Overall, very underwhelming. In the intro video, they discuss their “radical preservation philosophy,” which in theory sounds fine — they preserve the structures that are there without any restoration, keeping only the genuine structure with no restored artifice. In practice, it results in a short (< 1 hour will easily get the job done) self-guided tour that mostly consists of a very big lawn, some dirt where a few buildings once stood, and a couple of almost entirely empty buildings. In all, it was a walk around a large but rather bland property on a nice day. I do give them props for respecting, at least in words, the contributions and labor of the enslaved people who built the property.

Connecting Charleston society, the economics of the area and the life on plantations, Drayton Hall is the hinge pin. With a history going back to the 1600's, the people of this plantation settled and developed the area. There is less to do at this plantation but its simplicity lends to its authenticity. The welcome center has a fine selection of gifts, a short film and a small but important museum. From there, a self-guided tour of the grounds is possible. This also includes a couple of outbuildings. Entry to the house itself requires an additional ticket. The house has not be renovated, remodeled or improved upon since the family left. Acquired by the public, it was determined that imagination was the key to understanding. Entering the house, the visitor can see the structure, fittings, and lay out exactly as it has always been. While the lack of furnishings has been criticized, I found it quite compelling.

I’ve lived in SC for a bit over three years and Drayton is so far my favorite historical site. The setting is magnificent and one can get a living sense of how life might have been there from the engaged and knowledgeable guides. Unconditionally recommended.

A very interesting tour with a very knowledgeable guide. Visitor’s Center informative- staff friendly and helpful. Short film is worth watching.

I was very disappointed with the tour. I chose this plantation for how it has been "preserved" but the tour guide did not have much knowledge of its history at all. There was a lot of - imagine an enslaved person opening this front door. Or, imagine the enslaved running up this stairwell. Numerous times, when I asked specific questions about the family who lived there and how they lived in the house, he said he'd have to get back to me. Not worth the money for the tour.

Amazing tour guide, Thomas! He was knowledgeable and energetic. He made it a wonderful experience. The property is beautiful and the house is unbelievable!

Amazing house that is well preserved. There are no furnishings or electricity so you get to experience what life must have been like in it's prime. The grounds were well kept as well. The tour guide did a wonderful job of detailing the history as they know it.

Please think twice about visiting Drayton Hall. If you are not aware or do not care the edifice was built by enslaved people under back breaking conditions. The CEO of Drayton Hall claims to have a PhD, but it is nowhere to be found. The Director of Preservation claims the enslaved slept in a dank, damp basement that had an underground spring on one side. A new Visitors Center has been constructed with material culture from the Drayton's period of occupancy, but the house itself is empty. Do yourself and your wallet a favor and visit Middleton Place, with its lovely gardens and partially remaining historic buildings, and have a nice lunch at the restaurant. Go to McLeod Plantation to visit a real enslaved plantation with top-notch Docents. Also, visit the new Charleston African American Museum.

As a native of South Carolina i am embarrassed to say this was my first visit to the plantation. Our tour guide Ashton was extremely knowledgeable about the property and really drew you in to what the people living there would have experienced. I would definitely recommend visiting if you are ever close by. Thank you for the awesome tour!

The grounds (with self-guided tour) are beautiful and the visitor center was interesting. Our only complaint was with the house tour. The guidebooks and websites said the house tour was 45-50 minutes and the Drayton Hall website says it's one hour. However, the tour we were on lasted 90 minutes. That was too long for many on the tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and enjoyed sharing lots of details (and maybe hearing his own voice) but many in the group weren't looking for that level of detail. He didn't "read the room" very well. We also spent 20 minutes near the visitor center listening to background before going to the archeological site, then the house. This was helpful context, if a bit more than was needed, but there should be chairs for some people to sit.

We were very disappointed in this Plantation. There was not much to see, a few rooms of an empty Plantation house. The audio tour of the outside was confusing and disappointing. There was basically nothing to see and we gave up a quarter of the way through. If you want to see a beautiful working Plantation, go to Boone Hall Plantation.

The greens and gardens around this house are simply stunning! The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. We enjoyed getting to see a house that had not been decorated and was in its natural state. The gift shop is also very nice and has some beautiful things. This is a must see!

Nick was an exceptional tour guide. It was wonderful to get the historical perspective before we arrived. He was so knowledgeable and took extra time to show us the cemetery onsite. I highly recommend this tour. It is one of the best and ask for Nick. He’s amazing. So professional and so kind. He even brought us water bottles! ☺️

The house is well worth a visit. Well preserved and such a stunning location. Being well preserved rather than recreated a definite plus. Very strange tour guide young chap his ‘introduction’ lasted nearly 25 minutes when we just wanted to get on and see the house. He seemed anxious and nervous throughout and while he could recite a fair amount of facts he never brought to life what is was like living in the house for the owners and for the enslaved. However the property itself is stunning and is well worth a visit

We decided to take this tour over the other two plantations in the area. I’m so glad we did. It’s the only original left that wasn’t burned during the Civil War. The are all about preservation not restoration and we loved that. Instead of painting over everything to make it look new you get to see what the colors were when the house was sold. It also has the oldest carved plaster ceiling in the United States and it’s so interesting what they are doing to preserve it. We didn’t miss not having furniture in the house because you do get to see some of the original pieces in the museum.