Today’s History: Museums in Georgetown, SC

It’s time to get out and explore the culture and history of Georgetown—a charming Southern community that may have been North America’s first European settlement almost 500 years ago. Whether you’re a native, a new resident, or a visitor, we invite you to take a trip down memory lane and visit one of our top five museums in Georgetown, South Carolina.

South Carolina Maritime Museum

729 Front St., Georgetown, SC 29440

(843) 520-0111

The South Carolina Maritime Museum offers visitors the opportunity to peruse an extensive collection of photographs, documents, interactive exhibits, and artifacts—none more impressive than the original Fresnel lens from the Georgetown Lighthouse. Visit during the third week of October to attend the Georgetown Wooden Boat Show, which helps raise additional funds for the museum.

The Kaminski House Museum

1003 Front St., Georgetown, SC 29440

(843) 546-7706

Step back in time with a visit to the Kaminski House Museum, an 18th-century Georgia manor filled with antiques and memories of long ago. Today the home is open to docent-led tours six days a week and is the host site for local weddings and other signature events.

Georgetown County Museum

120 Broad St., Georgetown, SC 29440

(843) 545-7020

The Georgetown County Museum covers almost 300 years of history in one location, preserving and promoting the history of the region. The museum’s collections—which range in focus from the Civil War to duck hunting and the maritime, timber, rice, indigo, paper, and steel industries that have helped shape the local economy—feature thousands of artifacts, all donated by members of the local community.

The Gullah Museum

123 King Street, Unit 7, Georgetown, SC 29440

(843) 527-1851

Located in downtown Georgetown, the Gullah Museum invites guests to explore African and Gullah South Carolina Lowcountry history. From the development of cattle, indigo, and rice industries to the Gullah islanders’ role in introducing the concept of public education in South Carolina, you’re bound to learn something new here.

The Rice Museum

633 Front St., Georgetown, SC 29440

(843) 546-7423

Just down the street, the Rice Museum houses a noteworthy permanent collection of dioramas, maps, paintings, artifacts and other exhibits that capture the history of rice cultivation in Georgetown’s Old Market Building and Town Clock. Urban green space, in the form of Lafayette Park and an herb garden, surround the Old Market Building, while several Rice Museum galleries—one of which features the reconstructed 1700s-era Browns Ferry Vessel—are located in the nearby Kaminski Hardware Building.

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