Plantersville, South Carolina “The most authentic plantation landscape in the Lowcountry.”

3-Hour Private Driving Tour

Price $150 per-person. 

Rice, Labor, and the Real Antebellum Lowcountry (1812–1865)

This private driving tour explores Plantersville and the Black River rice corridor—one of the most important, least commercialized antebellum landscapes in the South.

Here, rice—not cotton—built fortunes.
And enslaved African knowledge shaped the Lowcountry economy.

This is one of the most authentic antebellum plantation tours in South Carolina, focused on the years 1812–1865, when rice plantations, tidal swamps, and enslaved labor defined life in this region.

We move through working landscapes, not restored showpieces—connecting rice fields, river systems, Gullah Geechee culture, and what these plantations became after the Civil War.

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Tour Overview

Plantersville sits quietly inland, away from crowds—but historically, it was central to the rice economy that made the Lowcountry wealthy.

This tour follows:

Old rice plantations and mill sites

Tidal rice fields and swamp systems

Gullah Geechee cultural foundations

The transformation of plantation land after emancipation

You’ll see where history actually happened, not just where it’s been polished for display.

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Key Sites & Landscapes

Stops may include (order varies based on conditions):

Hasty Point Rice Fields & Mill Site
Explore former rice fields, mill locations, and swamp systems that powered the Lowcountry economy through enslaved labor and African agricultural expertise.

Black River & Surrounding Swamps
Learn how tidal flow, floodgates, and seasonal labor cycles shaped daily plantation life—and why rice plantations were among the most brutal in North America.

Samworth Wildlife Management Area
Once plantation land, now protected wetlands—this site helps explain how former plantations transitioned after the Civil War and why so much land returned to nature.

Prince Frederick's Chapel Ruins/Gunn Church
The remains of an 18th-century parish church that anchored plantation society—religion, hierarchy, and control—before the Civil War.

Weedgiefield / Wedgefield Area & Country Club
See how plantation land was later repurposed into agricultural estates, hunting grounds, and modern developments—revealing how wealth and land ownership evolved after emancipation.

Film Location Context – The Notebook
Visit the landscape associated with the film’s iconic ending, while separating Hollywood imagery from the real history of rice fields, labor, and land use.

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What This Tour Focuses On

Antebellum history 1812–1865

Rice plantations (not cotton)

Enslaved African and Gullah Geechee knowledge

Swamp engineering and tidal agriculture

Plantation land after emancipation

What survived—and what disappeared

This tour does not romanticize plantation life.
It explains how it functioned—and what it cost.

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Tour Details

Duration: 3 hours

Format: Private driving tour

Group Size: Your party only

Walking: Minimal, terrain-dependent

Pace: Unrushed, landscape-based, narrative-driven

Accessibility: Vehicle-based with flexible stops

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Who This Tour Is For

Guests seeking authentic Lowcountry history

Travelers interested in Gullah Geechee culture

History-minded visitors who want context, not spectacle

Film fans curious about The Notebook—but wanting the real story behind the scenery

Those who value quiet places with deep history

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What This Tour Is Not

A polished plantation house tour

A reenactment

A romanticized version of the Old South

This experience focuses on land, labor, and truth.

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Booking Notes

Private tour · advance booking recommended

Routes may adjust based on weather and field conditions

This tour pairs well with Pawleys Island or Georgetown experiences