My youngest and I had an absolute fantastic time here, it was just the two of us on our guided tour…read moreand it was great. We were able to enjoy each house/building, ask a ton of questions and learn about the history of Lexington county. It's amazing how the different parts of history are interconnected. Our tour guide, I cannot remember his name, was great. He was patient and so knowledgeable he really made this an interesting afternoon. The tour lasted about an hour and a half, we started with the oldest house in Lexington county (also in the state). We enjoyed that we could tour the homes and move through the centuries; traveling through time as we went. They host Halloween and Christmas specials where there are people dressed in period pieces throughout the property. If you live in Lexi from county, go to your library and get a pass; it covers the cost of admission for a family of four. The admission isn't that much to begin with; $5.00 for an adult and $4.00 for children. This is a great way to learn and live the history.

Wow, Ive lived in this area for some time, and finally decided to stop at this history Gem! The own…read moreapprox. 6 acres of land, enough parking for events, the bldg and grounds are well kept, the gardens/ herbs all over are beautiful. Someone really has a green thumb and I Iove it! They have programs and tours thru out the yr for all, check website out. Very reasonably priced so all can enjoy. Certain events the houses are open for free tours. Its really worth the drive to spend some quality time here. I went to a yrly herb festival this past weekend, and realized I have been missing out all these yrs! This will be on my yrly to do list. The fest had herbs of course, gardening veggies, vendors set up thru out, tastings, lots to buy. I did buy some plants and things for my garden. Lots of different lavender plants. Also walk around, lots of herbs and gardens are planted on the grounds with signs, ask questions, great way to learn from some gardening masters. Lots of people so go early for fest. I really enjoyed my lovely day here, I will visit and enjoy the other programs. Your children will love this museum too, Im sure the schools do a field trips here.

My sister and I loved our tour with Historic Columbia. We visited the Hampton-Preston house. The…read morestaff was very friendly and honored my sister's student discount even though she didn't have her ID with her. Our tour guide is a current history PhD student at USC. She was very knowledgeable and clearly had a passion for history. The tour group was small and intimate, allowing us to ask as many questions as we desired. I would love to go back sometime and do one of the three other tours. Highly recommend this group!

Perhaps I'm biased, but I love Historic Columbia and so should you. The houses are beautiful and…read morewell-loved, the tour guides are knowledgable and friendly, and the gift shop has something for everyone. They are in the process of updating and adding more landscaping which makes the surroundings of Robert Mills and Hampton Preston even lovelier. They also are out there doing good for the historical community and are very involved in helping preserve the history of Columbia. Finally, they are creative - they do historic happy hour tours, neighborhood walking tours, spooky nighttime graveyard walks, and awesome fundraising events. This is really an organization to be aware of and get involved with.

Great place to stop and check out historic house. I had a great time with my family. They have a…read morenice gift shop.

Very interesting if you like history. It's a beautiful place, and the tour was interesting.read more

What a beautiful spot to spend some time. My son and I brought five containers of water and we are…read morealready out of water! The water tastes delicious and so fresh. There are no words for how it tastes! If you are planning on going go earlier in the day; it doesn't seem to be as crowded then. Being more jugs for water than you think you are going to need. The store up the road has jugs available for purchase.

Unable to check in for lack of cell service but could not complain since it is God's property,…read morewhere else do you find an Acre of land deeded to God himself, he owns the universe but this Acre is deeded. It was pouring when we went back with our jugs just 10 minutes after taking the pictures so I can't attest to the water properties it it sure reminded me of Hot Springs, AR where people also wait in line to fill jugs to take home. Will be back to get some home and visit God on his property

If you're in the area this is a great place to stop for current information as well as historical…read moreinformation. The Lorick plantation home was moved from its nearby origin and lovingly restored to its original grandeur. An addition to the back of the building provides a museum of sorts with interesting information about the history of Lake Murray in the region. It's not the most impressive place in terms of display and interpretation, but it is a really neat place. The upstairs is closed off as it is offices, but the main level has a lot of original detail. What is always very interesting to a lot of people who have never been to plantation home is that they really weren't very large and they aren't always opulent. This is a great example of a midlands plantations for a successful family. You don't need to dedicate a lot of time for this place but if you are within reach I would definitely recommend stopping by.

From the owner: Begin your adventure at the Capital City/Lake Murray Country Visitors Center! Here, local experts…read morewill provide detailed information about the attractions in our region, including brochures, maps, and personalized recommendations. There is so much to explore! The Capital City/Lake Murray Country region is conveniently located near I-77, I-26, and I-20, right in the heart of the Palmetto State. Discover the beautiful four-county area, which includes Lexington, Newberry, Richland, and Saluda Counties. Enjoy activities such as boat rentals, paddleboarding excursions, exciting big-city entertainment, and unique dining experiences. Lake Murray Country truly offers a wealth of activities! Join us for an unforgettable journey that both current and future generations will want to revisit time and time again. This is your invitation to experience the Jewel of South Carolina! With something for everyone, make the Capital City/Lake Murray Country region your next adventure!

We went for the wine on the river. It was amazing. Super cool charcuterie board. They had gluten…read morefree crackers for me. The wine was also very good. The plantation is adorable. It is truly a hidden gem. The manager even drove us to town to help us get a Lyft back to our hotel. If you have not visited this gem you are missing out

I have been to several different plantations in several different states and was really looking…read moreforward to a great afternoon with my daughters at Hopsewee to include a booked Tea Time and house tour. I purchased the Tea Service ahead of time. Everyone was very friendly but I will say, overly cautious. I had indicated that I have a tree nut allergy on the notes when I booked our reservation and I have never had an establishment refuse me service because of my allergy , but they did. For the life of me I couldn't understand why a slight adjustment couldn't be made to remove almonds from one tiny dish. They also refused to serve one of my daughters for a lactose intolerance note. I assured them it was ok and I had a lactaid for her to take, she'd be fine. I had only included that note because SOME places will offer alternatives. Ultimately, they served us but I had to sign a waiver, never have I ever until now. Most of the tea service items were very good with the exception of the tiny lemon chess pie which was curdled and tasted of rotten eggs, awful. The tea was excellent and the scones and curd and cream were great too. The area where the dining room is, is nothing fancy at all. It was decent but I was truly disappointed as I was hoping for something more extravagant for tea service. The plantation home, while nice was also truly underwhelming. Great history, good tour guide who was very knowledgeable and a great storyteller, but the house was not anywhere near as fancy as others I have visited. I think what was the biggest let down was that this was the first time my daughters were visiting any plantation home and it was not at all what I was hoping for them to see and experience. If I had known what it looked like more ahead of time, I would have chosen another location in the area. Pictures inside the home are not allowed.

I'm super bummed that it was completely overcast today when I visited Barnwell to see the sundial…read more There was no telling the time today other than from the clock in my car, or my Fitbit, or my phone, but not from the sundial. Quite possibly the only one of its kind, it has displayed the accurate time - within two minutes of standard time - for over 150 years. It was a gift to the city in 1858 from state senator J.D. Allen. The plaque reads, "The sundial. The oldest known device for the measurement of time, a sundial indicates time by the position of the shadow of a gnomon cast by the sun on the face of a dial marked in hours. The gnomon is a flat piece of metal in the center of the dial with its back pointing towards the North Pole when in the northern hemisphere and facing due south and with the upper edge slanting at an angle equal to the altitude of the location of the sundial." [Review 16842 overall - 873 in South Carolina - 355 of 2022.]

This was a wonderful rare educational find on our way to the healing springs in Barnwell, SC. I…read moreactually did more research once I got home for a better understanding! For over 150 years, Barnwell's rare vertical sundial has given the correct time of day. It is thought to be the only one of its kind remaining in America. Legend has it that this is the only vertical sundial in the United States and though erected two years prior to standard time, it keeps within two minutes of that. Captain Joseph D. Allen, had the sundial made in Charleston. Stop if you in the area!

This is a fairly remote site, and the roads were not in good condition when I arrived, with a…read morebridge out to the north that would require a major detour. The site itself had a history that wasn't quite what I expected; after its days as a working plantation, it was rented to sharecroppers for many years before the area was bought by the National Forest Service and a large number of trees were planted with the intent to create a new forest (a success, by the looks of things), and the site of this mansion was later made into a park. Wandering around the site was free; a guided tour of the mansion itself did cost some money. The site was the home of a governor shortly before the Civil War, so the focus is on Civil War history. I had the run of the place given the frigid weather, and I found the historical context interesting, though there seemed to be a lot of gaps in recorded history and a lot of speculation in the responses I got. Nonetheless, you'd still get an interesting and nuanced picture even with the uncertainty. There were some small trails, but I didn't quite make it to the river. Without the tour, there wasn't really enough to be worth driving an hour or more to get here (and I was puzzled that some people apparently left without seeing the mansion). It wasn't the best SC park I've been to, but they've all been interesting.

Got a tour of the mansion from Nate - he was a great guide. Very knowledgeable, eager to answer my…read morequestions. This site is on the smaller side of other plantations I've visited. With the tour, you could walk and see the whole of the grounds within 1.5, 2hrs. I've never been disappointed with a SC Parks employee-led tour. It's worth buying the state parks annual pass if you're into history, want to support the parks, and take advantage of all the tours included in the annual pass.