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.

First class museum. Hope trump leaves it alone. Cover ALL southern histories very well. Proud…read morehistories , & some not. Wonderfully set outs. Would comer again

You have to come here when you visit Charleston. Oldest museum in the United States. I love the…read moreHunley submarine outside. I liked how you followed a course through the place... rather than a bunch of stuff in one big room...

This historical marker along US-17 is in front of the Hampton Plantation Historic site and provides…read morea brief overview of the history. This is old Charleston, dating back to Colonial times, and even in condensed form the place carries more weight than the marker can hold. It notes the Horry and Rutledge families and the plantation's early eighteenth century origins, but it leaves out the deeper story of the rice economy built through the labor and agricultural knowledge of enslaved Africans whose work shaped every field along the Santee. The front of the marker reads, "Hampton Plantation, 2 mi. N.W., was established by 1730 and was one of the earliest rice plantations on the Santee River, in an area settled by Huguenots and often called "French Santee." The house, built in the 1730's for Elias Horry, later passed to his granddaughter Harriott Horry, who married Frederick Rutledge in 1797. The plantation remained in the Rutledge family until 1971." And the reverse, "One of Hampton's best-known owners was Archibald Rutledge (1883-1973), educator, man of letters, and first poet laureate of S.C. He wrote of life there in Home by the River (1941), calling it "the mother plantation of this old plantation country." Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970, it has been Hampton Plantation State Park since the state acquired it in 1971." The limited space on the marker omits much. Including the near‑loss of the house in the twentieth century and Archibald Rutledge's role in reviving interest, as well as the long‑loved Washington Oak that tradition links to George Washington's 1791 visit. Today the unfurnished house and quiet grounds at Hampton Plantation State Park offer a clearer sense of the layered past than the roadside text suggests, inviting visitors to step beyond the marker and into a landscape where memory, myth, and history still mingle. It is marker number 1040 and it was erected in 2001 by the St. James-Santee Parish Historical Society. [Review 107 of 2026 - 1377 in South Carolina - 25297 overall]

The site is still in the process of improvement, but even just walking the grounds is a memorable…read moreexperience. A history trail has been added with some visually and intellectually stimulating exhibits. The mansion is rarely if ever open but offers some interesting views. And a walk through the abandoned rice fields yields both wildlife sightings and hints of the place's past. There is a charge to get in, but they waived it for me as I stopped in just at the end of the day to take a quick walk. There are a variety of more developed areas that give private plantation tours, but this outdoor setting is an entirely worthy state park.

Many visits to Georgetown walking past the Kaminski House Museum and finally had the opportunity to…read morebook a scheduled tour on a recent visit. The docent provided historical details of the home and its past owners during the guided tour and was extremely knowledgeable and able to answer all questions asked by our small group of 6. Pricing is reasonable for the tour and the info provided. So glad we had time to stop by and step back in time at the Kaminski House Museum. It is a time capsule from a time long past and maintained in a magnificent fashion by the caretakers. The museum features unique gifts, educational programs, historical exhibits, beautiful antiques, and special events. Kaminski House is a wonderful stop, offering insight into society over the last 200 years. The tour is approximately 1 hour long

Spent the one hour tour of this small estate with our British guide who neglected to give us the…read moreGeorgetown whitewashed history of slavery, but then again the focus was the last owners of this property, and the house itself. Tour was way to long and our guide story telling exhausted me!

Stopped at the Gullah Museum and had a great time. It's self guided and very informational…read more Recommend.

What a wonderful experience! An impactful museum created and curated by local historians. If you…read morehave any interest regional history and culture, do yourself a favor and visit. No fee but they welcome donations!

We showed up at 10:30 on a Saturday during business hours and the museum doors are locked and no…read moreone is there .....

This was a cute place to spend an hour or so. There's a variety of exhibits, several of which are…read morehands-on or interactive for kids. There are taxidermy specimens and some live animals--fish tanks, a few snakes, seahorses, and a turtle. There's also a touch tank with urchins, horseshoe crabs, sea stars, and hermit crabs. Some of the urchins and sea stars looked in bad shape. I've also been told before that sea stars are very sensitive and their suction cups are easily damaged, not to mention repeated stress can be deadly to them. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable and I enjoyed my visit as a solo adult.

Limited hours but still an interesting opportunity to learn about the maritime history of this port…read morecity. The museum opened in 2011 and is a collection of artifacts and memorabilia and artwork. There's quite a lot here including ship models, paintings and even a lens from the North Island lighthouse. Entry to the museum is free (donations appreciated) and there is street parking. I enjoyed my time at this stop. [Review 19419 overall - 993 in South Carolina - 389 of 2023.]

Great small museum to discover the sea life of the coastal lands. Good for children of all ages:…read more4-84! Go. You won't regret your visit, especially if you feed the sting rays.

Visited: February 16, 2026…read more The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon was the perfect blend of history and hustle. From the moment you step onto the grounds, you feel the weight of Charleston's past. Inside, the immersion begins immediately -- postcards, patches, and meaningful souvenirs that make it easy to bring a little history home for friends and family. The highlight, though, was the tour. Our guide was a jolly local with razor-sharp, dry Southern wit -- the kind of storyteller who can pivot from Revolutionary War imprisonment to a perfectly timed sarcastic aside without missing a beat. Equal parts charm and "bless your heart," she made centuries-old history feel present and personal. Down in the Provost Dungeon, those brick walls carry gravity. British occupation. Prisoners of war. Pirates passing through. It's one of those rare spaces where you instinctively lower your voice. You don't just learn history -- you feel it. History hit different here. If you appreciate immersive storytelling, preserved architecture, and a tour that balances education with personality, this is absolutely worth your time.

Fact: Provost Dungeon is older than our country!…read more The British originally owned it and used it as a commercial exchange and customs house. Also used as a post office, prison, and city hall, it is currently a museum. In addition, in 1788 South Carolina approved the US Constitution here. Yet another testament to the rich history of Charleston, Old Exchange, and Provost Dungeon a fascinating places to visit. Built in 1771, it has changed roles countless times: it was a British dungeon during the American Revolution, an elegant hall during George Washington's 1791 visit to Charleston, and a meeting place for the ratification of the Constitution, In 1780 the British occupied Charleston for two years and housed many prisoners in one large cell in this basement making it a provost, or dungeon. Because of the awful conditions here, disease was rampant due to crowding, and no bathroom facilities. Under these conditions, many people died while in prison here. This prison held all types of people, including American and British soldiers, private citizens, and slaves. The first and second floor of the building is home to a museum dedicated to the other uses of the Exchange Building. Fee: Admission to this historic building is only $12 for adults. For a small fee, a guided tour through the lower level and you can learn a lot from the guide.

We were planning on visiting Boone Plantation, but we were early, since it opens at Noon on…read moreSundays. So, we had some time to kill. Almost across the street I have noticed a sign for Charles Pickney National Historic Site which looked open, so off we went. There is a big parking lot upon entrance. Free to visit. Big, woodsy grounds with a few trails, historic houses (closed for the season when we visited in November), a small visitor center with picnic benches, clean restrooms, water fountains. We enjoyed walking around, decompressing, admiring the Spanish moss and the camellias in bloom. We also learnt about Charles Pickney (had no idea who he was), always interesting to get a slice of local and US History. He was a land owner, a politician, a Founding Father who contributed to the Constitution, South Carolina governor (several times), US Senator and member of the House. Also, alongside his wife, Eliza were some of the first people developing indigo crops. All this information you ready by walking around it's interesting and will tie in with the facts and stories you will get while touring Boone plantation. It all connects. Great place to stumble into, it has a bit of everything: respite, nature, history. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. TIP: If you are early for Boone, pop in here. You should do both place if you have time! Lots to learn and the historic site has lots of charm on its own!

This historical park lies near one of Charleston's many prominent plantation-turned-attraction…read moresites. This is far less adorned, less aesthetically impressive. However, as a piece of history it was more interesting than I expected. Speaking as a Washingtonian, the name Charles Pinckney means nothing to me and is not a prominent part of the pantheon of Founding Fathers and the surrounding narrative that we so often hear. The site here tries to make the case that this individual was influential in the country's founding, as well as holding a diverse variety of other roles. And yet, the museum house that forms the centerpiece of this site also focuses on the plantation system that formed the lifeblood of the region and is quite detailed about the slave labor that went into it. Gullah spirituals echo through the walls, and dueling murals in the hall express the fundamental contradiction between the inventors of individual rights simultaneously owning human beings. I don't know what used to be here, but museums in this region have stepped up to the challenge presented by this history. Otherwise, the site offers a brief trail and a boardwalk that's more of a platform looking out into the swamp and the nearby road. I probably spent a little over an hour in the park, which was more than I thought. And it was free.