And the adventures in Charleston continue! Late Saturday afternoon, we visited the Akien-Rhett House for a tour of an historic Charleston home. Built in 1820, the Aiken-Rhett House is a preserved antebellum townhouse complete with outbuildings and grounds. What makes this tour unique among other house tours is that it hasn’t been refurbished and repaired, it is kept in a “preserved-as-found” state. The Aiken family lived in the home until the 1970s, but much was left unchanged for the past 100 or so years.
A self-guided audio tour of the grounds left plenty of time to really explore the former opulence.
Even the outhouses were still at the end of the yard! This picture is looking back at the main house from the end of the grounds.
The family’s carriages were still stored in the carriage house.
Going through room after room, layers of family and Charleston history were peeling from the walls. In rooms where electricity was never installed, you could see oil light fixtures next to more modern gas fixtures. The dining room was the most modernized, it had mid-century through wall air conditioning installed.
The ballroom in all of its eerie glory was set for a party that ended many decades before.
After the Aiken-Rhett tour…it was time for more oysters (and happy hour)! We went to one of my favorite spots on King Street, The Darling Oyster Bar. Along with local oysters, we had the shrimp cocktail and several happy hour Paloma cocktails. From the ambiance to the service to the food and drinks, The Darling is a fantastic place to stop in for a few oysters or dinner. The food adventures didn’t stop there! Check back next week for more foodie stops in Charleston.
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