The tour was wonderful. Cathy, our driver, had a great sense of humor and shared interesting tidbits and anecdotes about Charleston on the way to the plantation. She also gave a helpful overview of how to best tour the plantation. Fun fact: her recommendation to try the Southern Peach ice cream in the on-site cafe was spot on. It was delicious. The local tour guides onsite were VERY knowledgeable. Unfortunately, the time allotted to see everything is way too short. No way to see everything. So, if you go with the tour, must-sees are the guided house tour and the Gullah presentation. That lady is amazing. She brings history to life, and her renditions of old slave songs, like “Swing low old chariot” give you goose bumps. The 15-minute talk about the slave experience by another guide was also very interesting. A lot of details you don’t learn in history class. On our tour, we couldn’t do the nature ride due to prior heavy rains, but I’m sure that’s wonderful, too.
A lot of photo opportunities around the property (although no photos permitted inside the house, just fyi). Beautiful gardens, even already begin of March. Probably even more stunning later in the season. Gorgeous centennial oak trees all around the property, including the oak avenue leading up to the entrance gate to Boone Hall. For a first visit to this plantation, and especially when traveling solo, as I did, it’s worth to take the van tour to the plantation. When visiting again, I would probably opt for an Uber ride to and from the plantation, just to be able to give myself more time to really see and listen to everything. For example, most of the 13-14 still existing brick slave cabins have recorded presentations you can listen to. Each cabin covers a different topic. You can easily spend a day here, especially in good weather. Take a lunch break at the Butterfly cafe and gift shop, and then continue to explore the grounds.
Last but not least, you may have seen those beautiful handmade sweetgrass baskets in and around Charleston. In one of the slave cabins on Boone Hall Plantation, a local artist is making and selling her beautiful baskets. They can apparently take weeks to months to finish, depending on size and intricacy of design. As such, they come with a certain price tag. If you are inclined to purchase one of those baskets as a keepsake, buy them at Boone Hall. You get a much better price than at the Charleston Market Place in downtown Charleston. Although the Charleston Market Place is worth a visit, too. It’s huuuuuge. One hall after the other. And lots of beautiful things to buy. Something for every taste.
All in all, I will definitely return to Charleston and probably do a City Tour, perhaps a visit to one of the other plantations (Magnolia). Fort Sumter is beckoning also. So much to do and so much to see.
Oh, and food-wise. The fooooood! Oh my goodness! Fleet Landing is a great place if you like seafood, and you don’t necessarily need a reservation. For absolute food heaven, treat yourself to dinner at “Slightly North of Broad” restaurant in downtown Charleston. Impeccable service and food that is beyond delicious.
Ok, this review went a bit further than the tour I took. Nevertheless, I hope it’s useful for other visitors.