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Holiday House Tours

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November 14 – January 5

Holiday Tours

Make your holidays historic!

Experience the holiday season with Historic Columbia on a guided holiday tour of the Robert Mills House and the Hampton-Preston Mansion!

Buy Tickets Now! 

Guests are invited to see a variety of holiday decorations and experience traditions in both historic homes between Thursday, November 14, 2024, and Sunday, January 5, 2025. Tour guides will provide stories of holidays past in Columbia and discuss how families decorated and entertained during the 19th century. 

At the Robert Mills House, guests will see how a home of its size might have been decorated in the 1820s during the time before Christmas trees were popular. Across the street at the Hampton-Preston Mansion, Christmas of the 1850s was very different from today, but some current holiday traditions have their roots from this time. Eggnog, poinsettias, and Christmas trees were all part of the Victorian era holidays. Guests will have the opportunity to view artifacts and learn about holiday traditions involving Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year celebrations.

Due to Candlelight Tours, there will be no 3:00 p.m. tour on Friday, December 6.

Please note there will be no standard tours of the Robert Mills House and Hampton-Preston Mansion during holiday tour dates. The holiday tour is your only option for these two homes, but you can take a tour of the Museum of Reconstruction at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home, or the combined Journey to Freedom Tour of the Mann-Simons Site and Modjeska Monteith Simkins House. 

Holiday Closures

Please note Historic Columbia is closed for tours on the following dates in observance of the holidays:

  • Thursday, November 28
  • Friday, November 29
  • Wednesday, December 25
  • Thursday, December 26
  • Wednesday, January 1

Plan Your Visit

  • Times and Tickets

    Holiday House Tours are offered November 14, 2024 – January 5, 2025: 
    Wednesday – Saturday at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

    Tickets may be purchased in advance online up until midnight the day prior to the tour, OR tickets may be purchased the day of the tour at the Robert Mills Gift Shop. All tours begin at the Robert Mills Gift Shop, 1616 Blanding Street; please plan to arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled tour time. Tours are guided and last approximately 75 minutes.

  • Pricing

    Tickets are $18/adult and $15/youth. HC Members receive free holiday tour admission! To learn more about the benefits of membership, click here. Specialty tours, including our Holiday House Tour, offer discounts to members of the military. Please be prepared to show your military ID at the gift shop.

    To schedule a group tour, call (803) 252-1770 ext. 23 or email reservations@historiccolumbia.org.

  • Accessibility

    The historic homes are located adjacent to one another, but guests will have to walk between them. Please note guests with mobility issues will not be able to experience the full house tours as there are stairs in both exhibits.

  • Questions?

    Contact Us

    reservations@historiccolumbia.org
    (803) 252-1770 ext. 23

Become a Member and Save!

Holiday house tours are free for Historic Columbia members. Join today!

  • Historic Holiday Decorations
  • Historic Holiday Decorations
  • Historic Holiday Decorations
  • Historic Holiday Decorations
  • Historic Holiday Decorations
  • Historic Holiday Decorations
  • Historic Holiday Decorations
NTHP Preservation Award Winner
Historic Columbia

© 2025 Historic Columbia

Administrative Offices
1601 Richland Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Tours
All historic house and garden tours start at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills.
1616 Blanding Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Questions? Call (803) 252-7742.

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