Berkeley Plantation — Attraction in Virginia

Overall, a pleasant Candlelight Chrstmas Tour with a knowledgeable and friendly guide, but the accessibility and historical interpretation need some improvement.

Positives:

Tour guide: Knowledgeable, engaging, and friendly.

Modified tour: Interesting addition of holiday traditions to the standard tour.

Atmosphere: Candlelight ambience creates a unique and festive experience.

Negatives:

Accessibility: Lack of readily available seating for guests with mobility limitations. My mother, who uses a cane, had difficulty finding a place to rest and ultimately had to sit in an un-designated (yet not cordoned off) area, causing concern from the guide.

Historical interpretation: The focus on "favored" enslaved people felt insensitive and minimized the reality of their forced labor.

Historical accuracy: Some inaccuracies, such as referring to Yule as a Celtic word when it's Old Norse (juul).

Suggestions:

Accessibility: Provide designated seating throughout the tour route for guests with mobility limitations.

Historical interpretation: Shift the focus away from individual enslaved people and towards the broader institution of slavery and its impact on Christmas traditions at the plantation. Provide a deeper exploration of enslaved people's contributions to the holiday preparations.

Additional thoughts:

– I applaud your interest in learning more about the enslaved people's experiences at Berkeley Plantation. Adding programs or discussions about their roles and lives during the holiday season would enrich the visitor experience and provide a more complete understanding of the plantation's history.

– While limitations due to the historic nature of the building are understandable, offering more readily available seating would significantly improve the experience for guests with limited mobility.

Overall, the tour had its positives, but the lack of accessibility and the insensitive historical interpretation were significant drawbacks. I believe addressing these issues and incorporating a more comprehensive view of the plantation's history would make the tour a more valuable and enriching experience for...

I'm not originally from Virginia, and even though I've been here for almost 17 years, I'm still amazed at the history lessons I can learn in places like Berkeley Plantation. I grew up learning Texas history which is amazing in itself, but there is something special about Virginia history. The guided tour was so much fun. We were one of 10 groups of people yet the only group that was local - there were people from the West coast, UK, and Germany. Our guide got excited when he heard we were from Chesterfield because there are very few locals who take the tour. Anyways, the house is exceptional. I remain awed by the fact that I was standing on original hardwood floors from the 1770's that held the dancing feet of Benjamin Harrison, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. Did you know Thomas Jefferson redesigned the interior? And, did you know that "Taps" was composed here? Our guide said that Berkeley Plantation was the site of the First Thanksgiving, which is not what I was taught in school but was affirmed with research. While you're here, tour the garden and former slaves' quarters (for that's where you find more detailed history), and go check out the view of the James River. You'll love it. We got the additional benefit of having visited while they were filming the upcoming movie, "Harriet," starring Cynthia Erivo and...

Leaving the Berkeley planation, I am honestly disappointed hearing the word “plantation”. This information provided focused only on the owner of the plantation and his family. The tour should be named the Berkeley House, as we only viewed the main house on the property. No other grounds were viewed on the tour and after 40 minutes of learning about the owner, we were allowed to tour the grounds ourselves. “Slave” was mentioned twice. I’m not sure how one could accurately depict the history of this plantation without mentioning all of those that gave their blood, sweat, and tears to build and cultivate it. If you are interested in learning even the slightest tidbit regarding slavery or the workings of a plantation, I would strongly recommend that you DO NOT visit or pay any money to come here. Especially if you are a...