Kiawah Island is opening some of its most striking oceanfront, riverfront and maritime forest homes to the public this week, as the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League's Symphony Tour of Homes returns with a full weekend of design, architecture and live music. The self-guided tour pairs walkthroughs of featured properties with performances inside the homes, and this year adds a new midday concert at Cinder Creek Pavilion. Proceeds benefit the Charleston Symphony and its music scholarship program.
According to the Post and Courier, the Symphony Tour of Homes is the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League's largest yearly fundraiser, and the League uses contributions to support the orchestra while also funding scholarships for high school and college students pursuing music. Elaine Sherard describes it as the Lowcountry's longest-running home tour, a claim echoed separately by postandcourier.com. Sherard also notes the tour is self-guided, letting visitors move through the featured homes at their own pace.
Volunteers stationed throughout the tour provide information about the homes and their designers, and in some houses, the architects or designers themselves are on-site to answer questions. The lineup this year again includes oceanfront, riverfront and maritime forest properties, giving visitors a range of settings and architectural styles across the island. Cindy Tripp says this year's edition is the biggest one yet, per the Post and Courier's reporting.
Soirée Kicks Off the Weekend, Tour Sessions Follow
The Island Celebration Soirée takes place the night of Nov. 6, offering an early social gathering ahead of the main event. The home tour itself runs the next day, Nov. 7, split into a morning session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and an afternoon session from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Ticketholders for either session are also invited to a new addition this year: a midday music performance by the orchestra's brass quintet at Cinder Creek Pavilion, running from 12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Cinder Creek Pavilion will also offer refreshments throughout the day, giving tourgoers a place to rest between stops. Local art and live music are featured inside each house on the tour, continuing a format that has drawn repeat visitors over the years. Last November, violinist Audra Claire McCall and cellist Austin Fitzhenry performed during the tour on Kiawah Island, part of a tradition of pairing CSOL scholarship recipients and professional musicians with the featured homes.
Tickets, Pickup Details and What to Wear
General admission tickets cost $85 when purchased online, while Charleston Symphony Orchestra League members can buy tickets for $75. A VIP ticket priced at $215 includes an invitation to the soirée as well as admission to the full Nov. 7 event. Attendees can also choose from ticket packages that bundle in entry to the Island Celebration Soirée alongside tour access.
Tickets and event programs can be picked up Nov. 5 through Nov. 7 at a kiosk in Freshfields Village, and attendees who haven't purchased in advance can also buy tickets at the kiosk on the day of the event, where a day-of ticket costs $100, according to Sherard. She advises wearing comfortable shoes, since the tour involves considerable walking between and within the featured homes.
A Tour With a Long History on the Island
The event has a well-documented run on Kiawah Island, though sources differ on exactly how many years it has been held. The Post and Courier's reporting describes this as the 29th annual Symphony Tour of Homes, while a separate Akers Ellis Real Estate & Rentals listing refers to it as the 28th annual edition. Recent editions have varied in size: the 2025 tour featured four Kiawah properties on a 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule, according to Holy City Sinner, while the 2024 tour included five homes and began at Freshfields Village before a separate-ticket Charleston Symphony concert at the West Beach Conference Center, as reported by Tidelines Blog.
The Charleston Symphony's reach extends well beyond a single weekend on Kiawah Island. Each year, Symphony members connect with more than 20,000 students through concerts, classroom performances and other learning opportunities, according to the orchestra's own account. That broader educational mission is part of what the Symphony Tour of Homes funds alongside the orchestra's operations, with proceeds supporting both the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and its music scholarships.
