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The Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens is closed on Sunday, May 18. All other sites and tours will run as scheduled, including Free Sunday at the Museum of the Reconstruction Era.

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Historic Columbia

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      • Robert Mills House and Gardens
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Plan Your Visit

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Plan Your Visit

Getting to Historic Columbia

There is a free museum parking lot for Historic Columbia visitors. It is located on the 1600 block of Henderson Street, between Taylor and Pickens streets. The gift shop is immediately adjacent to this lot. There is also free street parking nearby; after parking, please enter the Robert Mills House and Gardens through any open gate and make your way to the gift shop.

Get Directions

 

Map to parking

  • Times & Tickets

    Historic Columbia offers tours Wednesday through Sunday. Tour times vary by location.

    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 60 minutes, unless otherwise stated.

    Tours are subject to change and may be affected by weather, maintenance, or extenuating circumstances.

    Buy Tickets Online

  • 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. 

  • Discounts

    Discounted ticket prices are available for multiple tours, active military, AAA, students, seniors, and kids. Remember to ask for discounts when you purchase your tickets at the gift shop!

  • Gardens

    Four of our historic homes feature landscaped gardens that are free and open to the public. You are encouraged to enjoy the gardens following your tour.

    Learn More

    Please review our Garden Etiquette page prior to your visit.

  • FAQs

    Our Frequently Asked Questions and House Museum Visitation Policies pages can help answer other questions you may have about your visit to Historic Columbia.

  • Contact Us

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

Accessibility

We recognize that 19th-century architecture poses some accessibility challenges and are always working to improve access to our homes for all our visitors. If you or your group have any accessibility concerns, please call 24 hours in advance of your tour so that we may best accommodate your needs. There is a small step to gain access to the Gift Shop where admission must be purchased. With 24-hour advance notice, we can place a ramp at the entrance to allow wheelchair access. Please contact (803) 252-1770 ext. 24 for more inf#welcomeneighborormation about accessibility at any of Historic Columbia's properties. Weekend visitors should contact Historic Columbia during regular weekday business hours to plan for an upcoming visit. 

Help me choose a tour!

Wondering which tour is right for you?

Let us help you decide or read more about each tour below.

Journey to Freedom  Robert Mills House & Gardens  Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens  The Museum of Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home  Mann-Simons Site  Modjeska Monteith Simkins House

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Journey to Freedom Tour

Historic Columbia is offering a combined tour of both the Mann-Simons Site and the Modjeska Monteith Simkins House to learn more about Black history in Columbia. 

History of the Mann-Simons Site
History of the Modjeska Monteith Simkins House

Tour Times

Wednesday – Sunday: 3 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. Please plan to arrive at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills 10 minutes before your tour begins. Guests should drive from there to the Mann-Simons site. After a semi-guided tour of the home, guests may either walk or drive the two blocks to the Modjeska Monteith Simkins House. Here guests will take a self-guided tour and conclude the combined tour.

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Robert Mills House & Gardens

1616 Blanding Street | Columbia, SC 29201

One of only five National Historic Landmarks in Columbia, the Robert Mills House showcases the skill of the architect who designed some of our nation's most prominent buildings, including the Washington Monument.

History of the Robert Mills House

Tour Times

Wednesday – Saturday: 12:00 p.m. | Sunday: 1:30 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. Please plan to arrive at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills 10 minutes before your tour begins.

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Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens

1615 Blanding Street | Columbia, SC 29201

One of Columbia's oldest remaining structures, the Hampton-Preston Mansion explores the lives of enslaved workers and their planter-class owners.

History of the Hampton Preston Mansion

Tour Times

Wednesday – Saturday: 10:30 a.m. | Sunday: 3 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. Please plan to arrive at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills 10 minutes before your tour begins.

More about The Museum of Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home

  • Woodrow Wilson Family Home

The Museum of Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home

1705 Hampton Street | Columbia, SC 29201

The nation's only museum dedicated to interpreting the post-Civil War Reconstruction period and South Carolina's only remaining presidential site, this distinctive circa-1871 Italian villa-style residence was home to a 14-year-old boy named "Tommy" Woodrow Wilson.

History of the Woodrow Wilson Family Home

Tour Times

Wednesday – Sunday: 1:30 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. Please plan to arrive at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills 10 minutes before your tour begins.

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Mann-Simons Site

1403 Richland Street | Columbia, SC 20201

While only one house stands today, the Mann-Simons Site historically was a collection of commercial and domestic spaces owned and operated by the same African American family from at least 1843 until 1970.

History of the Mann-Simons Site

Tour Times (Part of Journey to Freedom Tour)

Wednesday – Sunday: 3 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. Please plan to arrive at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills 10 minutes before your tour begins.

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Modjeska Monteith Simkins House

2025 Marion Street | Columbia, SC 29201

Built between 1890 and 1895, this one-story cottage was home to Modjeska Monteith Simkins, one of South Carolina's greatest human rights advocates, from 1932 until her death on April 5, 1992.

History of the Modjeska Monteith Simkins House

Tour Times (Part of Journey to Freedom Tour)

Wednesday – Sunday: 3 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. Please plan to arrive at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills 10 minutes before your tour begins.

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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