Mark K.
Yelp
I'll start by making a general statement that I was happy that we visited this place. The grounds were spacious and enjoyable to wander on the nice weather day we were there. The stables and other out buildings were interesting to see. The fact that there were a few animals with which to interact was also fun. The Cashmere Goats were my favorites. The gardens were beautiful and the setting of the estate on the river was gorgeous. If one was in need of some relaxing, mind - clearing moments, an hour or so of wandering the gardens and sitting by the river would accomplish that for just about anybody.
The history of this particular estate, as well as that of the Middleton family, was also rather interesting. It was compelling to imagine what the estate must have been like before it was ransacked by Union soldiers, an act which destroyed the main house and one of the other larger buildings. The prominence of the family and the drastic change in their situation after the Civil War was particularly fascinating. The post - war fallout was interesting to ponder.
The highlight of the visit was undoubtedly The Beyond the Fields tour, which chronicled the lives of the enslaved (and subsequently freed) African - Americans who lived and worked on the plantation. The tour guide was excellent and brought out many salient facts about Antebellum, as well as post-war, life on the estate. That tour also took us around a good portion of the grounds, allowing an opportunity to learn additional small tidbits about the facility.
The house tour was reasonably good, though it was a little short and almost anti-climactic after wandering the grounds with the Beyond the Fields tour. Because the extant structure was not the main house (that was burned by marauding Union soldiers and its destruction made complete by a late -19th Century earthquake), it did not capture the opulence and essence of the antebellum period. The visual aspect of the house tour did a better job of capturing the post-war history, which was a much more subdued, nearly dormant time for the estate.
Quite honestly, while I generally found the time spent here to be worthwhile, the major drawback was the cost. There were five of us and we did the grounds and house tour. Even with two student discounts, which saved $28, our final cost was $192. That's a big commitment in terms of cash outlay! For me, to spend that kind of money, it needs to be a full day's worth of activity. While you probably could stretch a visit to this attraction into a full - day pursuit if you purposed to do so, the fact is that, if you're a visitor to Charleston, there are probably other things you want to accomplish in the course of a day. And to spend the whole day here, most would be doing it just to feel like they received a better value for what they paid. It's really a half-day visit. My advice would be to skip the house tour and save $15 per person. Without knowing better, you feel like you're missing the main event by foregoing this. But the information conveyed on that particular tour is largely redundant if you do the Beyond the Fields tour (which is no extra charge). And the artifacts in the house, while interesting, are unfortunately not worth that sort of additional cost to see, in my opinion.
It is also worth noting that there is a restaurant on site. Although we just went in for a coffee at the bar, it looked quite lovely. It actually looked like it might be a rather nice dining experience. But they unfortunately do not offer small bites. Those can only be found at the entry to the estate where there is a general store, which offers sundries, albeit at tourist prices.
Overall, if you want to see a plantation, this is a good choice. Just be prepared for the cost. I would arrive in the morning if you can because the logistics of their offerings are better arranged if you get an early start. If you choose to do the house tour, do that before the Beyond the Fields tour, the last one of which commences early in the afternoon. Also, save time for the Garden tour. I regret we did not do that.