Drayton Hall Tour: Historic Plantation and Galleries

Explore Drayton Hall, America’s oldest preserved plantation house, with an interpreter-guided tour. Book now for a family-friendly adventure in Charleston.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Drayton Hall - Drayton Hall plantation c. 1738 is located in the Ashley River Historic District of Charleston, SC.
    Our Interpreter-Guided House Tour is led by professional interpreters who have worked with and in the house for years and have deep understanding of the history and fabric of the house and all the lives which have touched Drayton Hall…
What's Included
  • All-Inclusive Admission to Drayton Hall
  • 1-Hour Interpreter-Led Tour
  • 18th Century African-American Cemetery
  • Gates Gallery
  • Almeida Gallery
  • Orientation Video
  • Free Parking
What's Not Included
  • Transportation to/from Drayton Hall
Additional Information

Discover historic Drayton Hall, the oldest preserved Plantation house in America still open to the public. Founded in 1738, Drayton Hall is the nation’s earliest example of fully executed Palladian architecture. Enjoy a 1-hour interpreter-guided tour of this historic estate and complete your visit with a self-guided tour of the grounds as well as access…

Location
Drayton Hall
3380 Ashley River Rd,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(51 Ratings)
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Bryan
Dec 30, 2024
Drayton Hall is in a league by itself. - we have been to all of the plantations in the Charleston area. None compared to the authenticity of Drayton Hall. This was, by far, the best of all the plantations. If you’re a history buff, you must go to this plantation. It’s the real deal. our interpreter Caroline was unbelievably good. She was knowledgeable and was really engaged.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F6313kpjennifere
Nov 27, 2024
Amazing home - Very interesting tour. The only house that wasn't burned during the civil war. It's being preserved, not restored. We enjoyed walking around the estate too.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chad_s
Oct 24, 2024
Nice historical experience - Very interesting active preservation site. Deep, rich history at this previous plantation. Enjoyed the guided tour as well as the self-guided walking tour.
Review provided by Viator
M1540fhpamelam
Sep 29, 2024
Amazing colonial era house - Our guide was very knowledgeable. Gave us insight into Colonial America. We did leave wondering why Drayton Hall was spared destruction by the advancing Federal forces during the end of the Civil War
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jason_b
Sep 1, 2024
Great experience - Excellent explained history of the plantation and those who lived there. W.T did a great job! Especially handling the little kids rapid fire questions.
Review provided by Viator
Chrisnj3048zm
Aug 28, 2024
Don’t Miss It - The tour was great, Thomas our guide was very informative. You could tell he really loved the property and telling its story. The archeological exhibit was really fascinating and unique. The house was beautiful in its natural state. I appreciated the way it was completely untouched. You can even see graffiti on the mantle from 1874. This is a really unique experience and I truly enjoyed it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sherri_w
Jun 28, 2024
True Southern Palntation - A true Southern plantation. Plan to arrive early as the humidity is wicked awful this last week of June 2024. Can’t imagine how hot July, August, and September will be. Our tour guide, Morgan was very knowledgeable and answered all my questions. There was only one other couple in our tour. Lots of history here and well worth the admission price. My husband and I toured Boone Hall & Magnolia prior to visiting Drayton Hall, and this was my personal favorite.
Review provided by Viator
Mscameron80
Aug 27, 2024
Worth it. - The tour was very interesting and more so visiting the oldest and authentic plantation house. Note that besides the house there’s not much else to do. Staff are friendly but it can be tricky getting to/from there if you don’t have a car. I did manage to get Uber but you need to time it right as a lot of times the drivers won’t take the rides due to traffic.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
642kristenb
Dec 10, 2024
Like Ben Shapiro's Delivery Style-Only Faster - If I could have caught more than a few words of each sentence delivered at machine gun pace I may have found this more enjoyable. But, I am not a lip reader. So much of this tour was an incomprehensible jumble of droning on and on that didn't reach my brain even though my hearing is perfect. I did get the message about the "enslaved," a word mentioned so many times I could not miss it. I think I know who the homeowner was, but am still not sure about the rest of the family or much else. So sad that the transfer to the National Trust (or some similar organization) included a ban on doing more than preserving the structure. There are no furnishings and it is all pretty bland and subject to a good imagination about how these people lived.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carolyn_s
Aug 4, 2024
Didn’t get to tour. - Original plan was a girls trip with my two girls & grandson. One daughter was unable to travel due to storm expected. We only got to the first room of Drayton House and grandson was not a fan of being still or quite (19 mo) the picture is us leaving as the rest of the trip fell apart. 3 tickets & no tour 😥🥺
Review provided by Viator
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