Since some of Charleston’s most popular attractions are its historic plantations, we decided to dedicate a blog just to these homes. Whether you’re planning a visit or simply want to brush up on your history knowledge, be sure to check these out!
- Boone Hall Plantation: Perhaps the best plantation to visit this time of year, Boone Hall offers Fright Nights each Halloween – South Carolina’s biggest haunted house. You’ll also find the corn maze, which is a fun event for kids of all ages. Year-round, visitors can pick produce from U-Pick sections. These fields that have grown crops for about 325 years, making for a unique family experience. Boone Hall is the only one of these four plantations we’ve listed that is located in Mount Pleasant South Carolina (the others are in West Ashley SC).
- Drayton Hall Plantation: Construction of this home began in 1738. It remained in the Drayton family until about 30 years ago when the National Trust for Historic Preservation bought the home. Most of Charleston’s historic homes that are open for tours show off furniture, silver, china, or art. However, instead of these grand displays, Drayton Hall takes pride in the near-original condition of the home itself. So, guests can see the paint and mouldings as they would have been when the family lived in the home. This is the oldest example of Georgian Palladian architecture in the United States.
- Magnolia Plantation: This circa 1676 plantation occupied both British and American soldiers during the Revolution. During the South’s economic shifts following the Civil War, the plantation re-geared from an agricultural institution to primarily gardens. The gardens officially opened to the public in 1870, which made them the country’s first public gardens. Magnolia Plantation has also won awards 2 years back to back for the preservation of its slave cabins and has some excellent educational programs dedicated to the history of slavery in the U.S.
- Middleton Place: You may recognize this plantation from the movie The Patriot. Originally, there were 3 buildings along the Ashley River, but the main house and the library burned in 1865. Today, guests can tour the remaining South Flanker house (pictured) which were the designated guest quarters in the mid 1700’s and became the family’s residence in 1865. Total, this rice plantation housed the Middleton family for more than 300 years.
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