The Plantation House

Step back in time with a half-hour guided tour of the Drayton family home, the third to grace the site in more than three centuries of Drayton family occupation. The current main House – the core of which was built prior to the Revolutionary War near Summerville, South Carolina and floated down the Ashley River to Magnolia after the Civil War — gives a glimpse of plantation life in the 19th century and beyond. Ten rooms are open to the public, furnished with early-American antiques, porcelain, quilts, and other Drayton family heirlooms. Guides describe life in the 19th century, using furniture and household objects to bring plantation culture alive. Upstairs, a room dedicated to the late John Drayton Hastie, the most recent owner of Magnolia, displays part of his private art collection.

During the house tour you will learn the history of the Drayton family as well as the fate of the previous two family homes.