (corner of Meeting and Chalmers) | This ticket office will open on the Monday of the first week of the Festival and remain open for the duration of the Festival. Hours are 9 am – 6 pm daily. TOUR ticketholders pick up maps and tour credentials here. Additional tickets for all events may be purchased here.
Event Information & Locations:
FESTIVAL TOURS:
- Please present proof of purchase (email confirmation) and a photo ID to receive your TOUR map and TOUR credentials from the ticket office at 108 Meeting Street.
- Each person on TOUR must have valid credentials to enter each tour property.
- Tours are designed to provide an engaging experience for adults. Well-supervised children ages six and older are welcomed on the house and garden tours if tickets are purchased for them. Because of the risk to private property and collections, strollers, car seats, backpacks, or children strapped in any manner to and adult are not permitted in private residences on tour.
- Restrooms are NOT available in residential neighborhoods. Luckily, the restrooms at the ticket office are available 9 am – 6 pm daily.
- By SC law, photography is NOT allowed on private property without the express written consent of the property owner. No interior photography is permitted.
- Out of courtesy to our hosts and other guests, please refrain from cell phone usage while on tour.
- Comfortable, flat walking shoes are strongly encouraged. They are safer and better for walking on uneven sidewalks and cobbled streets and will also help protect the floors of the historic homes.
- Large pocketbooks, backpacks, or totes are not permitted in the private residences on tour.
- Guests may bring capped water bottles on tour for rehydrating between properties.
- Tours are conducted rain or shine, so please be prepared if inclement weather is forecasted.
- Private, historic homes on tour are unable to accommodate wheelchairs.
MORNING HISTORY WALKS:
Please be prepared to show your email confirmation for admission. Morning History Walks depart from 108 Meeting Street (Shop Historic Charleston). Check-in for the walk at 9:15 am. Tours depart promptly at 9:30 am and end at 11:30 am. These walking tours provide the perfect background for the afternoon house and garden tours. No interiors are included during the Morning History Walks.
We recommend that you wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a bottled water.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT LUNCHEON LECTURES:
Please be prepared to show your email confirmation for admission. These lectures take place on the third floor of the Captain Missroon House, HCF’s headquarters located at 40 East Bay Street.
LIVE LIKE A LOCAL EVENTS:
Please be prepared to show your email confirmation for admission. Locations for events in the Live Like a Local category are below:
- Container Gardening – Nathaniel Russell House Garden (51 Meeting Street)
- Concerts – Circular Congregational Church (150 Meeting Street)
- Morning Photography Walkabout – Shop Historic Charleston (108 Meeting Street)
In the event of inclement weather, this event may be rescheduled for the afternoon or the following Sunday morning. Ticketholders will be contacted via email if weather is causing a delay.
- Rose and Roses – Nathaniel Russell House Garden (51 Meeting Street)
- Sunset Harbor History Tour – 10 Wharfside Street
- Wine Tastings – Captain Missroon House, HCF headquarters (40 East Bay Street)
- Workshops – Captain Missroon House, HCF headquarters (40 East Bay Street)
QUICK REFERENCE – Festival Venues & HCF Locations:
- Aiken-Rhett House Museum | 48 Elizabeth Street
- Captain James Missroon House (HCF Headquarters) | 40 East Bay Street
- Charleston Visitor Center | 375 Meeting Street
- Circular Congregational Church | 150 Meeting Street
- Market Shop of HCF | 188 Meeting Street (inside the City Market)
- Nathaniel Russell House Museum | 51 Meeting Street
- Shop Historic Charleston | 108 Meeting Street
- Ticket Office | 108 Meeting Street
ENHANCE YOUR VISIT TO CHARLESTON:
- Download the HCF Mobile App. Why? Click here or on the APP icon on our website to download.
- Excellent content – It’s your guide to historic Charleston and HCF’s two museum houses.
- Excellent price – It’s free. But hey, feel free to drop a donation in the box so we can keep refreshing the content.
- Excellent accessibility – It’s available on Apple and Android devices!
- Take the 30-stop audio tour of Charleston.
- Enjoy stories of over 300 sites in the city.
- It has over 9 recorded hours of researched and curated history plus photos to bring the stories alive.
- Visit our house museums (click link below for hours and admission info), and enjoy tours already loaded on the HCF APP with many “extras” to discover. Purchase admission to one house or a discounted ticket to visit both houses.
- Shop Tax-Free:
Follow HCF on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM!
HISTORIC CHARLESTON FOUNDATION:
Chartered in 1947, Historic Charleston Foundation is a non-profit advocacy organization advancing the mission of historic preservation. As historic preservation has evolved into more than a movement to simply save historic buildings, the Foundation has broadened its scope into balancing the needs of modern society with protecting the sensitive fabric of the historic district.
Historic Charleston Foundation champions the historic authenticity, cultural character, and livability of the Charleston region through advocacy, stewardship, and community engagement.
Your ticket purchases and donations power our work. THANK YOU.
To learn more about our work, follow Historic Charleston Foundation on Instagram and Facebook, , and explore our website. The HCF app provides you with a free walking tour of the City plus tours of our two museum houses, the Aiken-Rhett House and the Nathaniel Russell House. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
HISTORIC CHARLESTON FOUNDATION
40 East Bay Street
PO Box 1120 | Charleston, SC 29402
For inquiries unrelated to the Festival: (843) 723.1623 | [email protected]
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The information posted makes me want to attend, with my husband. I read most all of the information but I didn’t see the price for the various tours and activities. Nearby accommodations would be helpful as well.
We live in Hardeeville, S.Carolina just off the 95 exit.
Please see the PLAN YOUR VISIT link to view accommodations and other activities. Each event has the ticket price in the event description.
I would like to plan a visit for a few days during this time frame. Is there a full listing of all events?
Please see the Events and Tours section on the website. You may click on the Festival of Houses and Gardens link to view all the activities. Thank you for your interest.
I would like a brochure pertaining to the Festival of Houses and Gardens tour for 2022 so I can plan my trip. Thank you so much.
Thank you. We will send you one when we receive them from the printer. In the meantime, you may download one from the link here. There is a blue button that says DOWNLOAD 2022 BROCHURE about halfway down the page.
Many years ago for our anniversary, my husband and I attended a candlelight house and garden tour. It was in September or October, is this the same tour/festival and it has been moved to the spring? We were hoping to come back for it in the fall.
We offer Candlelight Tours of the Nathaniel Russell House on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through December 18th. Please view times on the Events & Tours page: https://www.historiccharleston.org/blog/events/
I do not see any “plan your visit” link. Am I just missing it?!
The Plan Your Visit page can be seen by clicking Events & Tours in the left hand column. On the next screen, the PLan YOur Visit page is listed under the photo at the top of the page.
Here is a direct link to that page: https://www.historiccharleston.org/plan-your-visit/
https://www.historiccharleston.org/plan-your-visit/
Are all the house and garden tours only scheduled for weekends? I am only in Charleston April 4 – 8. I only see walking tours on those dates.
Thank you!
Hi Diane,
Thanks for your question. You may see the events occurring April 4-8, 2022 by viewing individual dates on the Events Calendar. View the Events Calendar by clicking on the Events & Tours link in the left hand column. The calendar will be in the far right column if viewing on a desktop. The events are listed below each date you click.
There are many events on the calendar April 4 -8, 2022. Please use the Events Calendar to view all the options.
I have failed to locate each event for cost as this shows:
“Please see the PLAN YOUR VISIT link to view accommodations and other activities. Each event has the ticket price in the event description.”
Can you help me locate the Foundation’s 75th Annual Festival of Houses and Gardens schedule or itinerary?
Thank You
You may view all the events by clicking EVENTS & TOURS on the right side of the screen (if viewing on a desktop). From there click on FESTIVAL OF HOUSES & GARDENS right under the photo. We are happy to mail a brochure to you if you would like to email me with your mailing address ([email protected]). You can also download a copy of the brochure here.
Please send info about cost of tickets
Thanks
All event details are listed here in this link. This is the TOURS & EVENTS section of our website. You may also call the ticket office (843.722.3405) between 10 am and 2 pm EST for assistance. Thank you for your interest.
If anyone has a ticket to the Tour of Gardens for Mar. 25 or April 1 that you would like to sell. I would like to buy it.
May i bring my puppy, in a pouch, to the garden tours. She is 8lbs.
Pets are not allowed on tours of private properties.
I would like to buy a ticket for the April 1 tour if gardens if anyone has an unused ticket
Hello Susan,
Please call the ticket office at 843-722-3405. You may be put on a waiting list for tickets when they come available.
Thank you.
Blair Phillips
I just want to confirm that we will be touring inside of the homes or just the outside of the property?
Hello! Thank you for your question. Each tour and each home will be different, but yes. House and Garden Tours do include inside select homes and some homes are only gardens (like our Glorious Garden tours). Please reach out or give us a call if you have specific questions about each tour and what’s included.
Are the Morning Walking tours sidewalk tours only or is admission to any of the historic homes and gardens included? Same question for the King Street tour.
MORNING HISTORY WALKS – Led by Charleston’s most experienced guides, these two-hour walking tours of the Old & Historic District provide the perfect background for the afternoon house and garden tours. No private sites or interiors are included on these walking tours.
HOUSE TOURS / GLORIOUS GARDEN TOURS – Ticketholders will go inside approximately 7-9 properties for docent led tours inside each property. The number of properties for each tour varies by date. The King Street Tour is one of the House Tours. For more information, please see this link and this link.
You may also call the Ticket Office (843.722.3405) for more details. Thank you for your interest.
Do any of the house & garden tours at $75 go inside the houses?
Hello! Yes! Each of the House Tours on the 2023 Festival include interiors, at least 7 on each of the House Tours. Only the Glorious Gardens and Garden Splendor Tours ONLY have gardens.