Best Plantation Tours in Charleston

Among the things to do in Charleston you should not miss a tour of its plantations. If you like nature, these places are ideal for you. Many of them have magical gardens that look like something out of a fairy tale, but have a lot of history.

In addition to admiring the beauty of nature, your private guide will tell you the history of these iconic historical sites. The plantations used to be the places where slaves lived and worked in colonial times. Although it is a sad side of history, it is worth knowing its details.

The Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is one of Charleston's most beautiful. Its natural beauty has been maintained over time.

In fact, it was the only one of the Ashley River plantations to survive the American Revolution and the Civil War. The tour to this plantation has an approximate duration of 5 hours and an average cost of 70 €.

This tour includes round trip transportation from the meeting point to the plantation. When you arrive at the plantation you can take a narrated streetcar ride through Audubon's swamp gardens, slave cabins and rice fields.

This tour is approximately 40 minutes long and serves as a reflection on the slaveholding past in the southern United States.

Do you like romantic plans? Then this is the option you are looking for because during the tour you will have a guided walk through the large romantic garden. While you are there, I invite you to admire the wildlife that consists of alligators, herons, turtles, egrets and other animals that live throughout the plantation.

If you are interested in more plans for couples, I recommend visiting Charleston in February as you will find many romantic activities for Valentine's Day.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately 70 €.
• Duration: about 5 hours.
• Means of transportation: air-conditioned bus and a streetcar inside the plantation during part of the tour.
• Advantages of this option: it is a fairly large plantation that allows you to learn about the culture and history of the plantation, in addition to living with nature and its beautiful landscapes.
• Disadvantages of this option: if you travel on a rainy day, the tour may not be the best and the walking tour through the garden may not be possible. Make sure that the tour company takes precautions and reschedules the trip in case of bad weather.

Middleton Place is one of the most popular plantations in Charleston. Despite being one of the best destinations, it is complicated to get there if you do not have a private vehicle. Therefore, the best option is to hire a private tour.

Normally, these have a cost of 100 €, if they include lunch. In addition, they usually last at least 5 hours.

In this guided tour, the meeting point is usually in downtown Charleston. A comfortable, air-conditioned van will be waiting for you there. From here you will drive to Middleton Place, a National Historic Landmark. Upon arrival you will watch an introductory video of the site before beginning the tour.

After the introduction, your guide will take you to the old gardens and the House Museum which houses the possessions of Henry Middleton, the original owner of the plantation and signer of the Declaration of Independence. This part of the tour lasts at least 40 minutes.

The next part of the tour is the Low Country style lunch. You will have several options to choose from at the restaurant located inside the plantation.

When you finish lunch, you will continue the tour through the gardens and grounds of the plantation. You can also stop by the chapel, the museum store and the yards where farm animals live.

Details of interest

• Price: 100 € more or less.
• Duration: about 5 hours.
• Means of transportation: private van with air conditioning.
• Advantages of this option: it is one of the most comfortable options to travel and includes lunch for a better experience.
• Disadvantages of this option: if you are traveling to Charleston for a day, this will not be the best option as the tour can take many hours.

Boone Hall & Gardens Plan tation is one of the oldest plantations in the United States and was founded in 1681.

The tour to this plantation includes round-trip transportation aboard an air-conditioned bus. In addition, this tour also includes a narration about the gardens and other sites within the plantation.

The tour lasts approximately 5 hours and costs an average of €60. When you enter this site, you will realize that the plantation still offers crops.

You can also take a tour of the mansions and even a tractor tour of the plantation. This service may not be included in the tour and lasts between 30 and 40 minutes.

In addition, on the tour you will have the opportunity to appreciate the period costumes that are stored on the plantation. You will also pass through the slave quarters while listening to their history and learning about their current use.

You will also learn about the Gullah culture, an African-American ethnic group that even has its own language, through songs, dances and much more, performed by Gullah people who work at the site.

These tours are generally conducted in small groups of a maximum of 15 people. They can generally take place at any time in the morning or afternoon. Choose the time that suits you best.

Details of interest

• Price: about 60 €.
• Duration: approximately 4 hours.
• Means of transportation: air-conditioned bus.
• Advantages of this option: the guided tour includes an air-conditioned bus and a guide who will narrate the history of the plantation.
• Disadvantages of this option: as it is a private service, the schedule is stricter and you will have to follow the planned program. If you go on your own you can enjoy some areas for longer.

The Charleston Tea Plantation is a plantation just outside of Charleston that is home to South Carolina's finest teas and wines.

The tour lasts approximately 5 hours and costs an average of $150 per person. It also includes private transportation from a central point in the city of Charleston to the plantation.

For the welcome you will taste the plantation's exclusive tea, either in its hot or cold version. The next stop will be at Deep Water Vineyard, where you can taste the plantation's finest wines. Please note that you must be at least 21 years old to participate in this tour, otherwise you will not be able to enjoy the wine.

In addition to wine and tea, in this plantation you can interact with the farm animals. You can observe them in their habitat or approach and pet the animals that the guide will show you. I do not recommend approaching them by surprise or without prior instruction from the tour guides. Remember that not all animals like to interact with humans.

Finally you will travel by streetcar for 40 minutes while you tour and observe all the green hectares of this plantation. During this part of the tour you will hear about the history of tea and the plantation's founder, Bill Hall.

Without a doubt this is one of the best things to do in Charleston if you are traveling for 4 days.

Details of Interest

• Price: about 150 €.
• Duration: approximately 5 hours.
• Means of transportation: private van with air conditioning.
• Advantages of this option: you can taste the exclusive tea and wine of this plantation.
• Disadvantages of this option: the tour can be very long and does not include lunch, so I recommend you bring snacks or ask where the closest restaurant to the plantation is located.

Although you can visit Middleton and Magnolia Plan tation separately, each of these tours takes about 4 hours. If you are traveling to Charleston for only 1 day and want to see more than one plantation, visiting them in a combined tour is best.

Keep in mind that the average cost of a private tour like this is 500 €, as it includes lunch and private vehicle.

Your tour will start at the meeting point agreed upon by the company. Normally it will be somewhere located in downtown Charleston.

From there you will embark on a trip in an air-conditioned van to the first stop: Magnolia Plantation & Gardens. I invite you to take advantage of everything you can at this site, as it is one of the most beautiful plantations in Charleston.

The next stop will be Middleton. Here you can tour the stables and learn about the history of rice farming and phosphate mining which were the main economic activities of the colonial era. You will also have the opportunity to see the blacksmith, pottery and textile stores.

You can pause in the middle of the two plantations to enjoy your lunch. This is prepared in a Lunch Box that you can enjoy in one of the two plantations. It is worth mentioning that this excursion does not include the entrance fees to the plantations, but private transportation for two adults and lunch for both.

Details of interest

• Price: about 500 €.
• Duration: approximately 4 hours.
• Means of transportation: private air-conditioned vehicle.
• Advantages of this option: you can travel at your own pace and explore one of Charleston's most popular plantations at your leisure.
• Disadvantages of this option: it is one of the most expensive tours and does not include entrance to the plantations. If you have more time to explore Charleston, it would be better to choose one of the other options mentioned above.

Drayton Hall is the oldest plantation in the United States that has been preserved in good condition and is still open to the public.

To give you an idea of how old it is, this site was founded in 1738. I invite you to travel back in time on a two-hour guided tour through this plantation. The price of the tour is around 40 €.

The tour guide will take you to explore the grounds of Drayton Hall and you can visit the galleries of the plantation. There you will find antique objects that have been very well preserved all these years. You will also see the 18th century African-American cemetery.

This tour does not include transportation to and from the plantation, you will only meet the interpreter guide at the plantation. This person will be in charge of translating everything that the plantation guides narrate.

The tour usually starts with an orientation video and then walks through the plantation, admiring the panoramic views of the Ashley River and the wildlife of nature.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately 40 €.
• Duration: about 2 hours.
• Means of transportation: you must get your own transportation. You can hire an Uber to get to the plantation.
• Advantages of this option: if you do not speak English this is a good option because the interpreter will not let you miss a single detail of the tour.
• Disadvantages of this option: if you are just passing through Charleston it may be difficult to get transportation to the plantation. I recommend that you book your trip in advance to avoid last minute inconveniences.

Traveller Tip

When visiting a plantation you should wear comfortable clothing and sturdy, ergonomic shoes. Keep in mind that these tours are usually long and you will be on your feet for most of the time. Some companies include water bottles and others do not, so it is best to bring your own supplies.

The plantations are open natural sites. This means that you will be in contact with nature, the sun and wild animals. My first tip is to be prepared with comfortable clothes.

Don't wear dresses, skirts or jeans. It is best to wear clothes that allow you to move freely, remember that the tours are up to 5 hours and you will generally be walking.

For this reason I recommend that you wear sturdy and ergonomic shoes. This is the only way you will be able to walk calmly all day long without worrying about having sore feet.

Besides that, I recommend you to bring sunscreen and an umbrella to protect you from the sun or rain in case it rains unexpectedly.

In these plantations I am sure you will find beautiful places. That's why it's best to bring a camera or have your smartphone camera ready.

Don't miss the opportunity to have a nice souvenir of this experience. If you travel to Charleston in autumn, you will find beautiful landscapes in orange and yellow colors that you will love to preserve in your photographs.

One last tip is to always be checking the established program. Don't fall behind on the sites you visit.

Remember that each of the activities has a limited time so you can make the most of your day. If you want to continue getting to know this city, I invite you to take a sightseeing bus tour of Charleston.

Generally the plantations have tours and excursions that the sites themselves plan. However, these generally do not include transportation from a site near the hotel where you are staying. Therefore, it is better to hire a guided tour service that includes private transportation.

If you are a tourist in Charleston you should consider how much budget you are going to invest in transportation to take you to the places you want to visit. Although you can order a cab or rent a car for €50 a day on sites like KAYAK, this will be an expense you can save if you get tours that include private transportation.

In addition, some of these tours also include lunch. This is a great plus as it allows you to replenish your energy for the rest of the tour and you can taste the local food.

Another important factor is that on these tours the guides will tell you the history of all the sites you visit. These tours are great activities to do with children in Charleston.

On the other hand, traveling on a tour will help you choose the ideal time of the year to visit the plantation. My advice is that if you travel to Charleston in the winter, don't go to the plantations unless you have no problem with the cold.

There are other activities that are more worthwhile during the cold season, as the plantations are not green and lush at that time of year.