These tours take you on informative and entertaining walks along private house piazzas and porches where docents delight and amuse you with tidbits of history and lore. Leaving the piazza, you are invited to pass through the garden gate and enjoy some of the finest enchanting private gardens in the historic district. No interiors are included.

Tickets can be purchased by clicking on the date of the tour below.

South of Broad • Friday October 9

The Battery • Saturday October 10

King Street • Friday, October 16

Church Street • Saturday, October 17

South of Broad • Friday October 23

The Battery • Saturday, October 24

Local City of Charleston licensed certified guides will lead these tours.  Each tour will last approximately 2 to 2 ½ hours and require walking several blocks, often over uneven streets; flat shoes are recommended. Meet promptly at 10 AM in Washington Park at 80 Broad Street, at the corner of Broad and Meeting Streets. No interiors are included.

Tickets can be purchased by clicking the tour subjects below.

THE GRIMKÉ SISTERS

THE MYSTIQUE OF CHARLESTON

LADY LORE

CHARLESTON JUSTICE JOURNEY

THE AMAZING BUILDINGS OF CHARLESTON

CHARLESTON WELL PRESERVED

SPOOKY HALLOWEEN

These tours are for the garden enthusiast and will be led by professionals in the field of horticulture. Guests will visit several private gardens while hearing about subjects ranging from Charleston’s rich horticultural heritage to the latest gardening trends. Topics will include hardscape, plant selection, and ornamental accessories. These tours will positively delight your senses. No interiors are included.

Tickets can be purchased by clicking on the date of the tour below.

Thursday, October 8

Thursday, October 22

Join us for the rare opportunity to see first-hand a Charleston single house in the midst of a “house-raising.” Learn about the history and what led to the monumental decision to lift a 1,000,000 pound house eight feet in the air. We will compare it to a house along the Battery that is preparing for flood waters using more traditional methods.

Tickets can be purchased by clicking on the date of the tour below.

Thursday, October 15

On this walkabout, you will explore the heart of Charleston’s own French Quarter and then go south of Broad Street to photograph some of Charleston’s oldest and most picturesque streets and alleys. Photographer Richard Spencer will share compositional technique for taking outstanding images. Photographers of all levels are welcome.

Tickets can be purchased by clicking on the date of the tour below.

Friday, October 16

Friday, October 23

Friday, October 30

Friday, November 6

Every year, residents and visitors alike experience the sights and sounds of this historic city. We love Charleston for many reasons — its streets and alleyways, its architecture and gardens, its unique cuisine — to name a few.  Just because your Autumn plans may not work out this year doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy Charleston and its alluring charms. Instead, try one of the many virtual tours of private houses and gardens seldom open to the public.  Take a virtual step inside a classic Charleston single house, a town house along Rainbow Row, or one of the many mechanics houses and dependencies in the city. Tours will include houses in the midst of a restoration and houses that have been meticulously restored and will be guided by professional preservationists, historians and architects as well.

Purchase and stream virtual tours here