Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens

The magnificent avenue of oak trees that greets visitors at Boone Hall Plantation is, on its own, a Charleston must-see. After taking it in, guests can walk through the plantation mansion or take a driving tour of the grounds, which cover 738 acres. If the car feels too restrictive, opt instead for a garden tour, which highlights a collection of antique roses and a striking butterfly pavilion. Depending on the season, you can visit the U-Pick Fields to harvest your own strawberries or stock up on tomatoes and peaches at an adjacent farm stand. At Boone Hall’s Gullah Theater, historic reenactors recount the dark days of slavery and celebrate the African American culture that marked plantation life in centuries past. .

The folks at Boone Hall claim it’s the most-photographed plantation in the country, and it’s easy to see why. Hulking oak trees draped with Spanish moss march up both sides of the long driveway that leads right to the wrought-iron gate . . . that opens onto the spectacular formal garden . . . that welcomes you to the 1743 mansion. It’s hard not to get goosebumps when you think about all the generations – white and black – who added to the estate’s grandeur. The place is still a working farm after more than 320 years, but the once-thriving cotton fields and pecan orchards have now made way for strawberries, tomatoes, pumpkins and other goodies. You can fill up your own baskets in season (or, if you’re lazy, out at the plantation’s main market on Highway 17). Give yourself enough time to tour the main house, the dock out to the marshy river that once carried crops to the coast, and the row of low-slung brick houses where slaves lived. In one of them, a basket weaver (with handiwork at the Smithsonian) will show you how she makes baskets styled after the ones her Gullah ancestors have made for centuries in the Low Country and islands off Georgia and South Carolina. Another slave house reveals clues that the slaves probably ate better than their masters. Researchers found buried animal bones, suggesting the slaves sneaked out at night to hunt. One word of warning: Watch out for tiny ants on your way back to the grassy parking lot. Unless you like to dance.

Any must-do Charleston list should include visiting at least one of the stately plantations. Middleton Place’s gardens and working farm on the banks of the Ashley River have been designated a National Historic Landmark and boast blooms year round, as well as costumed interpreters in the Plantation Stableyards. Founded in 1681, the 738-acre Boone Hall Plantation is perhaps the most famous of Charleston’s plantations thanks to its much-photographed Avenue of Oaks, educational performances in the Gullah Theater, a vibrant butterfly garden, and seasonal activities such as berry picking in the summer and oyster roasts in the winter. If you’re traveling with kids, they’ll likely talk you into a visit to the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, which has a swamp walk and petting zoo, as well as Charles Towne Landing to visit the Adventure, a replica of a 17th-century sailing ship, and the otters, bears, and bison at the Animal Forest natural habitat zoo. From historic plantations to the newest restaurants, the members of the AFAR Travel Advisory Council are ready to help you discover the best of Charleston.

We’ve visited this plantation twice over the years and enjoy it every time. There is so much history here. Some sad history and some happy history with the movies that have been filmed there and weddings that have taken place on the grounds.

Loved wandering around the grounds and exploring all the old buildings. We weren’t allowed inside this old cotton gin but I just loved the look of it. Well worth the money to visit this plantation. There is a cafe near the cotton gin building where you can get a cold drink on a hot summer day.