Victorian Holiday Tours
HOLIDAYS OF YORE – CHARLESTON CITY, MUSEUM & HOUSE TOUR
Your destination is the Historical City of Charleston! The 350-year old port city is laced with a multitude of traditions created by the combining of the English, German, and African cultures of the early settlers resulting in holiday traditions and customs unique to the Low Country. Your excursion throughout the old walled city will include the world-famous Battery, Waterfront District, Dock Street Theatre, and much more. Lunch will be on your own at the City’s Historic City Market Area which offers a multitude of eateries (Southern and ethnic flavors) and a variety of unique vendors with wares from Arts and Crafts, Antiques, Sweet Grass baskets and tableware, to Clothing and Jewelry. Next on the agenda is a special behind the scenes VIP tour of The Charleston Museum’s Victorian Collection. Your last excursion will be to the Calhoun Mansion, circa 1876 (Charleston’s Gilded Age Mansion), Featured on A&E’s American Castles and recently named one of the top things to do in Charleston by Travel and Leisure. The beautifully manicured gardens with its carved statues and flowing fountains captivate your senses! The Calhoun Mansion is considered one of the most important pieces of Victorian architecture on the Eastern Seaboard.
Itinerary: Approximately 9 hours
Tour includes:
1) Transportation
2) Gray Line Tour Guide & Charleston Tour Guide
4) Historical Charleston City Tour
5) Admission to Charleston Museum (Signature Series VIP Victorian Collection)
6) Admission to Calhoun Mansion
Tour does not include:
1) Lunch
2) Driver or Tour Guide Gratuities
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS OF THE LOW COUNTRY
GEORGETOWN CITY, HOUSE & PLANTATION TOUR
GEORGETOWN VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS TOUR
As you journey south towards Georgetown, your tour guide will entertain you with tales of how a Victorian Christmas and the season’s activities were celebrated in the 17th and 18th century. Upon arriving in this quaint historic city, you will enjoy a guided tour down oak lined avenues adorned with historic antebellum mansions. Georgetown is the site of the first European Settlement in North America (circa 1526) (by the Spanish), to the third oldest English settlement in South Carolina (circa 1729). The next stop will be the Kaminski House Museum (circa 1769), the architectural jewel of Georgetown. Of the more than 60 antebellum homes, the Kaminski House stands out as one of the most representative of the Georgian Style of the era. It is typical of the Low Country “single house” style of the mid-18th century. The house was originally built by Paul Trapier, a leading merchant of South Carolina and sometimes known as “The King of Georgetown.” This home, located on a bluff overlooking the Sampit River, is filled with a collection of exquisite antiques. After lunch, your tour of the Georgetown County Museum will cover its 300+ year history and the connection between the revolutions, rivers, rice, magnolias, and marshlands! After perusing the museum, you will see the wondrous stained-glass windows of the Prince George Winyah Church (circa 1721). The church was occupied by British Troops during the Revolution and is listed as one of the oldest continuous congregations in South Carolina. Your last stop is Hopsewee Plantation (circa 1718), which was one of the south’s most prosperous rice plantations and the birthplace of Thomas Lynch, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The visit will be highlighted by an authentic Victorian Holiday Tea on the same site once visited by George Washington.
Itinerary: Approximately 9 hours
Tour includes:
1) Transportation
2) Gray Line Tour Guide
3) Tour of Georgetown
4) Admission to Kaminski House
5) Admission to Georgetown County Museum
6) Tour of Prince George Winyah Church
7) Tour and Victorian Tea at Hopsewee Plantation
Tour does not include:
1) Driver or Tour Guide Gratuities
2) Lunch
