Plan Your Visit
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. Historic Columbia's Welcome Center 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 welcome center.
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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 Historic Columbia's Welcome Center 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 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 Historic Columbia's Welcome Center, located adjacent to the Robert Mills House. All tours begin at Historic Columbia's Welcome Center, 1616 Blanding Street; please plan to arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled tour time. 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.
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. The site is owned by the City of Columbia and managed by Historic Columbia.
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 Historic Columbia's Welcome Center, located adjacent to the Robert Mills House. Please plan to arrive at Historic Columbia's Welcome Center 10 minutes before your tour begins.
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. The site is owned by Richland County and managed by Historic Columbia.
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 Historic Columbia's Welcome Center, located adjacent to the Robert Mills House. Please plan to arrive at Historic Columbia's Welcome Center 10 minutes before your tour begins.
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. The site is owned by Richland County and managed by Historic Columbia.
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 Historic Columbia's Welcome Center, located adjacent to the Robert Mills House. Please plan to arrive at Historic Columbia's Welcome Center 10 minutes before your tour begins.
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. The site is owned by the City of Columbia and managed by Historic Columbia.
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 Historic Columbia's Welcome Center, located adjacent to the Robert Mills House. Please plan to arrive at Historic Columbia's Welcome Center 10 minutes before your tour begins.
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. The site is owned by the City of Columbia and managed by Historic Columbia.
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 Historic Columbia's Welcome Center, located adjacent to the Robert Mills House. Please plan to arrive at Historic Columbia's Welcome Center 10 minutes before your tour begins.