Group House Museum Tours
Step into Columbia’s past through its historic homes. Each museum reveals a different chapter of the city’s story, from entrepreneurial families and community leaders to national movements that shaped our future. Guided tours connect you with the people who lived and worked in these spaces, offering immersive exhibits, interactive storytelling, and powerful insights into more than two centuries of history.
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Available Tours
Hampton-Preston Mansion
Built in 1818, the Hampton-Preston Mansion has long been associated with the elite antebellum families who are its namesakes. Today, visitors learn about the experiences of all the people who lived and worked at this site during its 200-year history.
Accessibility
We recognize that 19th-century architecture poses some accessibility challenges and are always working to improve access to our house museums for all our visitors. The Hampton-Preston Mansion was constructed in 1818 and does not have elevator access.
Journey to Freedom
This two-house tour begins at the Mann-Simons Site where guests will learn about an entrepreneurial African American family and their 130-year history. It is an exploration of the lives of generations that persevered while navigating race-based laws in the capital city. The tour then visits the Modjeska Monteith Simkins House, which was home to one of South Carolina’s greatest human rights advocates of the 20th Century. This section of the tour covers the impact of Simkins and is structured as a self-guided experience to discover the legacy of her seven decades of activism.
Accessibility
Visitors will meet at the Mann-Simons Site and then walk or drive to the Modjeska Monteith Simkins House a block away. Limited on-site parking is available, so walking between the sites is encouraged. The Mann-Simons Site requires climbing stairs to enter the building, while the Modjeska Monteith Simkins House has a ramp for those with limited mobility.
Museum of the Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home
The Museum of the Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home is the nation's only museum dedicated to showcasing the post-Civil War Reconstruction period and is housed in South Carolina's only remaining presidential site. Using interactives, videos, panels, and artifacts, the Museum of the Reconstruction Era interprets Columbia’s late 19th-century history in order to dispel the myths of Reconstruction prevalent in society today.
Accessibility
The Museum of Reconstruction at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home was constructed in 1871 and does not have elevator access to the second floor. However, the first floor has been adapted for wheelchair access, and visitors can experience the second-floor content through a digital presentation.
Robert Mills House
Robert Mills House This tour blends architectural appreciation with insights into the cultural landscape of Columbia in the 1820s for all who would have inhabited this property. Explore our newest exhibit, Heat & Hardship: The Hidden Labor of Enslaved Cooks, where you'll use hands-on activities, immersive storytelling, and interactive audio wands to learn more about how this basement space was used. Discover the site’s evolution into a religious institution and how the Robert Mills House became the first structure saved from demolition by Historic Columbia.
Accessibility
The Robert Mills House, constructed in 1823, is a National Historic Landmark that does not have elevator access to the main or upper floor.
Scheduling Your Experience
Book Your Group Tour
#form Ready to explore Columbia’s most historic homes? Use the form below to inquire about scheduling your guided tour and experience the stories, struggles, and triumphs that shaped our community. Questions? Please contact Adam Miller, Group Tour Coordinator at (803) 252-1770 ext. 23.