The Charleston Museum opens on May 27 with new protocols and guidelines for the Museum Galleries

The Charleston Museum will re-open on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 with new protocols and guidelines for staff and visitors. The two Historic House Museums, the Joseph Manigault House and the Heyward-Washington House, will open at a later date.

The Charleston Museum is committed to ensuring the health and safety of our members, visitors, and staff.  Below are protocols the Museum has implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and what visitors can do to help keep the Museum and our historic houses safe for everyone. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding during this difficult time.

• Please limit elevator use to your immediate party.
• Museum staff have implemented enhanced cleaning procedures at the Museum and historic houses, consistent with DHEC, OSHA, and CDC guidelines, with hourly cleaning of frequently touched areas.
• Because of the many touchable components within them, Kidstory and the Bunting Classroom will be temporarily closed, for the safety of you and your children.
• The Historic Textiles Gallery try-on clothing station, Bunting Natural History Gallery iPads, and study drawers will be temporarily unavailable.
• The coat check will be temporarily unavailable, and visitors will be required to keep personal items with them at all times.
• Plexiglas sneeze guards have been installed at the Visitor Services Desk.
• Touchless credit card transactions (visitors will receive a ticket for multi-site tickets) are in place at the Museum and historic houses.
• Signage to promote social distancing and handwashing have been installed throughout the Museum.
• Tours at the historic houses will be provided on the hour so that the staff have more time to sanitize the house (the last tour beginning at 4 pm). Please note that the Joseph Manigault House will not be open until June1 and the Heyward-Washington House will not open until June 15.
• Staff will be wearing face shields or masks when working in close proximity to visitors or other staff.
• Staff are required to check their temperature before coming to work.

• Visitors are encouraged to wear masks.
• Visitors are encouraged to check their temperature before visiting one of the Museum’s sites.
• Visitors are required to keep personal items with them at all times as the coat check will be unavailable at the Museum.
• Visitors are reminded to practice social distancing while in the Museum’s galleries and at the historic houses.

The information above is available on the Museum’s website for visitors and guests to refer to as needed. Upon opening, the Museum will have two new exhibits: Shapes of Summer: Historic Bathing Suits and From Etchings to Pastels: An Artistic Renewal of the Charleston Renaissance.

 

The Charleston Museum

The Charleston Museum, founded in 1773 and considered America’s first museum, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located at 360 Meeting Street in downtown Charleston. The Museum is home to the most extensive collection of South Carolina-related natural and cultural history materials known, two National Historic Landmark Houses and the Dill Sanctuary, a 580-acre wildlife preserve. The Museum’s mission is to educate Charleston area residents and visitors about the natural and cultural history of the South Carolina Lowcountry through collections, exhibitions, preservation, conservation, research and related programming. Museum hours are Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Museum admission is $12 for adults and $5 for children; Tickets, including admission to two or more sites offered at a discount, can be purchased at the Museum, its historic houses, or online in advance.