Heyward-Washington House

In 1791, the city of Charleston rented Heyward's home for President George Washington's weeklong stay in the city. The association with America's first president has persisted ever since. Built in 1772, the Heyward-Washington House earned its moniker for two men who figured prominently in its history, Thomas Heyward Jr. and President George Washington. Heyward, a Revolutionary War officer and South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776 is best known for contributing his signature to the Declaration of Independence. The architecture of the three-story red brick double reflects the Georgian style that spread widely through English colonies for its order and symmetry.

Very cool house!!! We had a great time and I highly recommend visiting. When we were done, I elected to take the kids out and let my better half turn in the devices they give you to use during the self-guided tour, due to more staff showing up with very obvious life choices that I don’t agree with. Glad to see the home and see the history of our country!! Very, very cool!!!

A lovely slice of history in downtown Charleston. A lot of historical information provided by an audio tour. Beautiful gardens as well.

Audio tour is very informative. Furniture collection is impressive. The garden and kitchen are great. Wonderful history tour, not to be missed.

George Washington stayed at this house during his tour of the new country after the Revolution. It's a self-guided audio tour. They give you an audio device with a small speaker. Hold the device near a sensor in each room and it starts playing while you hold it to your ear like a cell phone. At the end of each recording you are presented with 2 or 3 options to hear more about a specific aspect of that room. There are also knowledgeable attendants around. We spent about 2 hours there, but I like to read and listen to everything. If you just wanted the highlights, you could do it in 45 mins. If you like history, you'll enjoy this tour.

What an amazing piece of history, and the volunteers are so hospitable and helpful. This is such a fun stop, chock full of information. If you are looking for a quick history fix or a hard ore history buff this is a great stop for you!

Very nice tour experience. We especially liked the outdoor kitchen and small gardens. We visited the Heyward-Washington house in November and the weather was very pleasant and the crowds were small which gave us some time to meander through the house at our own pace. They have done a nice job explaining the house, features and what life was like then. Reasonably priced tour and worth the money.

This was the only house we toured during the few days of our visit to Charleston. We were told that this was THE house if we toured any, and we were not disappointed. The guide did a great job explaining life in the house during the Revolutionary War period. The furnishings were a collection of pieces of local origin during that time period. The topic of slavery was not ignored and described during the tour. The circumstances of George Washington's stay at the house during his presidential tour of the region was interesting to hear. I recommend this house tour to anyone visiting the area.