Edmondston-Alston House

Beautiful house and property. We visited with tickets for Wine On The Piazza. The team here really know the property well and while there isn’t a guided tour during the event, they happily answered questions. It was great to enjoy wine and charcuterie on the upper side porch with a view of the harbor. Would definitely recommend to locals and tourists.

Visited on May 2nd. They were very accommodating to our group, very knowledgeable and eager to answer many questions. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and seeing this incredible historic home.

East Bay St. will turn into East Battery Street where you’ll find one of the first mansions showing the typical Charleston Single House: a long rectangular shape with a narrow front towards the street, adapting to the shape of the lot. Located in a favored spot on the High Battery, it's one of the sea wall's oldest residences dating to 1825. Charles Alston, a wealthy Lowcountry rice planter, acquired the home and updated its architecture in Greek Revival style. Today, the well-preserved property remains in the Alston family. Visitors can see this blend of design styles in the home's public rooms and outdoor piazzas . Its architectural details, waterfront location, and knowledgeable docents who shared insights into 19th-century life for both the families and enslaved in Charleston It also has an original copy of the Ordinance of Secession.

Beautiful home with a rich history. We had a fantastic tour guide!

Cool tour! We were just walking by and saw the signs and decided to go in. The staff were super nice and helpful. The next tour time was soon so we waited on the porch for a few minutes and chatted with the staff. The tour lasted about 30 minutes and was very detailed! The house has an interesting past and present!

Lovely home, well-maintained. The docents were welcoming and incredibly knowledgeable about Charleston, history, and architecture. Ruth led us through the home which was incredible. I liked how the storytelling around the families that owned this home correlated to the major events to their personal family experience.

The house and its history are quite interesting, if you enjoy Charleston history at all it's worth a visit. The lower rating is because I booked a 'Wine on the Terrace' (or some similar name) event to take my wife to. They offered 3 cheap, screwtop white wine selections. That made it a 'definitely wouldn't go again, but glad we went' situation.

We had a nice visit. Tours happen 15 after the hour and 15 before the hour. It lasted about 40 minutes. Enjoyed seeing the house, learning it's history, etc. It went at a good speed. Also a site for the filming of Outer Banks.

I went here with my mom and sister and it was awesome! Our tour guide was super nice and spoke very clearly and was very well educated in the history of the house. We we able to look around and check things out during and after the tour. I was able to learn a lot about the history around the house and the area. 10/10 would definitely recommend (the tour also didn't take too long is about 40-45 minutes so if you have little kids they hopefully will not get board super quickly. Recommendation: I would recommend going on a hot day (it's air conditioned!)

The house is situated across from The Battery. Has nice views of Fort Sumter, the bay, and The Battery. Learning the history of the property and how the house remained in the family after the civil war was one of many interesting facts along the tour. There are several historical documents and most of the furniture and accessories are either period accurate or original to the house. You'll also see some beautiful architectural details. Our tour guide was well versed and friendly.

We loved the tour of this beautiful old house! Fine original furnishings and the very informed docent was a true southern belle. So much history in this one home. We purchased tickets online and used them at the entrance without a hitch. Had to wait about 30 minutes for the tour to start but were comfortably seated on the porch. No public restrooms available--go to nearby Hazel Parker playground. Park for free on Murray Boulevard.

A few times a year, if you are lucky enough to catch it, enjoy a short 30 minute tour of the home that ends at the upper veranda, for Wine on the Piazza. A gorgeous view of the harbor, from the Battery, with a lovely wine and a very nice cheese and cracker spread. I took a girlfriend in April, but I do plan to keep an eye out so that I can enjoy this early evening with my husband as well.

This historical home tour was quite different from the first we went to (Aiken-Rhett house) and it was interesting to see the contrast. This home is well restored and has a large percent of original items owned by the families. There are several portraits, silver and china sets, chandeliers, a Purdy rifle with signed letter from Mr Purdy, an original copy of the Ordinance of Succession etc. that are all well maintained. The floor to ceiling front windows looking from East Battery to the water offer a gorgeous and dramatic view. The piazza's are large and from them we were told, General P. G. T. Beauregard stood while watching the first battle of the civil war on Fort Sumter. Also General Lee is said to have stayed here. Imagine that! The house is still in the family and the 3rd floor has a family member who lives on property. It must be a bit strange to have these guests tramping through your house but it's also amazing that he is willing to share it with tourists too.I'm glad it's open and learned a lot in just a short 30 minute tour. The docent conducting the tour was an excellent story teller who was clearly both knowledgeable and interested in the history of the home. At the end of the tour you got to see and try a joggling board. Per one story teller, it was built to help with exercise for a grand lady who had arthritis. This is basically two wooden stands with a curved board on top to sit and bounce on. If you start and sit on one end you bounce into the middle. It is also said that it was a sneaky way for young couples to accidentally brush up on each other. Also a cute story and something I had never seen before. You can still purchase these apparently. A great way to spend time and learn about Charleston history. The only downside is no interior photos.

I felt lilke I had to do at least one house tour while visiting Charleston and the Edmondston-Alston House ended up being a good choice. I enjoyed hearing the history of the house and the families that built and owned it. But even more than that, I really appreciate seeing all the work and craftmanship that goes into these types of old homes and furnishings. I love the use of the siding doors between rooms, and it sounds silly but the window shutters were really neat too. I think the tour guide said it took about 4 years to build the original house, and you can see why. It's too bad they don't allow photography inside. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, but he talked slowly and was a bit hard to hear. I feel like the experience would have been even better with a different guide that was more outgoing and energetic.

Why 4 stars? Because it was educational and I'm glad I did it. --- --- --- On both of my visits to Charleston, I've really enjoyed walking along the water and admiring these gigantic houses that are hundreds of years old. As I've done this, my ultimate fantasy is to have one of the owners walk outside and say, "Hey! Do you want a tour??" Of course, that would be super weird. Why would a person invite a stranger into their home? And why would I accept that invitation? Because obviously I think these houses are breath-taking and totally worth the murder risk to see the inside. But what if I told you that you could see the inside of these bad boys with exactly a 0.5% chance of not making it out alive? Well, that's exactly what the Edmondston-Alston house offers! Seeing the ins and outs of a decent chunk of this home, was really remarkable. It's so insane to think of how differently things were constructed back in the day. Probably the biggest takeaway for me was learning that the kitchens would be built in a separate house, because of the fire risk. It certainly would be awesome if time travel was a real thing, so that we could go back to 1825 to talk to the original owners. They'd probably be pretty satisfied with their 4.5 star Yelp review. Overall, this was a neat experience. Maybe it was because I was standing all day, but I wished we had been able to sit in each room. Some of the portions of the educational part were a pinch boring, IMO, but obviously you can't expect this to be equivalent of watching The Fate of the Furious in IMAX.

We visited this house on Friday, Feb 26th... I purchased the Essential Charleston Passport (Enthusiast level) which allowed us to see all of 5 houses, 3 museums, and either Drayton Hall or Middleton Place plantations... We stopped here at 21 Battery St first on our tour. This house has several ladies who give tours on the hour. The groups are kept at no more than 8 to allow for social distancing and to limit the number of folks wandering around the house at any given time. The lady who gave our tour was extremely knowledgeable about the home, the families who owned it along the way, and the architecture and furniture of the house. The first floor is lovely and there are some very interesting features that will be explained on the tour, but the second floor is where the house really shines in my opinion. The outdoor terrace and floor to ceiling windows really show the view to the harbor at its full advantage AND WOW that ocean breeze! It was a treat to get to actually go inside of one of these grand old houses that somehow managed to survive, evolve, and thrive from the Revolutionary War era through the Civil War until today. The family still occupies the third floor as well as part of the hyphen. Nothing is left of the slave dwellings in this house so it is not a COMPLETE example of a house if its day.

This was my first visit to the Edmondston-Alston House in Charleston. I've walked by it many times before, with it's presence on the Battery itself quietly sitting waiting for visitors. It's something you might not immediately notice as a museum initially, as it serves as a residence for the modern owners. Walking up to the front door you'll notice a beautifully carved door and cut stone walkway. Tours here usually last thirty minutes and while the entire house is not open to the public, there still is a sufficient amount to see. Many of the items and antiques are original to the home and the owner. I was very impressed by the polished silver collection near the family dining room and by a device designed to measure the "hands" or size of a horse. If you are walking on the Battery and would love to get a glimpse of one of the homes located here, this is a great chance to take a tour. For those looking to take photos, they do not allow any to be taken inside, but are good opportunities on the 2nd story porch and outside.

My wife and I believed this tour was the best out of the others we had taken that week. The 30 minute tour offered great history of the family and the beautiful property. The home was located in the historic district and it was easily walkable from other parts of downtown Charleston. There were lots of original memorabilia from all the families that had lived there. Furnishings, letters, photos, and weapons were all well preserved and worth the visit. Beautiful big porches overlooking the harbor highlighted the tour. It was easy to tell that our tour guide enjoyed her job. This guided tour was the same price as many others. Definitely worth it. I would put this property on your radar if you're in Charleston.

This was by far our favorite house that we have visited so far, four days into our six-day visit to Charleston! This house is the only one we've visited with mostly original furniture and finishes. This is likely because the house has never left the hands of the second family who lived in the house! Our guide was wonderful, and everyone who worked there was so friendly and pleasant!

Toured the Edmondston-Alston House while visiting Charleston. The house is a historic relic of Charleston's heyday. We toured two of the three floors; the third floor is the personal residence of the remaining family member. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and provided many insights into how the house was built, how the family lived and how the house was used. The tour guide talked a lot about the five family lineages involved in this house and it was hard to follow at times. If you're in Charleston and interested in learning about its history, a tour of the Edmondston-Alston House is worthwhile.

An historic home filled with family possessions (not replicas) from the time period. Docent led guided tour that lasts 30 minutes is informative. No pictures allowed inside. A descendent of the original Alston that owned the home lives on the 3rd floor. If you go to Middleton Place buy a combo tix to visit this home.

This was the only museum house we stopped in, on this trip.. so glad we did! Wow, the tour was awesome. It was so cool to see and learn the history about the house and city! Even most of the furniture as it was! Thinking of all of the people that stayed there, and the history that was being watched from the (amazing) balcony, is so awesome. Our tour guide was great. Believe it or not, the tours can sell out! (we only had to wait about 20 minutes for the next one to start, though). No photos (which makes perfect sense!) are allowed to be taken of the inside.. And it is actually still a residential home, too (on the 3rd floor only). I wish I could have seen more of the house.. but again - it makes perfect sense why not! Definitely check this place out, if you have time!

What a home! The owner, who is the greatx4 grandson of the original family, is lucky enough to live on the third floor. The tour takes you through the first and second floors. The guide, Bob, takes obvious delight in showing off this majestic building. I wish we had more time to linger and take it all in, but tours must proceed, so I get it. All of the furnishings are original to the home and owned by the family. You can stand on the piazza, where Confederate General PGT Beauregard saw the first shots fired onto Ft. Sumter. The lower piazza even has plenty of seating and ice water available for hot and weary tourists. Smart move.

Antiques & a dolphin performance! This beautiful house is right on the battery facing Charleston Harbor, with a direct view of Ft. Sumter. At 1 time It was the town house for the owners of Middleton Place Plantation. You can get an admission discount for entry to both this house & the Middleton Place Plantation guest house. The friendly tour guide related many stories of the family, artifacts, & the house. I found the 19th century sketchings of Italian scenery the most fascinating. They were acquired by former house owners during a long trip through Europe. The owners still occupy the top floor. So the top floor was not open & the house now has electricity, & indoor plumbing. Although we did not stay here, it is possible to stay on the property grounds. For information visit: http://www.21eastbattery.com/. While visiting the upstairs balcony we looked out at Charleston Harbor to see a group of dolphins jumping very close to shore. They put on quite a show. Almost as if they were performing.

The Edmondston-Alston House is one of many house museums available to tour in Charleston. It is located near the Battery/White Point Gardens and has some neat history. The staff was very welcoming and showed us to the lower balcony when we arrived early for a tour. It was very comfortable relaxing and enjoying the excellent view of the harbor. They also have a cold water cooler available as a courtesy, which was really great after walking around in the heat. The tour took about 35 minutes, and our tour guide was very good. He tried to get everyone involved by asking some questions pop quiz style throughout. The house was built as a town home in 1825, and was one of the first built in this area of town after the sea wall went up. Most of the furniture is original to the house, and there are over two thousand books in the library. The house has three stories, but the top floor is occupied by a family descendant so is not available to tour. Some of the most fascinating artifacts included one of the original copies of the Ordinance of Secession, a Purdy rifle with a note signed by James Purdy himself, and some Audobon prints. The second floor balcony capitalizes on the view, and you are permitted to take pictures from here (but not inside the house). This balcony's claim to fame is that General Beauregard ordered the attack on Fort Sumter that began the Civil War/War Between the States from here. General Lee also visited the home. Another interesting aspect is that this house does an excellent job of illustrating the intermarriages of the upper class in the past - the final reveal of the family tree is quite intriguing.

Very nice home. It's history is interesting, and it was neat to know you are visiting a home that Robert E Lee stayed for some time. Stand from the upstairs balcony to get a glimpse of Ft. Sumter. Tip: If you plan on visiting the Middleton Place, you will save money by purchasing the Combo Ticket to visit both locations. Note: You only need to show your receipt or order # for admission. There are no tickets if you purchase online and in advance. Sunday might be the best day to visit because parking is free all day on the street. The most impressive room was the library....so many books original to the family. My tour guide was very knowledgeable and made the house more interesting than what it appears to be. She mentioned that 90% of the items in the house are original to the house.

My husband and I took this tour on a whim and I'm so glad we did. The lady who showed us around was great at explaining the history of the house; from the past occupants, portraits, and even the dining table; she was very knowledgeable. She didn't rush us, and answered our questions thoroughly. The tour lasted about a half hour. In the summer months, you can purchase tickets to have a couple glasses of wine and cheeses on the balcony. If I ever come back, I will be sure to do that. This was a must see.

Nice home, but is not really elaborate and tour is very quick and crowded. No photos allowed, which makes it less worth the cost. I suggest the Calhoun Mansion instead.

Best museum house in the historic district folks. Trust me, I've been to them all and this one is the best. There's an original copy of the Ordinance of Secession hanging on the living room wall for starters. They have a revolutionary pistol on display inthe library, which is also very cool if you're into books. The best part of the house is the stories they tell about the residents. During the first battle of the War, former residents had a party so friends and family could watch the attack on Fort Sumter. Pretty wild, eh? It's $8/person and totally worth it. Open until 4:30 pm every day

We walked the entire peninsula viewing the sites in Charleston. Of everything we saw, the Edmondston-Alston House is an absolute must see. The home has had only two families as owners and it is almost entirely furnished by original pieces. I overheard several carriage tour guides touting this, and how unique this is, as we were standing in front of the house. It's the 'real deal'. Our tour guide was 85 years old and extraordinarily energetic and knowledgeable--just a great guy. the Edmondston-Alston House is aligned with Middleton Gardens and the staff there were first class--they were older and professional and looked like they were part of Charleston Society--very pleasant people. A memorable tour but the one thing our tour guide neglected to mention is that Robert E. Lee actually spent some time in the house.

It's a cool house to check out. I liked learning that sections of the house are still in use as living quarters and a bed and breakfast. It has a great view from the Battery. There are plenty historical pieces to look at during the trip and to hear about the interpretation. One of my favorite parts of the trip was going out on the second floor patio. It's a nice place to stop in and learn more about. It's affordable but I suggest visiting earlier in the day.

This is a big, old colonial house, with lots of interesting historical ties to Charleston and the Civil War, as expected. The guides are welcoming and full of information, as expected. One unique thing was that the house has a _huge_ percentage (they say 90%) of original furnishings because of the pack-rat nature (and I mean that with full respect) of an early 20th-century ancestor. Be sure to spend some time sitting on the "courting bench" on the back porch at the family entrance.

The Edmonston-Alston house is one of the most well-known historic houses in Charleston. A walking tour is included with your admission, which is $12 for adults. They also offer a student rate of $8 and other discounts for kids, etc. Walking tour was approximately 30 minutes long, and we checked out both the first and second floor of the house. Third floor is occupied by a descendent of the family (so cool!). The other properties next to the house, which used to be the servant's chambers and horse barn, have been converted to bed-and-breakfasts, which sound oh-so-lovely! So much history is embedded in the house and I really enjoyed learning about life during the Civil War years. Definitely check out this house if you're in the area! Mr.Boyd, our guide, was excellent - fast talker and funny as well!

Enjoyed this tour very much. A great opportunity to stand on one of those beautiful piazzasand look out over the water.

Since us normal folk don't get to live in or know people that live in the beautiful mansions on East Bay and Battery, this was the perfect opportunity to see one and get a history lesson in the meantime. This is one of the oldest houses in the line of mansions along Battery and has stayed in the Edmondston-Alston family for several generations. In fact , the current generation's owner still lives on the third floor. As big as the house is, you only get to see two rooms below and four rooms on the second floor plus you get to walk out on to the wrap around porch to get a view of Fort Sumter and the park below. So don't expect a full tour--but you can get a taste of what it was like to live as Charleston aristocracy back in the day. The tour guide was friendly and was a born-and-raised Charlestonian. I found it particularly interesting how, due to the dust from streets, they would entertain social guests on the second floor but family dinners and business meetings were arranged downstairs. This is why the second floor looks more grand than the first. The joggling board was a nice way to end the tour. You are able to take pictures outside on the porch but not inside.

Nice house to visit if you are interested in South Carolina history. It has original furnishings, great tours and beautiful artwork! By going through this house you can learn about the history and beauty of South Carolina!

Great historic old home. Read the countless other reviews that gush over it. I tend to agree with them, but let me hit you with negatives the others leave out. Yeah, yeah, you don't see the 3rd floor because the great great grand kid resides there. I get it. What they don't tell you is that you actually only see 2 rooms on the first floor, and perhaps another 3 on the 2nd. Total rooms seen is about 35% of the mansion. The entire back half of the grounds are out of bounds. It's like a game of "just the tip" for your $12.50.

This is one of the most beautiful homes along the battery. One of those very gracious homes with huge piazzas for each floor. The docent Bob was a former history teacher and was very knowledgeable. The interior contains a lot of original furniture and artwork, along with some impressive historical and original documents. The tour was supposed to be a half hour but I think it was closer to an hour. Well worth the 12 buck admission.

Beautiful property and home, worth a quick visit.

The place was easy to get to, easy to buy tickets. The greeting ladies were lovely, as was our tour guide. She knew a lot about the history of the house and Charleston itself, even had a nice southern drawl. (: Learned a lot about this place and got a good feel of what an old Charleston home would've felt like. Go here if you're into history and seeing homes with original pieces.

Aw I totally love history and since I am from Tennessee I know a lot about Civil War history just from my proximity. So I was very excited to check out a house tour while in Charleston. While we were promenading around E Battery we saw the Edmondston-Alston House and it was open on a holiday! So we went on in. We paid at a desk at the front but had to wait about 15 min before the next tour started. They led us to the porch so that we could enjoy some cold water since it was super humid and hot outside. It was nice to relax on the porch and watch the world walk by. Our tour guide was an adorable older lady who was very knowledgable about the house history...as I suppose she should be since she is, in fact, a tour guide. Ha! We started downstairs where we heard the story about the families that live there. I really loved the Ordinance of Secession documents signed by Andrew Johnson in this room. That's cool. Other tidbits was the fact that families had a townhouse and a plantation both. I figured you were either town folk or plantation folk but apparently you could be both! Also, the house was in mourning for the son that died fighting for the Confederate side so it was cool to see how that looks (think black fabric on the mirrors and such). Upstairs you see the area where they would have entertained guests which was large and opened up to a second floor patio (apparently so the dust that got kicked up by all the carriages didn't get on you as much as it would on the downstairs patio). That's where guests watched the fighting at Fort Sumter...I guess that's the OG reality show. There were plates up there that the family used and she described how the house used to be with a stairway for bringing the dining table upstairs. Also, there was a family tree so that you could put it all together how these people were related. I really dug the library - soooo many old books! And the old civil war gun! My dad would have died looking at that. And they had a picture of what ladies back then would look like in mourning clothes (think...a completely covered in black ghost...including the head and face with a thick veil....not fun...). And apparently a member of the family still lives on the 3rd floor? Oh cool! Then we went back downstairs for to sit on the bouncy bench (official name eludes me...). As soon as my friend and I sat on it we busted out in uncontrollable giggles. It was so funny and silly. Thank God they don't still make you get married when you inadvertently touch thighs because that would have been awkward. Ha! If you are a history buff or just want to see inside one of these grand houses, you should go on this tour. Highly recommended!

A beautiful house on The Battery to see. We had a small crowd today and were in and out in about 35-45 minutes. There is so much history to take in, making it a good experience. It's also one of the only places on The Battery you can tour. Add that and a stroll on the waterfront, you won't be disappointed.

Donna, our tour guide provided great information about the house and was even from our home state (Iowa). The history on the Edmondston and Alston families was also great. Tours only take 30 min or so and well worth the stop. We even got to try out the joggling board on the piazza :)

The tour lasts about 30 minutes and our guide was incredibly well informed, answering any questions we could throw his way. He took us through many rooms, on 2 floors, inside and out. There are countless original pieces in the house and you feel like you are traveled back in time.

I really enjoyed this tour. It was a last minute decision and we got in on the last tour of the day. I really liked seeing how the house would have been during that time period. I believe Wendy was our tour guide and she was great. Very personable and a true Charlestonian.

Really enjoyed! We had a really good tour guide! It was fascinating to see how things were done, however they did not truthfully talk about slavery. They called them "servants" and I felt this was a misrepresentation of reality. I would definitely return.