Drayton Hall

It took a second visit for us to fully appreciate what Drayton Hall offers. The plantation has the fewest extra attractions besides the house so we originally thought it to be a rip-off. But after visiting all of the historic houses in the Lowcountry, we realized the Drayton Hall plantation house is very impressive. The tour guide, who was incredibly knowledgeable about the entire period of history during which this house was built, explained the difference between many historic houses and this one. They are either "preserved" or "restored". Many more are restored, meaning the house is fixed up, repairs made, and furniture and other items added over time to make the house look like it might have looked when an active plantation. Drayton Hall is one of the few preserved homes, meaning nothing has been modified except for minor repairs to meet safety regulations.

It was built in 1738 and holds the distinction of being the oldest preserved plantation house open to the public in the entire country. The down side of being preserved is that the house is barren with not a single piece of furniture or artwork. You focus instead on the architecture. The house was only painted three times since its construction, so the paint you see on the walls is undoubtedly very old. Even the interior walls are brick behind wooden paneling. The guide said the house contains approximately 388,000 bricks, all hand-made from mud along the Ashley River. Compared to the other house tours, the guide was one of the most knowledgeable we had seen. She could answer any question that was raised. Besides the house tour, there is a nature walk which is nothing to write home about, and a marsh walk which was quite neat. This attraction should be compared more with the historic houses than with the other plantations. With this in mind, it is a pretty good deal.

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