I bought a ticket for this museum as part of a combination ticket with the Charleston Museum. I actually walked from there, stopping along some spots. It's a long walk, but nice if the weather is fitting. This is worth a visit, especially if you're into American history. George Washington stayed here while visiting the area. Also, Thomas Heyward was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. While it's not a vast mansion, the house is nicely decorated and the garden in the back was a good touch. The audio tour was informative and allowed you to go at your own pace. The staff here were friendly and helpful. The house is also near a nice residential neighborhood and close to Rainbow Row and the water. read more

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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. read more

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One of many historic homes in Charleston, owned by a wealthy "planter" (ie slaveowner). Appropriate respect is paid to those who really ran the home, and the trials and tribulations they went thru. Definitely recommended. read more

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As one of about 10 historic house museums in the Charleston area, this house is certainly one of the best. Located on Church Street in the heart of the historic district, the 30 minute guided tours offer a unique perspective on the history of Charleston. The house and its furnishings are amazing! I felt like I had traveled back to the late 1700s read more

Built in 1772 for Thomas Heyward Jr., a signed of the Declaration of Independence, this Georgian-style mansion hosted George Washington in 1791 two years into his presidency. The magnificent elegance of the home is noticeable, where even the newest piece of furniture is over 200 years old! Visitors are offered a glimpse of a priceless collection of the original books still encased in the mighty bookshelf on the second floor! Seeing the bedroom where George Washington once slept is intriguing. The kitchen is a wonderful replica of the cooking quarters that would have been impressive enough to accompany such a mansion. The grounds are also spectacular. While paying for admission at the Charleston Museum, you can additionally purchase tours of both the Heyward-Washington and Joseph Manigault houses. Since the two historic homes are included on the same ticket and only offer tours at the top of the hour, you'll need a strategy. Leave the Charleston Museum and cross John Street to the Manigault house in time for the hourly tour. Once you're finished, you'll have just enough time to cover the 20-minute walk south to the Heyward-Washington House so you can catch the top of the hour. One situation should be noted. You can't loiter at the Manigault house if you want to make it to Heyward-Washington in time. If you leave your Manigault tour immediately after its conclusion, the walk will take you to H-W right on time! Apparently, some of the volunteers at H-W haven't considered the 20-minute walk between the two houses. There were six couples at Manigault including us. We all left immediately following the tour and walked briskly in the relentless Charleston heat to Heyward-Washington. My wife and I outpaced the others, arriving with three minutes to spare, but the guides seemed exasperated by our "late" arrival. They were about to start the tour with the two sisters they thought they'd be guiding. Now they had four people. Apparently, our paying for admission and supporting the museum was seen as an imposition! Shortly after we arrived, the other five couples showed up precisely on the hour, expending the exact amount of time it takes to walk between the two houses. The guides were even more rattled. We were all putting more money into the museum's fund during a pandemic when finances are lean. And the head guide decided her welcome to 12 tourists arriving on the hour would be to roll her eyes and murmur, "Unbelievable!" How have these guides never considered the 20-minute walking time between the two houses? And who doesn't want business during the coronavirus? A blonde tour guide who teaches history during the school year was positioned on the second floor. We all agreed that she should be in charge. She was very friendly, welcoming, and incredibly knowledgeable. The other guides should either understand the logistics of walking, or find another job where grumpiness is welcomed. There is a bus that will take you from the Manigault House to the Heyward-Washington House. Of course when we all exited the Manigault property, there was no bus to be found. read more

We forgot about doing this tour- we were so busy and the night before we were leaving Charleston I remembered! So we arrived right as they opened at 10am. First ones to ring the doorbell. We were escorted to the back, outside the house and told the tour would start in just a few minutes and surprise~ our tour guide was the same woman from the Joseph Manigault House! Gail really knows her history on both houses! We quickly dipped into Kitchen house (the only 1740's kitchen house you can tour in Charleston) to start our tour. Back outside Gail introduced us to the history of the house and that is one of the verified places George Washington stayed- while he was in town for his Presidential tour. At that time Charleston was the 4th largest city in America! This house has been through so much over the centuries and I loved seeing the picture of the house as a bakery! The whole lower floor was converted into a storefront for a time! They really did a remarkable job restoring it to the original look. The furniture- especially the bookcases- are simply amazing! I also loved the elongated figure 8's adorned throughout the house, around the fireplace really caught my eye. The tile inside the fireplace was also beautiful. Both were original to the house. The garden outside a breath of fresh air. Tours start on the hour between 10am and 4pm and you get 30 minutes to tour the house. They are doing thorough cleaning between tours during these times. This is also the first historic house museum in the country! Enjoy this slice of history. read more

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The Heyward-Washington house is like something out of time. It is very authentic and a realistic view into the past, 1790's for George Washington, and before that in the Federal period of our history. It was considered a really nice house in the 1790's or George Washington would not have stayed there. Some people have an odd idea about how people lived in the past, but this is the real thing. This is not the largest or grandest house, but it was all the same how well-to-do people lived. The kitchen house is authentic and beautiful. For people looking for authenticity this is an important house. It is in the oldest part of the original city. read more

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We visited this house on Saturday, Feb 27th... 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... This house was the first stop of our day. We got there at 10am and were ushered into the room across from the library to check in (passports), and then we were ushered into the library to begin the tour. The ladies who were working here were ensuring limited numbers of groups, and they were spacing the groups out so that no two groups occupied the same room at the same time.  Masks were worn, and social distancing was strictly adhered to.   We had the privilege of a very personal and private tour of this home built in the early 1700s... during his presidency, George Washington himself stayed here for 8 days and 7 nights... I cannot tell you how important this place was to our national independence, but I would highly encourage you to spend a half an hour here should you get the chance! You will NOT have to ask about the amazing furniture pieces in this house!!! The ladies will tell you EVERYTHING about them, about the way life was lived in this house, you'll get to see things that are TRULY beyond an appraiser to put a value to (THE LIBRARY BOOKCASE!!! GOOD LORD it was a GORGEOUS piece!)... you'll see a hand written, gracious thank you letter (an original) in the hand of GW himself. You'll be walking on the original wooden floor boards that GW walked on when he arrived to stay here, on and on and on. GO to this house and visit if you're in Charleston! There is shrapnel in the bookcase from the Revolutionary War, there are stories of how the original two daughters of the house saw a slave whipped in the yard and were so scarred from a young age that they abandoned their home to go north and pursue the cause of freedom, etc. This is a stop WELL worth your while if you're at all even a mild enthusiast of history! read more

My wife and I visited on a very quiet Sunday afternoon before they closed. The tour was approximately 30 minutes and there were gardens and kitchens in the back of the property to tour as well. Our first president, Mr. Washington, stayed at this home many moons ago. Beautiful period furnishings and paintings along the tour. Our tour guide had a love for the property as well the history of Charleston. Located in the hear of the historic district which a walk through there alone was priceless. read more

Great history in this tour, George stayed here, beautiful gardens, outside bath and kitchen house. Friendly staff, you can bundle it and tour other places, but we just went to this place. You are able to take photos. I would recommend this tour. read more

4 stars for the history of the place, the garden and the furnishings. Our guide was a lovely elderly woman, who clearly and rightfully takes great pride in the place...but she does tend to drift in her focus. I found it charming; I think some other woman in our tour group wanted more facts, but honestly, she was pretentious anyway. The thing that turned me off was after we paid entrance, we were ushered out back to the grounds to explore, but not let back in until the precise second the tour commenced. It was blazingly hot that day and I merely wanted to come back in 2 minutes early to wait in the AC of the ticketing room. Instead, I was told to stay outside. Odd indeed and the rationale escapes me. read more

On a quick day trip to Charleston we had a full schedule and it involved visiting the Charleston museum and also booking a tour to the Heyward-Washington House where President George Washington visited during his tour of the south. The house is in impeccable condition in regards to being periodic and the best part is that the tour guides know their stuff. This isn't some anyone off the street volunteer guide. This is someone who worked at the smithsonian, or has a degree in architecture, or decor. They know their stuff, and they will open your eyes to life back in the heyday at the Heyward house. The furniture they have here is stunning, like Smithsonian and Antique Roadshow known stuff. I personally don't know squat about period furniture, but the guide really helps you understand. Between the interesting stories about the house, and it's tiny eccentricities to the gorgeous meticulously pruned and cared for garden, the Heyward Washington house is definitely a must for history enthusiasts in Charleston! Just a note- The only accessible bathroom is an outdoor converted privy. No worries about creepy crawlies, or dirt holes, it's been modernized, but there are no facilities inside for the public. The best part is once you've completed your tour -- Cut down the back allies across from the house and make your way out to Rainbow Row and see some interesting architecture characters in between. This place really made me enjoy Charleston and made me regret not booking a week trip there instead of Myrtle! read more

Great and informative tour today. Loved seeing the original decor. Our tour guide knew his stuff. Very cool that George Washington stayed there a week. Short enough for kids, but enjoyable for adults. read more

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Wonderful and informative tour. Our tour guide Carol Ann was so pleasant and knew so much about the home, furniture and history and architecture of the home. Nice to walk in Washington's steps. read more

This house has been preserved and furnished to give a good sense of how it would have appeared in the late eighteenth century (you know, when George Washington was sleeping there). The tour was relatively brief, but the guides were knowledgeable and entertaining. My favorite part was the small back garden, with the kitchen and laundry displayed as they would have been used. Not the most representative house to tour, but definitely worth including in your itinerary, especially if you're interested in the eighteenth century. read more

A neat place to visit for sure. Interesting history here about a founding family of the city and their relationship with George Washington. The house is amazing and filled with original furniture. It's worth a stop. read more

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House is in a great location in a beautiful neighborhood. The tour is not anything extraordinary but it is a nice quick tour. The garden feels like an original old garden with a period kitchen. read more

This tour was not worth the visit. The lady who conducted the tour was hard hear, not super friendly, and she rushed the tour. On the main floor, she quickly told us a brief history of the house, but it was pretty vague. She sent us upstairs and said to let them know if we had any questions. The man upstairs didn't bother to tell us anything about the rooms we looked at, didn't really answer or know the answer to any questions and pretty much just rushed us. I left feeling like I would have learned more by pulling up Wikipedia. Not worth the time, which was about 15 minutes. read more

Charleston is an incredibly fun place to vacation but if you don't incorporate the house museums you are truly missing out. The Heyward-Washington house is a true beauty with gardens that will impress almost anyone. The craftsmanship in the trim work had me looking up the entire tour. George Washington himself once rented the home making it a key part of American history. It is smaller than some of the other house museums but will not disappoint. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a little something extra to do in The Holy City. read more

Stunning garden and a beautiful Carolina home. We visited the Heyward-Washington house along with the package from the Charleston museum and Manigault House ($28 for the 3 places or $27 for military or with AAA discount). The house was beautiful but the gardens really stole the show as did the lady who did our tour. She was energetic, passionate about the history of the house and was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Both houses have tours every 30min and the tours take ~30-45min so plan ahead. This house is about 1 mile away from the other house and museum but is near some great restaurants, other attractions and the water. read more

Nice and short $10 tour. The guides are nice and friendly. (Not my favorite house tour in Charleston, but a very cool place considering George Washington stayed here.) I recommend touring this house on the same day that you visit Rainbow Row and The Battery/Waterfront Park. read more

Pretty spectacular approach and interior; skipped the tour.

Loved this home, gardens and furniture. Our tour guide, Emma, was very knowledgeable and accommodating. We learned a lot about the home and its owners. read more

Fabulous historical home. Great history lesson and what a joy to stand in a home where George Washington was a guest. Go use the privy. It's been updated but no light...just a slit in the wall. Always interested in kitchens from this time as well. It was great to see it. You will enjoy your visit. read more

My friend and I bought our tickets thru the Charleston Museum as part of the multi site ticket special deal and saved $4. Our tour guide was excellent and was able to carry on and keep the group focused even with an unruly toddler that was on our tour. Parents- I would say to not bring children that cannot be quiet or stay still as there are lots of "do not touch" signs and roped off areas, plus, chatty children make it hard to hear the tour guides! Tours start promptly on the hour and half hour. read more