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Aiken-Rhett House


TripAdvisor Traveler Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
TripAdvisor Popularity Index: #6 of 140 attractions in Charleston
Traveler Description: A historic house museum that is highly recommended.
Familiar with Aiken-Rhett House? Write your own description and share what you know with other travelers.
Attraction type: Historic home
Address: 48 Elizabeth St Charleston, SC 29401
Tel: 843-723-1159

Reviews you can trust

[ Date ] [ Rating ]
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5 of 5 stars
unclelouie   112 contributions
Minnesota
Nov 27, 2009

We really enjoyed the Aiken-Rhett House but maybe some travellers will not as much. It has not been all fixed up with period piece furniture, drapes, wallpaper, dishes, and the like. It is the real thing with some original furniture, old wallpaper, and is not all prettied up. Please understand the difference between preserved and restored. As a result, some... more

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5 of 5 stars
krisjb1   34 contributions
Apex, North Carolina
Aug 2, 2009
4
people found this review helpful

I loved the house and how it has NOT been restored. No replacements for furniture that the former owners might have used. No reproduction wallpaper that is similar to what may have been there. No fake stuff. Faded paint layers, peeling wallpaper, and exposed plaster lathe are really fascinating examples of features rarely exposed to public view. Though not decorated... more

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5 of 5 stars
mburgess44   3 contributions
Saltville, VA
Jul 21, 2009
1
person found this review helpful

If you go to Charleston & want to tour a house. This is the one. more

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5 of 5 stars
halfhisorange   5 contributions
Fredericksburg
Apr 17, 2009
2
people found this review helpful

A local suggested this "urban plantation" to us while we were touring Boone Plantation. The tour is self-guided via mp3 player and allows the option to pause and look around each room at your leisure. The most interesting thing about this house is that it has been preserved but not restored, so you are seeing the house and artifacts just... more

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5 of 5 stars
Colewade   76 contributions
Asheville, North Carolina
Apr 4, 2009
5
people found this review helpful

The Aiken Rhett House is not simply a showroom for museum quality pieces. Home to a long line of Aiken descendents, including Governor William Aiken, 200 years of history unfolds in multiple layers at every bend of the circuitous 45 minute tour. This is just the kind of house and history that would have inspired Tennessee Williams. Though the magnificent... more

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5 of 5 stars
crecords   2 contributions
Delaware
Feb 7, 2009
4
people found this review helpful

Worth the extra walk, it was wonderful that the property is preserved as is was. Walking through the slave quarters was very interesting. Truly a chance to experience history close up. more

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5 of 5 stars
johnh127   4 contributions
Fredericksburg, VA
Jan 25, 2009
3
people found this review helpful

We are both in the museum business, and this site was one of the best we have seen. The uncontrolled environment causes some wincing from a curatorial standpoint, but the interpretaton of spaces within this urban plantaion is excellent. Most compelling are the kitchen and stable places out back--which the foundation interprets honestly and with a sense of historical justice.... more

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5 of 5 stars
bmason1003   25 contributions
Nashville
Jan 1, 2009
3
people found this review helpful

If you are interested in what historic homes actually look like when they have been preserved and the history behind them, tour this home. I love the audio tour so you can easily hear and go at your own pace. The slave house and stables are especially interesting in this home because they have been so well preserved and you... more

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5 of 5 stars
mattie0817   5 contributions
Florence, Alabama
Oct 27, 2008
4
people found this review helpful

This house is a hidden jewel. I have been to Charleston 4-5 times. We just happen to stumble on this house. I personally enjoyed the MP3, because there isn't anything that is forgotten. They had employees stationed around the house, to answer any questions that you have. I was amazed at the amount of original furniture that was still in... more

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5 of 5 stars
heather1074   3 contributions
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Oct 6, 2007
4
people found this review helpful

I lOVE the house you can see through all the faded wallpaper and paint that the house was once a very beautiful place. IT hasbeen perversed and not restored. You use an MP3 PLAYER To lead you through the house and grounds. I like that better than A guide that way you can stay longer IN A room tO look... more

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Aiken-Rhett House Address

48 Elizabeth St, Charleston, SC 29401
Tel: 843-723-1159