Learn all about the history of rice cultivation of the lowcountry at The Rice Museum on the Georgetown Harborwalk!

The Georgetown Rice Museum is made up of multiple historic places, including The Old Market Building and Town Clock, The Kaminski Hardware Building, and Layfette Park featuring the Rice Museum Herb Garden.

The Old Market Building is made up of stucco and brick, and was built in 1842 to replace an old wooden structure that was destroyed in a fire. The new structure was originally used as a court and jail. The Town Clock was later added in 1857 and was the first building in Georgetown that was added to the National Register of Historic Places! The Old Market Building and Town Clock became the Rice Museum headquarters in 1970 and is currently the home of a permanent collection of maps, paintings, artifacts, dioramas, and more.

The Kaminski Hardware Building was also rebuilt in 1842 just across from the Old Market Building. This building houses the Rice Museum’s Rice Museum Gift Shop, Maritime Museum Gallery, and Prevost Art Gallery. The Prevost Art Gallery is home to rotating installations from South Carolina artists and artisans.

Lafayette Park and the Rice Museum Herb Garden surround the Old Market Building and provide beauty along the Sampit River. Here, guests will find a bust of the Marquis de Lafayette, paying homage to his arrival in 1777 to Georgetown harbor on his first trip to the New World.