Hampton Plantation State Historic Site — Attraction in Georgetown

Black Friday Special at South Carolina State Parks got us traveling the hour drive to Hampton Plantation State Historical Site for free park access and free tour of the original house. The plantation was established in 1735 on the banks of Hampton Creek, north of McClellanville, South Carolina and now home to the remote, final remnants of a colonial-era rice plantation. Arriving via a dirt road some miles off of US 17 we discovered a small gift shop/welcome center, modern bathrooms, kitchen house and the main house. Being that the plantation is no longer in use, the majority of the property has been claimed with its natural surroundings. A few rough trails do showcase the magnitude of size of the property, the surrounding marshlands, deserted gardens and grave sites. Ancient, majestic oak trees with Spanish moss laden limbs dot the landscape. The only two remaining structures is the view from the outside of the kitchen house and the main house. Tours inside normally come at an additional charge and feature one of the earliest examples of a temple front in domestic architecture. The house is two and 1/2 story wood-frame, dormered hip roof, clapboard siding and raised brick foundation. The inside of the house is nearly gutted do to failed updates and age of the structure but give a general understanding and magnitude of what the house was originally like. Our guided tour was done by a volunteer, not a ranger, that was informative and underscored the history of a slave plantation. Being free it was...

There is a lot to do here, and not just the tour of the house. That is great too, though. You can walk around and read the signs that tell you everything you need to know about the history of this place. There are also good views of Hampton Creek, the rice fields, and controlled burns. Archibald Rutledge was the last owner of this historic home before the he sold it to the state park service. There is a sign that honors him and shows a poem that he wrote which is a beautiful poem in my opinion. You can walk to his burial site and through his beautiful garden. The Washington Oak is also a very cool landmark. It is a massive oak tree that is supposedly still standing because of George Washington's visit. The ladies who lived at this plantation at one point were obsessed with George Washington, and when he visited, one of them mentioned that the tree was going to be cut down. But allegedly, George Washigton said "let it stay," and so it is still here today. This is not confirmed, and is just a family legend. However, it is confirmed that George Washington did visit this plantation. The house itself is very large and exquisite, though not restored. The inside is not decorated, but there are plenty of signs that tell you all about its history. Our tour guide was very helpful and explained the plantation's history very well. I definitely recommend the tour if you come here. Tours are also...

My wife and I visit a lot of museums, historic landmarks, etc., and I don't think I've ever walked away from somewhere like this with a better understanding of its history and significance than I did at Hampton Plantation.

Hannah, the ranger who led the tour, which we had the pleasure of taking by ourselves, was deeply knowledgeable about the property. She was a wealth of knowledge about the structure itself, the timeline of its additions, damage, restorations, etc., but more importantly of both those who lived, and were enslaved at Hampton Plantation, as well as the descendants of both, and their lasting impacts and connection to both the plantation itself and the surrounding area.

You could tell that she has a lot of love for her job and for the plantation and those who played a role in its history, as she was not at all bothered by our countless questions, but rather seemed glad that we were asking them.

After taking the house tour, we walked the gardens and grounds to explore more of the beauty and history. We even saw an armadillo that did not at all seem to be bothered by our presence. Since we came in the dead of winter, there were no bugs, and many of the trees were surprisingly still flowering. I would recommend visiting Hampton Plantation to anyone, but based on the other reviews it seems like winter is an especially good...