Plantation In Charleston South Carolina

 Plantation In Charleston South Carolina - Charleston exemplifies the romantic concept of the Old South, with its aristocratic homes surrounded by lush vegetation and dramatic brick alleys. 

Charleston was described as the wealthiest city in South America in 1773, and it still preserves, maybe more than any other, a plantation society vibe today. 

A stroll or horse-drawn carriage ride through the Historic District, with its opulent porches and slender church steeples, explains why the heroine of Gone with the Wind would want to live in Charleston. 

In addition to historic buildings, estates, and museums, Charleston tourist attractions include an aquarium, the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, and Fort Sumter, the site of the first shots fired in the Civil War.

A walk or horse-drawn carriage ride through the Historic District transports you to Charleston's past. The streets are lined with grand old homes, churches, and other buildings (Charleston has over 1,400 historic buildings), and riding the train is one of the most romantic things to do in Charleston, especially at night.

10 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Charleston

Plantation In Charleston South Carolina

1 . Waterfront Park

The 12-acre Waterfront Park spans over more than 1,000 feet of waterfront and attracts both tourists and locals looking to relax and enjoy the views of Charleston Harbor. Garden chairs and double swings face the water, where sailboats and larger boats can be seen. Fountains are illuminated at night, including the distinctive Pineapple Fountain, and seasonal flower beds give a dash of color. The park's central location near the City Market and historic sites, as well as its free wifi, contribute to its popularity.

2 . Middleton Place Plantations

Nothing says "Old South" like a huge estate, and Charleston has many to show off. Middleton Place is notable for its complete plantation residence as well as America's oldest landscape garden. The grounds are laid out in a sequence of beautiful descending terraces, protected galleries, and swimming pools in a symmetrical 17th-century European design. The gardens are in full bloom all year, with rare camellias in the winter and azaleas in the spring.

During a tour of the 1755 mansion, you'll learn about four generations of Middletons and their slaves while admiring the furniture, silverware, rare books, porcelain, and paintings that have been kept by the same family for more than three centuries. The Plantation Stable brought life outside the mansion, with costumed translators demonstrating skills and trades such as blacksmithing, pottery, carpentry, cooperating, and weaving, which would later be performed by slaves on the rice plantations of the Low Countries.

3. Magnolia Farms & Gardens

Plantation & Gardens of Magnolia

The splendor of Magnolia Plantation's huge gardens will captivate visitors all year long, not just garden enthusiasts. These are America's oldest publicly accessible gardens, initially welcoming visitors in 1870, though parts of them date back two centuries. They were also the country's last large-scale Romanesque-style gardens, in contrast to most display gardens, which controlled and sculpted nature through beds, walks, and formal landscaping. The gardens have expanded over generations of the same family, with each subsequent owner adding new features. You can go on a house tour, view the Antebellum cabin, go on a boat excursion, see exhibits, and bring younger guests to the nature center and zoo.

Address: 3550 Ashley River Road, Charleston, South Carolina

4. South Carolina Aquarium

The South Carolina Aquarium is one of the most popular things to do in Charleston with kids. Despite its name, it is not only inhabited by sea creatures. In every child's favorite Charleston attraction, birds, land mammals, plants, and reptiles join the marine inhabitants. 

The emphasis is on engagement, so you'll find Shark Shallows, where you can touch sharks and rays, and a touch tank with starfish and other species, in addition to two levels and a 385,000 gallon aquarium tank with daily interactive events. 

Visitors can get a behind-the-scenes look at animal care by visiting the aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital, South Carolina's only hospital for sick and injured sea turtles. Caretta, a 220-pound loggerhead sea turtle who dwells in the aquarium, is its best inhabitant.

5. Old Slave Mart Museum

The Old Slave Mart Museum is located in the heart of the French Quarter, near the French Huguenot Church, in the structure where slaves were auctioned prior to the Civil War. The self-guided tour includes historical information, personal tales of slaves, relics, and audio and visual exhibits. This is a modest but powerful museum that depicts a dark side of history. A few blocks away is the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon, where costumed guides discuss the history of pirates and patriots imprisoned here.

Charleston, South Carolina, 6 Chalmers Street

6. USS Yorktown and Patriots Point

Patriots Point, just across Charleston Harbor from the Historic District, is where you can board the USS Yorktown. This massive ship was the eleventh carrier in the US Navy, gaining a Presidential Unit Citation and 11 battle stars for service in WWII, as well as five battle stars for duty in Vietnam. She was also the ship chosen to collect the astronauts from Apollo 8, and she made her film debut in the 1944 documentary The Fighting Lady. In 1975, the USS Yorktown was retired to the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. You can also visit aircraft, submarines, and other maritime displays while at Patriots Point.

Address: 40 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

7. Boone Hall Plantation

1681 Boone Hall, one of America's oldest working estates, is best known for its moss-covered Avenue of Oaks, which is positioned three-quarters of a mile away to protect the ancient slave huts. The stunning trees that frame the approach to Boone Hall were planted in 1743 by the son of the original owner, Major John Boone. Crops have been farmed consistently here for more than three centuries, and you may buy fruit, berries, and vegetables at the Boone Hall Farms Market, which is located on Highway 17 near the estate.

Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, 1235 Long Point Road

8. Ravenel Bridge

The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which connects downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant, quickly became a popular icon after its construction in 2005. Its elegant cable-stayed design is more than just a lovely bridge: it's designed to resist winds of more than 300 miles per hour, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, and even ship accidents. Along with its multiple traffic lanes, the bridge has a shared bicycle-pedestrian route called the Wonders' Way, and walking or cycling on it is a popular pastime due to the stunning views of Charleston.

9 .Drayton Hall

Drayton Hall is America's oldest undamaged plantation mansion that is still open to the public. Drayton Hall, like other neighboring estates, offers guided tours of the house, although the house itself (walls, flooring, and fireplace) remains intact, allowing rare vistas into the past. The magnificent interior has been preserved, showing genuine 18th-century ornamental and artisan features. Drayton Hall Plantation, founded in 1738, was one of the few to survive the Civil War unscathed. The stunning personal touches, such as a 300-year-old children's growth chart, remain. The African-American cemetery on the plantation, which originates from circa 1790, is one of the country's oldest African-American cemeteries continuously in use.

10. Fort Sumter National Monument

The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. The fort ruins are well kept, and National Park Rangers describe the Fort Sumter tale and how it shaped history. Visitors must board a boat from the Visitor Education Center in Liberty Square or Patriots Point to reach the island.

Plantation In Charleston South Carolina Here are 10 places you can visit

Share this post