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    Mercer Williams House

    4.1 (121 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Mercer Williams House Photos

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    Tessa H.

    I cannot say enough about this magnificent tour. $14 per person, around ~40 min, and my favorite tour I took in Savannah. My friend and I lucked out being the only guests on the final tour of the day, so we were able to ask many questions. Our guide, Daniel, was simply amazing. A master storyteller, he really engaged with us as he toured us through Jim Williams' wondrous collections and home. A must visit in Savannah!

    Exterior -- Bull Street facing
    Norbert K.

    This is a preservation gem thanks to the foresight and work of James "Jim" Williams in the late 1960s and 1970s. Started before the Civil War and finished afterwards in 1868, the house itself tells the 100-year story of Savannah starting with the Reconstruction period. For us, our interest in the house came from reading "In the Garden of Good and Evil" and seeing the movie. Definitely take the guided tour ($13.50 pp) of the grounds and 1st floor. The house is decorated with pieces from Jim Williams' private collection of antiques and artwork. He lived, worked and entertained here. His niece still lives in the house. Our guide did an excellent job of explaining the 19th century architecture and features of the house, 20th century changes, and Williams' preservation and furnishing. Definitely a highlight of visiting Savannah!

    Mercer Williams House
    Joy T.

    Great home with a great story for the "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" fans! The tour guide was great and very informative. This tour will be difficult for those with limited mobility.

    Dan S.

    After reading the book Midnight in Garden of Good and Evil we took a great tour by Mike. It's a quick 35 minute tour, but well worth the price of admission. It was great to see where the book was based off of. Be ware no photos are allowed to be taken during the tour. Hopefully you can get Mike as your tour guide.

    Exterior (no photos are allowed inside)
    Eric K.

    It's been at least 15 years since I visited the Mercer Williams House before, so we visited again. Unfortunately, you only get to visit the first floor of the beautiful house because the upstairs is still living quarters for the family when they're in town. Weird. Thankfully, the tour is very inexpensive, so what you do get to see is worth the price of admission. What made this recent tour so great was our tour guide, and I'm sorry that I forgot his name. He said he was originally from New York City, though. He was so incredibly knowledgeable and detailed with his explanation of each room in the house we visited. His delivery of the tour highlights was impeccable. I almost felt like it was his house and he was giving us a tour of his own home and the artifacts inside. We were truly impressed.

    Zachary L.

    Always a great stop! Its like each time we visit, we always walk out with knowing more. The home is very well kept up and the folks are all too nice!! This past weekend we toured with a group of friends, many are all younger and they all valued the time there while not even knowing about "the book"...

    That is the house. Entrance for tours on side street, then turn left to gift shop/ticket sales.
    Steve K.

    Savannah is filled with history and ghost stories and more modern drama. This house is a worthwhile stop because the man shot was the basis of the book and movie "Midnight of the Garden of Good and Evil". You pay for an admission ticket in a snug gift shop. After a short wait we had a rather enthusiastic tour guide who showed us the gardens and first floor (by fire code No tours upstairs). The fact the home is quite old plus the eclectic decorating makes this an interesting stop aside from photos and stories about Clint Eastwood who produced the film and the actor Kevin Spacey who played the lead character. If you did walking or a tour trolley, take the time to stop in and experience something very unique.

    Sarah K.

    First off, one star off because the older woman working the register in the carriage house was extremely snarky. We arrived around ten minutes early for our reserved tour time to pay for tickets and ended up in a lengthy line (this was last Saturday). However, we still reached the front of the line before our scheduled tour was set to begin. We let her know that we had reserved our tour time and she openly scoffed at us, asked why we didn't bother to show up early, and told us she had given our spots away. I am fine with being let down, but we had actually arrived early as instructed and just happened to end up in a line of ten people. I noticed while we were waiting that she was also being curt with other patrons. That being said, we were fortunate in being placed in the next tour group around 20 minutes later because we thought our guide was wonderful. No photos are allowed in the house or gardens and only the downstairs rooms are open, but they are sumptuous. It was clear that our guide really admired Jim Williams, who accomplished so much with his restoration of some of the grand houses of Savannah. Overall, although I was prepared for our experience to be unpleasant after dealing with the carriage house cashier, I really enjoyed our tour and we preferred this house to the Owens-Thomas house (if we had to pick!).

    Joe P.

    One of Savannah's most notable historic homes, the Mercer-Williams House is best known for the central role it played in John Berendt's 1994 true crime masterpiece, 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' -- or THE BOOK, as it's known by locals. It's where the late antiques dealer Jim Williams, who restored Mercer House in the early 1970s, allegedly shot and killed his male lover, Danny Hansford (Williams was eventually acquitted), and later died himself. The study where the shooting occurred is the last stop on the tour, which guides visitors through the home's spacious ground floor and outdoor garden. If you're a fan of THE BOOK, the Mercer-Williams House is a required visit. But even if you're not, this is an outstanding way to absorb Savannah history while seeing some amazing antiques from Jim Williams' personal collection. The tour takes about an hour, and covers the history of the home and Williams' restoration. Our guide tiptoed CAREFULLY around the Hansford shooting and the ensuing trial, but provided enough details to keep the tour interesting. Definitely worth a stop if you're visiting historic Savannah.

    Front of the house

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    8 months ago

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    8 months ago

    Beautiful historical home! Love stopping in when I pass through Savannah :) Also, go eat at the Olde Pink House!

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    3 years ago

    Great place, neat, unique and a must visit! This place is a must stop...elegant and awesome.

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    3 years ago

    Interesting tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable about he the facts of the home and other info of Savannah. Fun little gift shop.

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    We toured the house on a Sunday. The guide was informative. He had some interesting stories. It lasted less than an hour. Short but sweet.

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    17 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Cool experience with lots of history. As a fan of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil this was a fun and informative experience.

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