On September 25 and 26, 2010, the Gibbes will be partnering with other cultural institutions along and around Meeting Street to offer locals and tourists a single entry pass during the second annual Museum Mile Weekend. Charleston’s Museum Mile operates year-round with signage, brochures, and a website to help visitors navigate Charleston’s cultural corridor. However, on this one special weekend, we band together to offer one admission price.
The concept of Charleston’s Museum Mile was hatched several years ago by Dr. John Brumgardt, executive director of the Charleston Museum. The downtown cultural attractions had partnered on programs in the past but had not done much in the way of cooperative marketing and signage. The idea for the Charleston Museum Mile emerged as Dr. Brumgardt and representatives from other cultural institutions opened up a map of the Meeting Street area and plotted the many museums and historic sites that would be of interest to tourists and easy to navigate around. While the concept of a “Museum Mile” was not new and has proven a success in other cities, such as New York and London, the unique alliance formed by the cultural institutions and the inclusion of religious sites and parks put Charleston’s Museum Mile in a category of its own. By 2008, the grass-roots campaign to promote the Mile was in full swing largely in part to the dedication and collaborated vision of the participating organizations and institutions.
For one $20 pass (and only $10 for children 12 and under), passholders can visit thirteen cultural sites throughout the weekend. If purchased separately, adult admission for these sites would be over $100! Sites participating in the upcoming Museum Mile Weekend are:
- Aiken-Rhett House
- Charleston Museum
- Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry
- Confederate Museum
- Edmondston-Alston House
- Heyward-Washington House
- Joseph Manigault House
- Nathaniel Russell House
- Old Slave Mart Museum
- Powder Magazine
- South Carolina Historical Society
- The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
Many of the cultural institutions will also offer special programs during Museum Mile Weekend. The Gibbes will offer free docent-led tour at 2:30 on both Saturday and Sunday.
Passes for Museum Mile Weekend can be purchased at www.charlestonsmuseummile.org or at any Charleston Visitor Center location. Online purchasers will receive their passes in the mail so be sure and order your passes early. We hope you’ll take advantage of this terrific opportunity to sample Charleston’s cultural riches for this not-so-rich price!
—Marla Loftus, Director of Museum Relations, Gibbes Museum of Art
Published September 14, 2010