What locals are saying
The oldest house museum in Charleston — opened to the public in 1929 and a National Historic Landmark since 1970 — the Heyward-Washington House earns its double billing: Thomas Heyward Jr. signed the Declaration of Independence here, and Washington slept under this roof during his 1791 Southern tour. The Georgian double house is furnished with period-correct Charleston-made pieces (authentic to the era, if not original to the house itself), and its 1740s kitchen outbuilding is the only one of its kind open to the public in the city — a detail that catches most visitors off guard. The self-guided audio tour runs in two versions, one weighted toward the Heyward family narrative and the Revolutionary War, the other toward the architecture and objects; serious history visitors recommend both, budgeting 60–75 minutes.
