Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
1.) Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
Charleston, S.C.
With a history stretching back to 1676, the home contains stories from the American Revolution, the Civil War and beyond. Tours here showcase America’s oldest public gardens, wildlife nature trains and a boat ride.
2.) Hopsewee Plantation
Georgetown, S.C.
The hard work of five families have kept the plantation from falling into disrepair since before the Revolutionary War. Located along the North Santee River, tours of the house talk about the history of its residences and the 18th and 19th century antiques filling the rooms.
3.) Ashtabula Plantation
Pendleton, S.C.
Built in 1825 by Lewis Ladson Gibbs, this plantation house once stood on 1,000 acres of farmland. Now Ashtabula serves as a house museum full of antebellum antiques, family artifacts and themed tours on subjects like mourning traditions and superstitions of the 1800s.
www.pendletonhistoricfoundation.org
4.) Walnut Grove Plantation
Spartanburg, S.C.
Groups touring Walnut Grove Plantation can visit the house, kitchen and Rocky Spring Academy, which was one of the first schools in the area. Guides describe how the Scots-Irish Moore family and their slaves survived daily life on the frontier in the 1700s.
www.spartanburghistory.org/walnutgrove.php
5.) Hampton Plantation
McClellanville, S.C.
The Georgian-style mansion interprets the system of slavery that supported the wealthy plantations of the South. Tours take groups through the house, remains of rice fields, kitchen building, camellia gardens and archeological sites about the Lowcountry rice culture.
www.southcarolinaparks.com
6.) Somerset Place
Creswell, N.C.
Somerset Place gives a more realistic look at 19th century life as a historic site containing seven original buildings from the plantation’s antebellum community.
www.nchistoricsites.org/somerset
7.) Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens
New Bern, N.C.
More than one historic home sits at the Tyron Palace site, including the grand Georgian-style building for Royal Governor William Tryon and his family as the first permanent capitol of North Carolina. Tours of the site feature the old capitol, gardens, the North Carolina History Center and historic homes from the 18th and 19th centuries.
www.tryonpalace.org
8.) Chinqua Penn Plantation
Reidsville, N.C.
Highlighted on A&E’s American Castles, Chinqua Penn Plantation boasts a 27-room English countryside mansion, 22 acres of gardens, a wine tasting room and historic landscape. Inside the home, rooms display regional collections of eclectic decorative arts.
9.) Historic Latta Plantation
Huntersville, N.C.
Located on the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, the 1800s cotton plantation and living farm educates visitors on its once prosperous history. Groups can watch an introductory video, take a guided tour and explore the surrounding grounds and outbuildings.
www.lattaplantation.org
10.) Historic Rosedale Plantation
Charlotte, N.C.
Many believe the unusual chrome yellow trim on the Rosedale Plantation caused the neighbors to refer to the property as “Frew’s Folly.” Groups can tour the Federal-style home to learn about its architecture, décor, history and the daily life of its inhabitants, both black and white.
For more on the Carolinas:
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