The 10 Best Specialty Museums in Charleston, South Carolina (SC)

We are preserving the legacy of the master blacksmith, who lived in this house from 1960 to 2008. His home is now a museum house with an operating workshop that was given to him by his mentor (an ex-slave).

Of Charleston's many fine house museums, only the Edmondston-Alston House (constructed in 1825 and enhanced in 1838) commands a magnificent view of Charleston Harbor. From its piazza, General P. T. Beauregard watched the fierce bombardment of Ft. Sumter on April 12, 1861, signaling the start of the Civil War. And on December 11 of the same year, the house gave refuge to General Robert E. Lee the night a wide-spreading fire threatened his safety in a Charleston hotel. Much like the Middleton Place House Museum, the collection at the Edmondston-Alston House Museum consists of pieces that belonged to the family, reflecting not only family history but American history. Despite the ravages of the Civil War, the Earthquake of 1886 and numerous hurricanes, the Alston family pieces remain in place much as they have for over 150 years. Notable in the collection is an original print of the Ordinance of Secession, portraits, dining room table, gas lights, mirror and exquisite interior woodwork.

The Gibbes Museum enhances lives through art by engaging people of every background and experience with art and artists of enduring quality, by collecting and preserving art that touches Charleston, and by providing opportunities to learn, to discover, to enjoy, and to be inspired by the creative process. Recognized among the oldest arts organizations in the United States, the Gibbes has played a significant role in shaping the careers of American artists for over a century. The Museum connects the city and region's artistic past to a vibrant contemporary art scene.

We are only open to the public during exhibitions. Visit our website to see our current exhibition: http://halsey.cofc.edu/exhibitions . The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston School of the Arts provides a multidisciplinary laboratory for the production, presentation, interpretation, and dissemination of ideas by innovative visual artists from around the world. As a non-collecting museum, we create meaningful interactions between adventurous artists and diverse communities within a context that emphasizes the historical, social, and cultural importance of the art of our time. We originate between five and seven exhibitions per year, many of which travel nationally, and host a year-round schedule of lectures, panels, symposia, screenings, discussions, and special events. Find out more on our website: http://halsey.cofc.edu

The Williams Mansion was renamed the Calhoun Mansion but recently returned to its original and historical name. One of Charleston's few intact architectural treasures, and its largest residence, boasting 24,000 sf of Gilded Age splendor ... including spectacular woodwork, moldings and craftsmanship. Completed in 1878 (after more than 5 years of construction by charleston’s most talented craftsmen), the Williams Mansion, a marvel of Italianate Revival architectural splendor, was declared by the press as the “handsomest house in the south.” It remains so today, filled with an extraordinary collection of period furniture and decorative and fine art rivaling any Gilded Age historic museum in the country. Carefully preserved and restored, and having won national and international acclaim, you are invited to tour the Mansion( and it’s spectacular gardens) located at the southern foot of Meeting Street, in the very heart of Charleston’s most important and grand historic, residential areas.

The Macaulay Museum of Dental History presents the history of dentistry in South Carolina through interpretive exhibits and historical office settings. Displays include furnishings, equipment, instruments, and more. The museum collection focuses on the mid-19th century to the 1960s.