Aiken-Rhett House Museum
The Aiken-Rhett House Museum is a historic residence in Charleston built around 1820 that illustrates life before the Civil War. The main building was expanded in the 1830s and 1850s, and it retains original furnishings, painted walls, and outbuildings including a kitchen, laundry, stables, and the quarters where enslaved workers lived.
The house was built around 1820 by a merchant and later purchased by William Aiken, whose family expanded it and used it as a base for their political and business activities. It remained in the family for over 140 years before opening as a museum in 1975 and being acquired by the Historic Charleston Foundation in 1995.
The museum is open daily from 10 in the morning until 5 in the evening, and the self-guided tour takes about 45 minutes with a multimedia app. The site is centrally located in Charleston and easy to reach on foot, with most rooms and outdoor areas accessible to explore.
William Aiken Jr. brought back paintings and sculptures from a trip to Europe that are still displayed in a dedicated art gallery inside the house. His father was involved in building the first railroad in the region, and the town of Aiken in South Carolina is named after him.
Location: Charleston
Address: 48 Elizabeth St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: +18437231159
Website: https://historiccharleston.org/house-museums/aiken-rhett-house
GPS coordinates: 32.79143,-79.93481
Latest update: December 5, 2025 10:39
South Carolina combines American history with coastal landscapes and urban parks. Charleston preserves colonial architecture from the 18th century, including the Nathaniel Russell House and Drayton Hall. Plantations such as Magnolia, Middleton Place, and Boone Hall show the agricultural past and the history of slavery, while the Old Slave Mart Museum and McLeod Plantation document this difficult era. Fort Sumter marks the beginning of the Civil War. The city offers historic churches, Rainbow Row with its colorful townhouses, and the Charleston City Market. The coastal region includes beaches on Hilton Head Island, Folly Beach, and Sullivan's Island, along with state parks like Hunting Island and Huntington Beach. Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet combines sculpture with native plants. Myrtle Beach offers the SkyWheel and Broadway at the Beach. Inland, the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, Falls Park in Greenville with waterfalls on the Reedy River, and the Angel Oak, a centuries-old tree near Charleston. The South Carolina Aquarium and Charleston Tea Garden round out the options.
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