Charleston, South Carolina is an adorable city rich in history, architecture, delicious food, and friendly people. But there’s one other aspect that makes Charleston so memorable: the delightful inns and bed and breakfasts scattered throughout the town.
One such charming inn is the John Rutledge House. With its fascinating history, gorgeous interior and exterior, welcoming staff, and delicious breakfasts, the John Rutledge House is sure to make your visit to Charleston a splendid experience.
History of the John Rutledge House
The inn is named for John Rutledge, the first governor of South Carolina, who built this house in 1763 as a wedding gift for his wife Elizabeth Grimke.
Throughout the years it has undergone many renovations including the addition of a third floor, as well as surviving a multitude of disasters including a fire and a direct hit from a cannon. After changing hands several times, the house sat empty until 1989 when it was once again restored, renovated, and updated—this time to turn it into the beautiful inn it is today!
With Rutledge as its first owner and the most important historical figure who lived here, the John Rutledge House understandably finds him important and strives to enlighten guests about his role in American politics.
Most interestingly, he was chairman of the drafting committee for the U.S. Constitution and worked on several iterations of the Constitution inside his home in the drawing room (now the Signer’s Ballroom). Rutledge signed the final document alongside the other founding fathers on September 17, 1787.
While staying at the inn, you can take afternoon tea as well as eat breakfast in the room where he drafted versions of the Constitution…plus this inn is the only home of a Constitution signer that allows overnight guests, so it is a unique experience to stay here!
And if that isn’t enough history for you, you’ll be delighted to know that George Washington ate breakfast here with Mrs. Rutledge in 1791 during a Presidential visit to Charleston. So just think about the illustrious company you are joining while you eat the John Rutledge House’s signature shrimp and grits or their French toast!
Rooms at the John Rutledge House Inn
There are 19 guest rooms total at the John Rutledge House, 11 of which are located in the main house and 8 of which are in the carriage houses located at the rear of the property. These rooms range from normal-sized hotel rooms to roomy suites.
During my time at the inn, I stayed in a suite in the main house that consisted of two delightfully decorated and spacious rooms adjoined by the original solid wood doors from 1763! These doors can be drawn to separate the two rooms if desired.
And not only did the room have plenty of couches and chairs and gorgeous decor, but it also had two Italian marble fireplaces (one in each room). What luxury! It was a delight to sit by the fire and sip tea in the evening.
The beds are also comfortable beyond belief, with Tempur-Pedic® mattresses that you can literally sink into after a long day exploring Charleston.
On the mantle in the bedroom they also provide a cute collection of books—appropriately American-related stories—that you can read while sitting in your canopy bed or while lounging on one of the numerous couches or chairs.
Breakfast and Afternoon Tea
Breakfast is included with every stay at the John Rutledge House, and you can choose whether to have it delivered to the Signer’s Ballroom, the courtyard, or your room. There is also a piazza adjacent to the ballroom where you can sit outside on a nice morning.
Their breakfast options range from full breakfasts to à la carte options so you can customize your meal. Everything I tried was delicious, but their French toast was one of my favorites.
The only issue I did have was that the breakfast ordering process can be a bit tricky especially if you have several people staying with you at the inn. They give you one card each evening to fill out with your entire party’s breakfast orders for the next morning, and while the customization options are wonderful, when ordering à la carte it can be difficult to indicate which orders should be placed together on which plates.
For instance, if you order French toast + fruit + bacon and someone else in your party orders grits + sausage, there is no way to indicate that you wish these orders to be combined in this particular way…so you may end up with sausage on your plate of French toast and the plate of grits may have your bacon.
But as long as you are staying with family or friends, it is simple to merely swap the items that may have been mistakenly placed on your plate. The staff do try their best to accommodate your needs and wishes and the breakfast is delicious, so this is merely a minor administrative issue and not at all a deal breaker in my book.
The Signer’s Ballroom is also where the inn holds an informal afternoon tea each day that consists of lemonade, a variety of teas, and a few plates of hors d’oeuvres and finger foods. Be forewarned that the food goes quickly, though, so if you are hungry then the earlier you show up the better!
Staying at the John Rutledge House Inn
If you are planning a visit to Charleston, the John Rutledge House is an excellent place to stay.
The location is phenomenal for exploring historic Charleston, as you really are in the heart of the city and can easily walk to many of the main attractions. Not only that, but how often can you say you spent the night in the home of a signer of the U.S. Constitution?
If you are a history lover, and especially if you are an American history buff, then this is an experience not to miss! You’ll find both Charleston and this inn a welcoming, historic, and beautiful place.
John Rutledge House Inn: Website | Instagram | Location
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