This was disappointing and overpriced for the experience ($17). It's a great house, beautiful really, but my favorite parts were the outside and the gardens and fountains. The inside has a fantastically unique and broad collection of things, but I found it less interesting than expected especially as someone who loves art, enjoys history, and likes eclectic things. The tour guide was knowledgable and friendly, certainly enjoyed his take on things and the fact that he answered all questions (you could ask about any item and he would likely know something about it). But I was disappointed we spent $34 for what we saw and spent 45 mins on, and wouldn't recommend it. Would suggest a short walk/exploration around the grounds. I do understand that it's a privately owned home, so the owner should certainly charge what he'd like. And I do appreciate and am grateful for the fact that he makes his collection open to the public in this way. Many historical and interesting things to see. But it just wasn't as interesting as I expected. Maybe the person who recommended it to me hyped it up too much and ruined my expectations. read more

This tour was highly disappointing. Even though I purchased a ticket in advance and arrived early I was only able to tour the 1st 2 floors. The statues in my opinion are disrespectful and portray Africans in an inappropriate way. The manager was highly unprofessional and yelled at me after purchasing my ticket. In my opinion this establishment discriminates against minorities. Due to my medical conditions and there being radio active materials in the dining room I had to cut the tour short due to an extreme dizziness after being near the dinning room. I do not recommend visiting this mansion. It is a waste of money. read more

We had an extra day in Charleston and visited this mansion as we had passed by while on a carriage ride. The docent, Jennifer, was extremely knowledgeable and went the 'extra mile' to show us the hidden gems of the collection. read more

Visiting the Calhoun Mansion was a disappointment even though everyone said it was a "must-see". Beautiful home and interesting to see the architecture design of the home. The current owner ruin the integrity of the historical beauty of the home by placing his own personal antiques. Each room was over filled with his personal belonging he has collected during his trips. I felt he was using the mansion as a storage unit. The mansion needs to be "de-cluttered" and should "tastefully" display only unique pieces of the historical period. Too bad the current owner is ruining the opportunity of showcasing the mansion from the historical period it was meant to be. read more

This might be the best tour I've done in Charleston. I am so glad I upgraded to the VIP tour. The extra money was worth the insider look to learn about why the decor is so extensive and the details of the history. Amazing! read more

Southern Charm oozes out of this historic mansion in Charleston's historic downtown district. The mansion is massive and charismatic with a large variety of well decorated rooms. Part of a bridal present from the vice president of the confederacy, the history of the house isn't always pleasant, but it is an impeccable model of the style of the time. It's well worth a tour while visiting the town. read more

We toured 5 historic homes while visiting Charleston and they were all fabulous... except the "Calhoun Mansion". It was an abject waste of time and quite possibly the worst historic home tour we have ever been on. We should have heeded the massive red flag when they had original furnishings from the home for sale in the gift shop... It is simply a tourist trap to fund the owners collecting addiction. The whole thing felt like a sleazy used car lot and the guide fit that description as well We left about halfway through, that should tell you all you need to know read more

This house, along with many others, are the hallmarks of Charleston. Drayton Hall, Middleton Place, Magnolia Gardens, Beauregard House, Russell House....just so many beautiful places to see. Although I am no longer there, my heart is. You will not regret your visit. People are gracious and friendly, the food is great and the history is awesome!! read more

Must see while in Charleston. Filled to the brim with antiques from around the world. I recommend doing the full tour instead of the standard. read more

This was a major let down. The girl that gave the tour was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, but the house has no theme whatsoever. The "collector" that currently lives there uses it as his personal storage container, as in there is stuff EVERYWHERE! This took away from what was probably a very neat home. You can't see much detail because of all the stuff everywhere. I wouldn't advise this to someone trying to see Charleston. read more

Very disappointed for paying $16 for a tour that took like 20 minutes! We only saw 2 floors and were not allowed to really see in the rooms or see the kitchen, bathrooms or even the other top floors. There was definitely a lot of stuff in the home and it did seem cluttered. Not impressed with all the things displayed. The tour guide never went into major detail about the items the history or what they really where. Not an antiques expert but definitely felt underwhelmed. read more

The mansion is nothing more than a showcase of the current owner's antique collection. At a $17 ticket price I had expected more in-depth historical presentation & knowledge by our guide. The gardens were lovely but The price is not a good value in my opinion. read more

$16 to tour an antique shop. It was cool and all but I wish there would have been a bit more history on the house and not so much about all the works the current owner has collected. read more

http://thechucktownchatter.com/these-are-not-items-you-find-on-craigslist/ I usually pride myself on knowing certain historical details. Especially historical details involving Charleston. I was a bit embarrassed to find out that the beautiful home, called the Calhoun Mansion, is not named for the Calhoun I thought. Frankie said there was no need to be embarrassed because most visitors have the same thought. read more

Loved the beautiful home and grounds. I'm truly glad I saw it but $17 was too much to pay for such a limited tour. Honestly it was so crowded with items, although beautiful and unique, that one could not process it. I don' t know how the owner can stand the overabundance of his own room without breaking a toe on a piece of furniture when he walks through. If you are looking for a tour of a true victorian era home, this will disappoint you. If you love antiques, it is a good collectors museum even if it is crowded. I could have visited some of the fabulous Charleston antique stores without an entry fee. On the upside, the tour did inspire me to resolve to de-clutter my own house. read more

I thought this was an historic site that informed the history of the house, family and community of Charleston. Instead its a tacky testament to too much money and no taste. These people are more like rich hoarders. The collection may be worth a fortune but it's disjointed and not related to Charleston what so ever. I have to question the psychy of someone who not only amasses this hoard but then thinks it's o.k. to charge people to tour their excess. Sad and gross all at once. Not worth your money or time. read more

A really great tour. Sometimes I can't understand how other people review something. The tour is exactly what it purports to be...an historically significant residence in downtown Charleston. It's not a museum and it's not about the personal antiques collection of the current owner. The tour is really about the historical significance of this house, it's original owners, the timeline of events and to understand the architectural design of its time. I thought the price was fine as was the length of the tour and what we got to see. We even saw the current owner's personal bedroom...what more would you want? read more

This was a spur of the moment decision for us, and I wish I would have read reviews first. The entire interior is full of art collected by the current owner. Although a lot of it is interesting, we had been hoping for more history about Charleston and less information about the art, the bulk of which doesn't have anything to do with local history. In fact, the only original items still in the house are chandeliers in one room and curtain rods in another. Our guide was very nice and knowledgeable, but we were lucky. Upon arrival we had just missed the start of another tour, and the tour guide for that tour was standing at the entrance to the home. We were headed to purchase our tickets when she spoke to us in a very rude manner saying that we needed to buy tickets and couldn't join her tour. At no point had we expected to join her tour, and we were very taken aback at her tone. Also, be aware that there are no photos allowed in the house. read more

Not worth the time or money ... suggest hotels and tour companies DO NOT RECOMMEND‼ Requested a refund and the "Calhoun Mansion Management" sent a hostile rude response ... the property is misrepresented as historic contents reflective of the Calhoun family. Zero relevance ... It's a disservice to tourists ... suggest they update the brochure to state that the contents of the renovated home belong to a local resident, Mr. Stahl and includes simply a collection of his "souvenirs" while traveling including animal trophy's‼. Tourist are paying to see his stuff!!! Buyer beware‼ read more

Pros- beautiful home, great woodwork, lovely ceilings. Con- you may think you are going to see a home where a former Vice President resided, but you are not. He never resided in this home. Con- this home is now owned by a very wealthy couple who are obviously hoarders. There is so much junk in this home that you cannot enjoy the beautiful architecture because your eyes are drawn to all the clutter crammed into every inch of floor space and table top. read more

We spent 4 days in Charleston, and took several tours. This was easily one of our favorite. We got lucky and had Jennifer as our guide. Her personality and passion for the history added so much to the experience. The owners collection is amazing and his willingness to share it with everyone is commendable. Would recommend to anyone looking to learn about history, art, or architecture. Thanks again Jennifer and Mr Stahl!! read more

This was a house tour about the current owner and his collectables. It was like an episode of Hoarders for the Wealthy. There was so much to see you could hardly focus. I was expecting to learn Charleston history and was sadly disappointed. I will never go back. read more

I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the tour guide delightful. Must see if you are in Charleston.

I personally did not think this tour was worth the $16. The house is very lovely as is the garden, but inside you really are just allowed in the hallways. The house is filled with the owners collection of antiques, but each room (living room, bedrooms, dining room, etc) are all roped off so everyone kind of takes turns seeing what's inside each room. There were some interesting things and it was not a bad time, but I personally enjoyed tours that show how life was lived/ rooms were decorated/ etc and this doesn't really supply. Just my thoughts! read more

I wish I had known this place has only the thinnest connection to John C. Calhoun before the tour guide lured me from the street and convinced me to pay $15 for her tour. I quickly learned better afterward. To be sure, it's a nice enough house, worth a walk-through and seeing a big cross-section of the current mysterious owner's (an "international attorney") antique collection. Still, it's not at all worth $15 per person. At the end, I felt like I had been duped at that price, and that I paid a rich guy to continue haphazardly crowding this home (where he currently lives) with stuff, and misleading unsuspecting tourists about the historical significance of the place. read more

I was excited to see this house and walked quite a ways to do so. I paid 16 dollars to go in to see this restored home but what I saw was chaos. There are NO pictures of the original family in the house. There is one original table with oriental stuff on it. The house itself is very nice; however, it is filled with random artifacts from around the world. If you are expecting a period Charleston home save your cash. read more

Overpriced. A missed opportunity to show a period house with interesting history. Instead this house, although nicely restored, is absolutely packed with the current owners' antiques. Every surface and wall space is covered! Admittedly there is an OMG moment when you first see the extent of this antique obsession but it soon wears off and becomes a "gimme a break" drudgery as more and more of the antiques become the show. Save your money and go to the the Nathaniel Russel house and it's counterpart, the Aiken-Rhett house. Together they show you a real slice of Charleston. read more

What. A. Scam. This mansion tour could be the worst way to spend your time in Charleston. While most mansion tours cost $12 this one costs $17. While most mansion tours have homes containing furniture original to the house or from the era this home has a hodge podge of items that the current owner has collected from around the world. Do you really want to find in a Charleston mansion a cluttered home full of stuffed animals from Africa, a reproduction of King Tut's tomb, a mirror from a diner, etc? Why not just put this stuff in self storage? There are so many items in the house it is almost impossible to see the woodwork or anything else one would care to see. This tour gets one star because there doesn't seem to be a way to give it zero stars. Go see the Nathaniel Russell house across the street. It's cheaper, better and well worth it! read more

The Calhoun Mansion is definitely an interesting place to visit. We arrived at the grounds on a hot day and proceeded around back to buy our tickets and way for the tour to start. Our tour guide, Priscilla, was upbeat and energetic and did everything a tour guide should do. When you first walk into the mansion it is beautifully decorated and shows signs of elegance and history alike. Then you start looking into the rooms and other hallways. When our guide said that the owner and his family (a couple kids and pets I I recall) live in it 85% of the time I was shocked. The rooms are stuffed full of his antique collection. I felt like I was looking at an upscale antique shop more than someone's residence. The price is a little steep for what you get and there are better options if you're on a time crunch, but if not, it's a good place to check out. read more

Not what I had expected. Although the tour provided good entertainment,it was not the historic or architectural experience that my family and I anticipated. It's a private residence and collection of antiques. The term collection does not adequately describe the quantity of possessions. It appeared to be more of a storage facility than a private display of unique belongings. If you are interested in unique collectables, this is the tour for you. Otherwise prepare to be overwhelmed. read more

Of course this is one of the coolest buildings in charleston. It's the spot where they filmed North and South (George hazards home). One of my favorite miniseries and the house did not disappoint. Tours are available read more

A must see on your visit to Charleston. Beautiful mansion that has been restored with amazing attention to detail. Filled with antiques from all over the world! A lot of pieces from Louis Tiffany!! A lot of these home tours tend to be on the pricier side. While this one is also, you will find it more than worht it after you are done!!! read more

This is a true architectural marvel. Unfortunately, you learn little about the building itself from the tour. The owner, and current occupant of the third floor (which is off limits to guests) has done a brilliant job restoring the premises but has used the mansion as a crowded storage container for an eclectic and disorganized assortment of valuables that he has gathered from every different geographic region and time period. He is an extremely rich hoarder. Instead of focussing on the history of the house and the stories of its ownership over the years, the tour guides spend most of their time ping ponging from one antique to the next -- many of which are sad taxidermied animal heads and body parts. Worse still you don't get to examine any of the rooms. (There is t any room for examination with all the antiques stashed inside.). Instead you have to take your turn peering in from the hallway. read more

The Calhoun Mansion is a beautiful house. But you can barely see it through the clutter of antique bric a brac stuffed into every room. The current owner clearly has a hoarding problem. Many of the pieces are not contemporary to the house or relevant to its history. read more

This place has the most amazing collection of wonderful antiques from all periods I have read some of the reviews. All I can say is that there are a lot of stupid people. The lady who says "house full of junk". I can't even count the millions and millions of dollars worth of amazing pieces that are in this house. I have been in the antique business for my entire life and grew up with wonderful antiques. The stuff in this house is almost impossible to fine today. Yes. There is a lot in this house, but It's all amazing Stuff. Definitely worth the $16.00 In my opinion it's the best deal in Charleston. To the owner and collector. Amazing job. read more

Wow, hate to say it, but this was a huge letdown. The mansion is impressive as are the grounds, but once you pay your $15 and the tour starts, you quickly learn the sorted history of the place, how it changed hands, fell into disrepair and was condemned, all things original were lost / sold / removed, and ultimately, 11 semi-truck loads of random clutter was brought from all over the world to fill up the huge mansion. It is devoid of a theme, time period, or any level of taste. There seems to be almost no relevance or historical significance to any of the contents in the house other than a few pieces from Tiffany that had a good story. Otherwise, this is a ridiculously cluttered building full of stuff that obstruct the original beauty of the house. I would have much rather seen it set up to reflect a historically relevant time in Charleston. As it is, this is just an elegant looking storage unit that smells of mothballs and removes $15 from your wallet. What a shame. read more

I don't understand all of the negative reviews about this beautiful home. The house itself is absolutely beautiful and in immaculate condition. The grounds and gardens are well taken care of are very manicured. The locals do not seem to like it and call it gaudy. Sure, most of the furniture is not period to the house and the collection is a bit "over the top" but the owner has a fantastic collection and likes to show it off. I felt is was an honor to be able to see it. If you are a true antique collector and enjoy looking at beautiful things this house is a must stop in Charleston. read more

From the second you enter the massive front doors till the moment you exit through the rear you're eyes are over indulged with an overabundance of collectibles from around the globe. Precilla the guide did an outstanding job! You can tell she loves what she does. Best of all you're touring the home of a VERY eclectic family with WAY to much money to spend and to recoup their investment they've filled this place top to bottom with unusual collectible, antiques and un-namable items that you won't believe and charge us all to see it. Couples, families...young and old will ALL enjoy this fabulous old mansion. I'd say for the price this is a MUST do while in Charleston. Don't expect any applicable decorating tips :-) read more

The gardens are impressive as is the late 19th century architecture of the home. However, the interior of the home is a hoarder's paradise, so completely filled with literally thousands of antiques and collectibles that it is difficult to appreciate the rooms in the home and the antiques that may be worth viewing. The overall experience is not a good one and certainly not worth the $17.00 admission fee. Moreover, the home has little to do with the historical John Calhoun. The home was built by his grandson. There are many more historical and beautiful homes to tour in Charleston than the Calhoun mansion. read more

Wow! Gorgeous antiques set in an architectural masterpiece. Knowledgeable guide.