The elegant Italianate mansion contains Williams’ private collection of Chinese porcelain, 18th- and 19th-century furniture, and drawings dating from the 17th century. Go on your own and explore on a guided tour of the main foyer, dining room, office, living room, and den. Or, stop by on a local sightseeing tour of historic houses or sites featured inMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Tours are limited to the ground floor, as the rest of the house is still occupied by the owner, Jim Williams’ sister.
Tours last around 30 minutes, and usually don’t discuss much about the book and movie.
There’s a gift shop in the carriage house.
The house isn’t fully accessible to wheelchairs.
The Mercer Williams House Museum is situated by Forsyth Park, near the southern end of Savannah’s historic district. You can get there by car (take Interstate 16), shuttle, bus, or hop-on hop-off trolley. Street parking is located nearby.
The house is typically open daily, with limited hours on Sundays. Hours can vary significantly in winter—check the schedule before going.
Published in 1994, the book is a work of nonfiction by John Berendt. ANew York Times best seller, it chronicles the events surrounding the killing of Danny Hansford by Jim Williams inside the Mercer Williams House. Williams was tried four times for the crime, and eventually acquitted. The book was made into a movie in 1997 by Clint Eastwood.
