Plantations

My husband and I will be in Charleston for 3 days in early November. We plan on going to 1 plantation tour. Should we visit Drayton Hall or Boone Plantation. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks.

Plantations

If you can visit only one, I would recommend Middleton Place Plantation.

http://www.middletonplace.org/

Plantations

Or maybe Middleton House? It is so tough to pick based on the internet. They all look beautiful!

I agree that it is very tough to choose.

Drayton Hall is the only completely original home. The house is unrestored and unfurnished ... of particular interest to students of period architecture. The grounds are park-like. If you go to Drayton, reserve for the house tour (excellent guides) which fills up. Do the self-guided walking tour of the grounds.

Boone Hall is lovely, and has been the setting for some movies. There are quite a few historical displays on the the grounds, in the slave quarters, etc; but the home itself is a recent build.

Middleton has fabulous gardens and grounds. The wagon tour, drawn by huge work horses, is great for getting the a sense of the life and ecomomics of a MASSIVE rice plantation. The main home burned, but one wing is furnished with furniture and artifacts from the Middleton family. Middleton also has a nice restaurant where you can break for lunch.

My first choice would be Middleton Place and tour the house. The grounds are beautiful and the house you tour was built in 1755. It is beautifully furnished with pieces from the family.

Drayton was never burned and is wonderful but the house is not furnished. It is interesting but given the choice, I would tour Middleton Place.

If you choose a plantation on the Ashley River, you could probably squeeze two into one morning. I absolutely love Drayton Hall and find its history fascinating, despite the fact that the house is unfurnished and had its last coat of interior paint shortly after the Civil War. The guides at Drayton Hall are extremely knowledgeable about the plantation and the hour long tours fly by. Middleton Place is also interesting and the grounds are breathtaking. They do lots of farm/blacksmith type demonstrations in the farmyard area, as well. If it were me, I would try to hit both of these, as they are only a mile or so apart. Drayton Hall is only about $12 or so per person for the hour long house tour. You can do a self-guided tour of the grounds. Middleton Place has a whole selection of tour options for a variety of prices. I think the basic ';tour the grounds'; price was around $18 when we were there.

I agree that you should try to do both if possible but if you are limited to only one, go to Middleton Place.

Be sure to pick up the Heritage Passport at the Visitors Center when you first arrive in Charleston. It will get you into Middleton Place and Drayton Hall as well as some other great places for a big discount.

Thanks so much for the insight. I am really looking forward to my visit.