McLeod’s plantation tour was excellent. This tour does a great job explaining what happened at this plantation without hiding that it existed on slave labor. Paul was an excellent tour guide and very informative. It’s a must visit!

As an African American and having visited at least six other plantations both in New Orleans and Charleston, it was informative to learn more about plantation life before, during, and after the Civil War from slaves' perspectives. The tour group consisted of 45 people from many parts of the United States, as well as abroad. There were only a few tourists from states where slavery once existed. Paul, our tour guide, did an OUTSTANDING JOB explaining the misconceptions that have shaped narratives regarding slavery and how the idea of slavery was not evil. Everyone should put this specific tour on their list of to-dos while in Charleston.

My husband, daughter and I toured the McLeod Plantation Historic Site on a trip to Charleston, and it was a highlights of my trip. The experience was very informative, moving, and thought provoking. We learned the story of the very different lives of the people who lived together on the plantation. The main focus was on the lives of the enslaved people who labored to make the plantation profitable and less so the family who benifited from their labor. Our guide was a decendant of slaves and provided a very moving experience for us. I would highly recommend visiting this historic site.

We were in conflict about whether or not we should even be touring a plantation. After some research we landed here. It helps that it's government run and prohibits weddings and such. It also focuses on the history of the enslaved as the primary narrative. We’re still uncertain on whether plantation visits are the best choice under any circumstances, but if you do feel you’d like to participate, we can recommend this one. Our guide was a Gullah Geechee descendant and we felt that added to the experience. The location was beautiful.

Tour guide narrative was excellent. Rich in facts about the slave experience in general and about this plantation in particular. He also welcomed questions and handled them well, including difficult ones. We had time for only one plantation tour, and I'm glad we picked this one. My only suggestion is more coverage of religion in the slave world, which was powerful in their lives but little mentioned here.

This was an absolutely amazing tour, that was really well done. Allen (or Allan, not sure of the spelling), was an absolutely fantastic tour host. He didn’t shy away from any unpleasant truths, and absolutely would not speculate on any unproven facts or theories that may or may not have occurred on the plantation …really professional! Well worth a visit.

Toby was our guide and she was outstanding! So informative and friendly. She even took some time to get to know the people on her tour. I learned about the uses of Spanish moss by the enslaved, and saw where the enslaved lived, perhaps 10-20 people to a small dwelling, compared to the "big house" where their enslavers lived. I also learned about the homegoing celebrations of life that the enslaved did for those who died, often from exhaustion and lack of nourishment. I got to pick a piece of cotton and see how difficult it was to do so quickly and without pricking one's finger. What I appreciated about this former plantation is that they tell the unadultered story of life on this site. It was what I came to Charleston to learn more about. I am grateful that McLeod is there and highly recommend this if you are going to see any of the former plantations.

Our experience at the McLeod Plantation was very informative, eye opening and extremely moving. Itsa was our guide who had extensive knowledge, was personable and honest about the sensitive truths of the past. He spent a significant amount of time explaining in depth the history and in answering any/all questions that each person in the group had ensuring we all had a full understanding including the difficult topics. He pointed out such things as fingertip impressions in the bricks left behind by those who were enslaved and forced to make the bricks including small children. We walked the grounds stopping at each building; Dairy & Kitchen, Cotton Gin House, Worship House and ultimately the McLeod Home where we would get the full story of what occurred at each dwelling and the hours and responsibilities those enslaved would endure. He pointed out the various tree planting and explained their importance such as the camphor tree, pecan trees etc. We also stopped and gathered at the front of the estate where there was a small sea cotton field planted. Itsa explained that the enslaved would be standing there for 16 hours a day pulling the cotton from the plants ultimately filling 100 lb. bags. We got to experience vicariously thru Itsa narrative how brutal their lives were. We also got to look into the homes of the enslaved too. After the tour ended, we were able to step into the main house, McLeod House and walk around the first floor and imagine what it must have been like. This tour was an experience that I will not long forget. It was enriching and informational and would highly recommend this plantation. Be sure to ask for Itsa as he possess a tremendous amount of knowledge and made the experience worth it!

I am quite surprised by the number of reviews stating their surprise (and often anger) regarding the inclusion of slavery into the tour. It is a plantation, and like all others, relied on slavery to operate. Only tours failing to provide the full scope of a plantation's history would not discuss it. This is why I think this tour did an amazing job of providing a detailed history of the McLeod Plantation, which very well reflected the the overall history of the times. Our guide Paul was very knowledgeable and interesting to listen to. He did a great job of telling the history as it happened, regardless of opinions people might have on the information. Overall, this was one of the most interesting and informative experiences of our trip.

Best experience of our trip. No minced words at the atrocities that occurred here and the ramifications for generations to come. It was a chilling and sobering learning experience. Our guide was incredible (wish I had his name for a shout out!).