Visiting Plantations and Spectacular Gardens in Charleston

(Charleston, SC)  A visit to Charleston would not be complete without taking a trip to a plantation or garden. There are so many choices.  A local woman we met suggested seeing Drayton Hall and the Magnolia Gardens.  They are located very close to each other and Drayton Hall was in nearly original condition. 

It was about an hour from the base and once off the highway a nice drive.  Upon arrival to the plantation you drive down a long road lined with trees and draped in Spanish moss.. 

Drive leading to Drayton Hall



It was built in 1738 as a "summer home" for John Drayton.   Seven generations of Drayton and slaves (over 150) have lived here. The architecture is Georgian - Palladian and took over four years to build. At one time is was a rice plantation and even a site for strip mining.  

The home was very stately and the only plantation along the Ashley River to survive the destruction of Sherman's army.  It has also weathered numerous hurricanes.  Our tour guide (Bob) met us under a huge live oak tree and told us many stories about the house and its occupants.  He is the senior guide for the plantation and was a walking, talking encyclopedia.  He was over 80 years old, and prided himself on riding out all hurricanes including Hugo. Bob was almost as interesting as the house. 

Our tour guide - Bob

The plantation  has not been restored and does not have electricity, lighting or central heating. Nor is the home furnished. Plans for now are to keep the home in its original state and prevent deterioration. 

Here are a few examples of the beautiful craftsmanship.

After the tour you can take two self guide walks around the grounds.  John took a marsh walk with Jimmy out to the Ashley River  I choice to listen to another guide talk about slavery.  It was very interesting and she spoke specifically about the slaves at this plantation.  Working in a rice field was very difficult and a constant battle with overcoming nature.  One freed slave came back later and helped restore the home when it became a trust of the state and he is buried on the property in the slave cemetery. 

It wss a very interesting tour.  Afterwards we drove about 10 minutes down Ashley River Road to the Magnolia Gardens and plantation which are still owned by the Drayton family.  Another long drive led us down to the gardens. 

We decided to only visit the gardens.  However, the house really is lovely.  The original home had been destoryed by Sherman's army and this one was built after the war.

The gardens were spectacular and this was during the winter.  In the spring, it must be breathtaking when all the magnolia's are in bloom. 

Here are a few pictures of the gardens.  You almost need a GPS to keep from getting lost  Jimmy enjoyed walking the trails with us.   

Rev. John Drayton was primarily responsible for how the gardens look today.  He was a minister at the St. Andrews Church and often prepared his sermons sitting by this tree looking out over the Ashely River. He said it was here that he felt closest to God.

As you enter the garden you see the following quote by Whittier

"Give fools their gold and knows their power

Let fortunes bubbles rise and fall

Who sows a field or trains a flower

or plants a tree, is more than all

Visiting Charleston - A City of Classic Elegance

Rhett Butler said in Gone With the Wind  to Scarlett he was going to Charleston "to see if somewhere there isn't something left to life of charm and grace". Charleston is a very special city with all of those characteristics.  The city was originally settled by the British and we were steeped in history of two wars that occurred here (Civil War and Revolutionary War).

On New Years Day we drove in and started at the Visitors Center in hopes of becoming more acquainted with what to see and do.  However, the center was closed and it was there we met a tour guide with "Doin' the Charleston Tours who offered to show us the major sites.  He made us a good deal and off we went for a ninety minute tour in a small mini bus.  One nice feature of this tour company is that inside the bus there is a video screen that shows you the inside of many of the famous homes as you go past.  He mentioned that Charleston is now known as the Holy City due to over 100 churches in the downtown area.  It was not settled by the Puritans and was established to provide more religious freedom.

We drove past lovely homes and shops.  He stopped at the Battery and we viewed Fort Sumpter across the bay.  This is where the first shots were fired starting the Civil War.  We plan on touring the fort later in the week and is only accessible by boat.  Here are a few pictures of some of the area.  The picture on the top right depicts the houses as they were originally built with cinder block.  The lower left is an interesting duplex with two distinct styles.  (note pictures can be clicked on to enlarge...use your back browser to go back to blog)

Note all the palm trees (called Palmetto's).  Many of the homes were still decorated for the holidays with beautiful greenery and wreaths on the doors. 

The homes below are in the Battery area along the bay.  Many of them have been flooded from time to time over the centuries from hurricanes.  The average cost for one of these homes is 7-9 million!

After our tour we were really hungry and found a wonderful southern restaurant  our followers Sue and Mo  had recommended called Justine's Kitchen. We had to wait in line but it was worth it.  Some of our entrees included fried green tomatoes, crab cakes, coca cola pork chops and the best macaroni and cheese.  There was not any space for their famous coconut cream pie but it sure looked good.  Thanks so much for the recommendation!

After wandering the streets we took our second tour with Palmetto Carriage Tours.  I had taken a tour with this company many years ago and really liked it.  The tour guides take you in a mule drawn carriage through the area.  There is a lottery system that decides your route (one of three) to avoid congestion in certain areas.  It was great and our guide was very knowledgeable. 




Our tour guide and two mules Hit and Miss



We both preferred this tour because you can see the architecture of the homes much better and get a better sense of where you are in the city.  We would recommend taking a tour rather than driving around in your car.  Parking is very expensive and hard to find.  We kept our car at the visitors center which is a fairly good location.  The Market area would be an ideal location.

We hope to go back and take a walking tour.  The visitor center has a free map with a suggested itinerary. It was a fascination day.  Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the sies  Be sure to add this city to your bucket list.