Mercer Williams House

Mercer Williams is classified architecturally as Itanianate, but it’s more a plain, straight line 4 over 4 (or 6 over 6, depending how you split up the rooms) Federal. I guess a house in a southern city Sherman occupied couldn’t be called a Federal. The draw here is the soaring ceilings and windows. The only feature of the house which could be called ornate is the stained glass skylight at the top of the staircase, but you can’t go up there, only gaze at it from the foot of the stairs.
Anyway, I prefer the Federal style, and this house is nicely laid out. Unfortunately, the tour only includes the main floor, and purports to show off Jim William’s famous antique and art collection. Well, along about 2000 or so, Sotheby’s auctioned off a cool million of Mr. Jim’s beloved antiques. You can dig up photos on line which show how lavishly the home was decorated in it’s heyday. What’s left is sort of decrepit and sad, the outliers Sotheby’s wouldn’t bother to catalogue. There was mention of a collection of creepy freeze dried birds in a bell jar as if it was some great treasure, and some tired looking antiques along with a decent modern metal sculpture, but the house sadly has been picked bare. The existing artwork is drab and needs a good cleaning. Paint is peeling. The rugs aren’t good Persians.
If you go expecting to see a beautifully designed and well built home, it’s worth the money. As I said, the high ceilings and windows are spectacular. But if you want something lavish, it’s all been carted off to auction and you’ll be disappointed. It’s a shame, because Williams had impeccable taste. He obviously chose the house for it’s clean, simple lines to showcase his collection. Without the collection, there’s no there there for most people’s taste. (Unless you are into windows and high ceilings). Worth a visit to admire it’s solid, classic architecture. I would go again.
I had no interest in The Book. Bear in mind if you do, they do not discuss that event. The tour guide was friendly and informative, but it’s an unspoken rule that you only discuss the house, and Mr. William’s preservation efforts.

The house and grounds are beautiful. The history of the house itself is interesting, as is the history of it’s most recent owner. Disappointing that you can only see the bottom four rooms of the home. It’s a very quick tour.

My husband and I have been to Savannah many times but have never taken this tour (having read Midnight it’s always been on our list though). We finally did during our last visit, and while limited to the garden and main level it was still interesting to see the house that I’d read so much about in the book. Overall we thought it was worthwhile. We also had a wonderful tour guide who was friendly, funny, and very knowledgable.

For anyone who loves «Midnight in the Garden I Good & Evil.» You should stop by and see it. The history and antiques of the house are stunning. Now if you’re looking to get inside info of the murder/​killings, they won’t discuss it. It felt like there was a constant elephant in the room due to it. The only time it was brought up, was when someone asked about. It was cool being in the same room Danny «Billy» Hansford died and Jim Williams. You can’t go upstairs (due to fire code) and downstairs due to Jim Williams sister Dorothy still lives there.
I’m giving 3 stars due to the lack of information of the notoriety of Jim Williams & trial. Along with only seeing 4 rooms of the house, and a hall way.
Apparently the sister looks very down on, «The Book» yet sells it in the gift shop (this is backed up on a interview she did). She also seems kinda off her rocker. We went on a ghost tour later that night and she came out in her nightgown, stared at all of us and ran back inside. Then she proceeded to flash the outside lights on and off. It was rather weird, but entertaining to say the least for a ghost tour.

This tour was okay, and my wife and I wanted to see the Mercer house for the same reason almost everyone else wanted to see it, Midnight in the Garden… you get the idea. Anyway, being that I have a valid student ID, I did not have to pay full price for the tour.
The tour is somewhat disappointing in that it is very limited to a select number of rooms on the main level. There were some interesting factoids about each of the rooms we saw, the artifacts in them and that Jim Williams always liked to put something somewhat out of place in each of the rooms — each room having a theme, but that one item having no business being a part of that theme.
We also found it interesting to be welcomed to the Mercer House «Where no Mercer has ever lived.» Seemingly cool house, but truth be told, and despite the student discount, the tour seems to be pricey for what you actually get to see.

I read half of the book so I was semi invested. My 2 other friends read the entire book so they found this tour interesting. I also had another friend that did not read any of the book so she thought it was a bore.
Just beware, its a limited tour of the house, only the garden and lower level.

My husband and I chose to do this house tour because I had read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and thought it would be a must on our visit to Savannah. I was disappointed because the tour only consists of the garden and the lower floor of the residence. The majority of the tour focuses on Jim Williams and his time in the house.
The home is still occupied by Jims sister, and you can’t take any photos as the family has restricted that as well.
Had I known these things, I probably would have done a different tour.

This tour really exceeded my expectations! I thought it was going to be cool to see the interior of the house but not anything too special. Instead I was blown away by how knowledgable and personable our tour guide was! He was really energetic and so incredibly knowledgable about all the pieces. He have enough context that someone with no familiarity with john Williams or even art/​architecture would enjoy the tour. The house is really well preserved and it’s really interesting that it’s actually still a private residence! Money well spent — this is not just a tourist trap!

I love house tours, but would probably pass on this one if I were in Savannah. The tour was pricey for one and they book up quickly. The lady giving the tour was somewhat rude. She yelled at my friend for standing on the grey brick staircase in the back garden that leads up to the house during while the lady was telling us about the garden. The lady said «get off of there, we have to take care of this old property» and then 2 minutes later the lady has the entire tour group walk up the same stairs into the house??? We were all a little confused by that one.
The house is pretty inside, but you only get to see the first floor (technically only 4 rooms and a hallway). They don’t let you upstairs because the Mercer sister still lives up there. We wanted a house tour and it lasted about 10 or 15 minutes and the tickets were around $ 20.

I would have given 5 stars but we didn’t get to see the upstairs.
Alex, our guide, is the most amazing storyteller I have ever experienced. He didn’t miss a step in his whole tour, like he is a well-​trained thespian. My boyfriend said it was like Morgan Freeman was showing us the place. I learned a lot, it didn’t last too long, and it was much more affordable than other tours I have done.
The shop had neat, inexpensive items and cordial staff. A must-​see in Savannah!

As a big fan of the book and the movie I loved it. The downside is you only see one floor of the house, the tour seems a bit short, incomplete and expensive. For myself, it was on my to do list. On the next visit I will probably tour some other houses. The house is beautiful and exquisitely restored. It is also filled with beautiful furnishings. We did not learn anything new about the Jim Williams legacy on the tour.

I finally got around to reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in 2013, and my motivation was my impending trip to Savannah. The book was fantastic, and inspired me to visit the Mercer-​Williams house while I was in town. Though it isn’t the best tour I’ve ever been on, it’s certainly worth the $ 12 and 30 or so minutes of your time.
To purchase your ticket, head around to the carriage house (in back of the main house — around the block) and enter the gift shop. Here, you’ll also find plenty of little knick-​knacks and some general souvenirs. Though the people who run the shop were lovely, the items I purchased aren’t exactly of the best quality. A dish town shrank significantly the first time it was washed, and the fleur de lis bottle opener (yup, I’m that tacky) is already rusty. Oh well.
The tours run every hour or so, so you may find yourself with some time to relax. You may walk around town, browse the shop, or head upstairs to have a seat out of the heat. When the tour starts, you’ll be called downstairs and ushered into the main house’s back yard. Here, you’ll see some beautiful plants, the fountain, etc. I do agree with other reviewers in that a bit more could be done to make this section of the tour really stand out. But, oh well — you’re here to see the house, not the yard!
In you go. The main hall of the house is stunning, and you will be provided with history on everything from the beautiful black and white tile to the place settings in the dining room. The guides definitely do not cater to those who are here because of the book «Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,» and in fact present a pretty one-​sided story about the events that unfolded. We were told that Williams shot Danny «in self defense, and he was aquitted.» If you’ve read the book, you know that this description definitely glosses over quite a bit of backstory — but oh well.
It is true that you are not permitted to take photographs, which is a disappointment. The tour also does not take you upstairs or downstairs, so you will not see the kitchen or the ballroom. However, what remains on the main floor is beautiful, and the house itself and absolutely gorgeous. I would recommend this tour, but be sure you go in with all the knowledge that has been provided in these reviews.

I REALLY wanted to give the Mercer-​Williams House more stars… I really did.
I was most excited to go to the Mercer Williams house upon arriving in Savannah as I am a huge ‘Midnight in tthe Garden of Good and Evil’ fan, and like all of the other tourists in Savannah, I fell into the trap of wanting to go everywhere that was featured in the book, including the home of Jim Williams.
I read the Unilocal reviews and even though I was warned that it is a huge bummer to not be able to go upstairs, I still wanted to go. I wanted to stand in the room where Danny Hansford was shot, and I wanted to walk around where all of Jim’s fabulous parties were held. The really great thing is that I was actually able to do both of those things.
You think you can get over the fact that you can’t go upstairs, but you just can’t. I went in, following the tour guide around, listening to the stories of all of Jim’s items in the home, but found myself bitter at his sister for selling items, replacing them with duplicates that were faux or cheaper, and to see the garden in the courtyard at the back of the house grown in and looking a hot mess, well, it was pure blasphemy. I would love to see where the money from the ticket sales and novelty items goes to. I am sure the house takes a pretty penny to keep up, but the tour guide told us that Dorothy, Jim’s sister, actually uses the home as one of her residences. The financial part of the whole thing is a little screwy if you ask me. Especially seeing the work that needs to be done on the back of the home.
Note to Dorothy Kingery, if people are paying to go into your brother’s home, it really has nothing to do with you. Stop training the tour guides to boast your career and make this tour more about Jim Williams. After all, people, like me, who pay to go into the home are really paying to be as close to a part of Jim Williams’ lifestyle as they can.
Overall, I don’t regret going to the home, as I would have kicked myself for not doing it, but I have to admit I was disappointed with it. I rate it as A-​ok, because it was just that, A-​ok.

I have a real problem reviewing this place.
I enjoyed the tour, the house (first floor — that’s all you’ll see) is beautifully appointed and Mr. Williams style is evident.
That said, it is a real disappointment once you pay for your tour and go to the other room to wait, that you then see the sign that states: NO PHOTOGRAPHS. Seriously?
The tour guide we had was able to bring to the tour some of the attitude and style of Williams. That’s both good and bad. The tour speach was very much canned. It was interesting, but it was obviously memorized and was not something that is altered to match the personality of the tour group — which is the ultimate sign of a great tour guide.
I would have liked this more if I could have taken pictures. .. and, if the tour was more interactive and less canned. I would also like to see the upstairs — especially the pipe organ. The excuse about the railings not being safe was pretty lame.
It’s fun — it’s just not totally satisfying.

If you come to Savannah and you main reason for coming is to see the house from the movie, not bad. But if you looking for a real home tour of the period and the beauty of Savannah, there are more extensive homes to check out and the Docent gentleman stood at the bottom of the stairs at the very beginning but instead of being at the top where he was looking down at everyone he kept turning his head to address the crowd on one side or the other. So each time he went to the other side you couldn’t hear what he was saying. He did work in humor but you get 3 rooms and a hallway (Approx) for the entire tour for much more than Entire homes in the rest of Savannah.
So Not Bad Not Great but, a one time tour would be, been there done that paid a lot and did not even get a T-​Shirt.

Went on this tour last summer, it was interesting and enjoyable. Tour guide explains the history of the house, most if not all of Jim Williams’ relics are still in there. You do get to go in his office where the murder happened, the guide will discuss it briefly but no extreme details. The tour doesn’t permit you to go upstairs in the house because of fire codes, plus I believe Jims sister or a relative of his still lives in the upstairs of the house. Whole tour was over in about an hour, if you’ve seen the movie or read the book, give it a «shot».

A great view into Old Savannah. The home was wonderfully restored and decorated by Jim Williams in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
The home itself is fascinating to tour and learn about the history of the home from the 1860’s through present day. Even better is the background stories of the art, chandeliers and décor around the home. Jim Williams was obviously a man who loved to travel the world to find items for his home and his clients’ homes. The tour was extremely educational and held the attention of my 10-​year old son for the 45 minutes of the tour.
As others have stated, the Mercer house and Jim Williams are the subjects of the book/​movie «Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil». I never read the book or saw the movie and I still found the tour to be extremely engaging.

It would probably be more accurate to call it the «Jim Williams’ stuff tour». As Brian F stated, you only get to go through the ground floor rooms, and while nice, hardly seems to live up to the 12.50 per person price. I’m sure the «No Photographs» rule is also because if people on the OUTSIDE saw what was on the INSIDE they would just say «Meh» and go do something else.
That being said, if you are a fan of the movie or the book or Jim Williams you are gong to want to go, otherwise you’d probably be more interested in something else.

I was pleasantly surprised by my experience here after reading the other reviews. I thought the house and gardens were both in great shape and knew going in that I would only see the bottom floors.
The tour guide was efficient and informative — very professional and mentioned the book, the murder, and the trial enough to satisfy me. I liked being able to compare a renovated house that is just a museum with a restored house that was made more modern.
Plus, I have to admit I liked seeing the house I had seen years ago in the movie. I even went home and watched it again.
From the reviews I have read it sounds like people got the tour from good or evil — I was lucky to get a good one.

We must have had Alex as our tour guide too, because he was very informative, and was happy to answer any questions we had about the house, Jim Williams, the murder, etc.
You start the tour from the carriage house in the back of the lot. (The house takes up one full city block.) The carriage house is now a gift shop where you purchase your tickets and can shop/​walk around waiting for the tour to start.
When the tour starts you go outside the carriage house and are in the sunken garden of the back of the house. The garden was really tranquil and cute.
Inside the house we learned its history. It was designed by New York architect John S. Norris for General Hugh W. Mercer. Construction of the house began in 1860, was interrupted by the Civil War and was later completed around 1868.
Jim Williams bought the house in 1969 and restored it. He lived there until he died in the late eighties (I believe).
I definitely wished I had watched the movie or read the book «Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil» before our trip to Savannah, but I feel that in touring the house I got a very good feel of the life of Jim Williams, and the murder that he was eventually acquitted for.
Jim Williams loved to collect art, and had some really random pieces through out the house. Since there is a family living in the house (Jim William’s sister), you only get to tour the main floor. Our tour guide did tell us that because there was only one staircase going upstairs that we couldn’t tour the upstairs. We’d be in violation of Georgia fire code.
In not really knowing the history of the house, it was still a good tour, and enjoyable.