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Drayton Hall
Rating Details »
Categories: Landmarks & Historical Buildings, Museums [Edit]
3380 Ashley River RdCharleston, SC 29414
(843) 769-2600
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
8 reviews for Drayton Hall
We planned to visit a plantation house or two just because we knew it was a thing to do in Charleston. This ended up being the best historic house tour we went to while visiting the city, and although the house is just its skeleton (no furnishing), I left feeling impressed.
With any historic house tour, your experience's success or failings are in the hands of your docent. Ours was friendly and handled questions well. The tour was generally engrossing and the docent's manner was a demeanor that somehow kept me from rolling my eyes at the lengthy plea for membership support that she ended with. Your mileage on that may vary.
The grounds were very nice and when we were there it was very hot and humid. We did not end up going to any other plantations because we were so pleased with this experience.
Although we didn't buy anything, I also liked their gift shop which had a good range of artisan/craft things, children's objects (kits, tchotkes, etc.), and local history books. It's hard to strike the right balance in a lot of places, but they did it really well.
As for the price, yes, it is expensive, but all the plantations were, and upkeep of these sorts of places is usually more than admission ever covers. Most hotels and visitor pamphlet cases have coupons for $1 or $2 off, so snag some of those before you go to save a bit of cash.
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My husband and I enjoyed our visit here. The woman at the gate, as well as the gift shop employees and our tour guide were friendly.
I appreciate that the house has not been restored and that we get an opportunity to see how the Draytons would have lived there.
The plantation house is beautiful and the tour was very interesting. Our tour guide provided a "life in the day" kind of tour where we experienced the family's move throughout the house - where they entertained, where they worked, the service stairs - the various entrances and who would have used them ,etc.
The plantation also offers two self-guided walking tours -one of the river and one of the marsh (home to a baby alligator on our visit). They're scant on detail but enjoyable and good photo ops.
I'm OK with being the dissenting voice here, if nothing else to add some balance.
Up front, I'm a little biased. I'm a Northerner who has the misfortune of living in the DC area because my job is based in our nation's capital. So, my family and I have taken more and more trips to the south.
For $14 per adult, I really think you're getting sold the Brooklyn Bridge. Yes, the garden and the marsh walks are nice but probably nothing compared to Middleton Place. The house is interesting, but really, it's a national treasure because the family who owned this place was too cheap to put in electrical. Let's get some perspective, people? There was no "preservation" going on here; the little ole biddy who last lived in this house didn't want to part with her inheritance!
Oh, and let me get back to that whole "Northerner" bit. Perhaps, I just wasn't meant to like this place because our tour guide, I thought, was extremely condescending and liked to listen to herself talk because that guided tour lasted an hour, when it only should have lasted 45 minutes.
Let's dig deeper into why I think she was condescending. First, she kept mentioning those "damned Yankees". She clearly doesn't realize that the North kept the South going after the "war between the States" because she kept referring to those Yankees who stole our economy. Yeah, the Industrial Revolution sucked and I'm sure the cotton and the sugar plantations would have made us the leader that we were for nearly 140 years in the global economy.
But what was brilliant was how she referred to one of the "servants" who worked for the Drayton family...he was so gentle and just a pure gentleman...hmmm...was she talking about an elderly African American man who, in her opinion, "knew his place"? Now, I might be imputing a lot more into what she was saying, but it sounded to me like she was talking about how nice it was that he was so "gentle" and perhaps "knew his station." How might she have thought of him if he was more aggressive or independent?
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We had a great time. I want to commend the National Trust for Historic Preservation for their support of the military, firefighters, police, and EMS. Members of these organizations get free entry as opposed to the normal $14 adult entry fee. That was a wonderful surprise and is always greatly appreciated. I think even for $14, it's worth a visit. The plantation house is gorgeous and the tour was very interesting. Peggy, our tour guide, was very personable. She threw in some good humor, brought out the history of the plantation, and engaged each of the kids in the group at some point during the tour. The plantation also offers two self-guided tours--one of the river and one of the marsh area. They're scant on detail but enjoyable nonetheless.
People thought this was:
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Wow. We really wanted to visit Magnolia Plantation for their beautiful gardens. But it just happened to rain on our plantation day. So, we opted for Drayton Hall.
This place is simply amazing. Also, our tour guide was able to point out very many interesting facts about the house, it's history and the beautiful details. I could not believe that this home is over 265 years old! The National Trust purchased the house in 1974 from the Drayton family and has decided to perserve the home as it was received. They will not be restoring or refurbishing it. They will keep it as it is.
It's definitely worth your time, if you are visiting Charleston.
People thought this was:
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Beautiful. This plantation house is my favorite in the Charleston area (and there are a decent number of them within an hours drive). The house itself was spared from the invading Union army because the family hung signs on the edge of the property saying the house was being used as a makeshift Smallpox hospital. How cool is that?
Thusly, the house was not burned, looted, etc and has not been retro-fitted with plumbing or electricity. It looks just as it did when it was built.
The grounds aren't as impressive as other plantations close by, but I really love this old place and you should check it out if you like that kind of thing. Definitely worth the drive from town (about 30 minutes).
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So here's your itinerary for your day of plantation tours: Drayton Hall, Magnolia Plantation, and Middleton Place (plus their gardens), out on Ashley River Road. They're all interesting in their own right; the difference is that Drayton Hall is unfurnished. It's not trying to be "living history"... yet you still get a powerful sense of the people who lived there. A beautiful example of Georgian architecture.
I absolutely loved it! The house is so beautiful, the people that ran the place where so helpful and informative. Our tour guide, Bob, felt like a link to the past, he did an amazing job and he conveyed his love and passion for the place infectiously. I agree with the other review - the fact that it wasn't restored or "upgraded" was refreshing. No furnishing in the house, some felt the lack of it - but I thought it really helped showcase the beauty of the design of the house better, also the detail that has been saved through the years is just amazing. I am so glad we checked this place out! Also - for the price - $14 - you can't beat it - and that takes care of everything - Other places had a price for general admission and then more for the house and then more for the gardens and more for the swamp... whatever - this place was the best!
