redcliffe plantation

So glad that you enjoyed your tour and the hospitality of our wonderful Park Technician Doug! Please come back and see us again on your next trip to South Carolina/Georgia. We are constantly updating our tours with new research, so that when you return you will hopefully hear some new information. Thanks again!

Thanks for spending a chilly afternoon with us. We joke that the temperature in the house lends authenticity to the time period, but a roaring fire in the fireplace sure would be nice! You are troopers for sticking with it, but glad you enjoyed Elizabeth's tour! Come back and see us!

Janice P., thanks so much for the entry! The most interesting stories that we tell are the sidebars and little facts that really aren't part of a "standard" tour. In fact, we don't like "standard" tours and try to personalize (while maintaining the facts) the visitor experience as much as possible. Glad to know that you enjoyed your tour! Come back and see us!

If you are anywhere near Augusta Ga or Beech Island SC, Redcliffe Plantation is a must! The park grounds are beautiful and well maintained, and the tour of the mansion is fun and informative. Elizabeth did a great Job as our Guide!

I park in front of the office/gift shop/restroom building that looks brand new and has a nice porch. It is spacious and cozy inside where the first staff member greets me and answers my numerous questions. Joy is a delight to converse with, and she is informative and friendly. I do not take a guided tour since there are no guided tours on Tuesday and Wednesday. I am here on Wednesday afternoon, October 22, 2014 around 12:30 p.m.. It is a beautiful afternoon. Clear sky, bright autumn sun, with temperatures in the seventies. The grounds around the house are well kept. I spot two picnic tables in the shade of old trees. I wish I had brought a pastrami sandwich and a drink before my tutoring session with a Fourth grader in Beech Island. I take a slow meandering walk about the property. I fascinate over the horse stables and study the construction and function of the building. I step inside former slave quarters to discover personalities of families of former slave populations that served this plantation for generations. The house sits on top of the highest area of the 400 acres. A guy (Doug) is suspended in a mechanical bucket over the building doing maintenance as I stroll about the property. He comes to the ground and becomes an individual escort. Doug takes me on a partial 'private' house tour. We just cover the first floor of the house. He says, “I’m showing you a teaser.” Here are original pieces, paintings and artifacts, and original woodwork furnishing the house.The wood floors, doors and windows, the staircase and the banister, the mantles and fireplace cases, the stonework in the fireplaces, all make for a spectacular showcase of craftsmanship. I ask Doug about how much maintenance is involved with keeping up the place, and he states that it is a continuous labor of love to get all the work caught up to preserve the structure. My experience here tells me about one influential family and the history of their numerous plantations and homesites in the immediate area in rural Aiken County during the last two centuries before it became state property. The story tells details about different generations that inherited the estate and the changes they brought. This visit provides a glimpse into the history of an affluent family and their unique life of privilege and extravagant lifestyle during the 19th and 20th centuries. The photographic and written documentation reveal insights into the life of former slaves; the owners mindset and exposes many of the demands required of the hired caretaker. Make sure you see the Buddha. It has been moved around various rooms to try and find the right place for it. Here on display are photographs of the Buddha in several different rooms of the mansion during the period it was a residence. My ”teaser tour guide” tells me that it seems like this Buddha was a gift during a tour to Indonesia and that it is an official government present. I did not get to meet Ranger Elizabeth Laney, who provides guided tours. Redcliffe’s regular house tours are at 11 am, 1 pm & 3 p.m., and the cost is $5/Adults, $4/Ages 6-16 and $3 SC Seniors. Redcliffe provides an online newsletter that you can receive simply by providing your email address. I will go back in the future to explore the upstairs and learn more from the friendly informative staff. Redcliffe Plantation is located about 20 minutes outside of downtown Augusta, about 20 minutes south of Aiken, and about 50 minutes west of Denmark, SC. It is 1.5 miles northeast of Beech Island on SC 125.

Thanks for the kind words! We often see daytrippers from nearby Columbia, SC, but sometimes even from Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC (both about 2 1/2 hrs away). Aiken and Augusta are both cool cities to visit and are very close to Redcliffe Plantation (about 20 minutes). So plan your escape and come visit us along the way!

Elizabeth was our tour. She did a fantastic job! You can tell she really loves her job. The house itself is just incredible. I could spend hours out there. I encourage everyone to check it out!

Many thanks to Elizabeth Laney, our guide and ranger of the park. The tour was interesting and cognitive.

Elizabeth Laney, the on site tour guide and park ranger at Redcliffe, gave us an abbreviated tour, even though we arrived between tour times. "Set on 369 stunning acres and completed in 1859, Recliffe Plantation was once the home of James Henry Hammond and three generations of his descendants," according to the Official Guide to SC State Parks. Hammond was a successful cotton planter, congressman, governor and senator. Wonderful records were left by the owners and slaves/later servants, documenting their lives there. The slave quarters display some of the relics and writings. There is a lane of magnolia trees, which were planted in 1861. It POURED rain as we were leaving, bringing refreshment and an unforgettable trip!!

We're so glad that you chose to visit us! This is one of the most well-documented plantations in the South and we are happy to share the resources with interested visitors. Thanks for leaving your comments, we hope to see you back soon!Joy Raintree, Park Manager

had a great time with family. ranger Elizabeth did a great job with guided tour. She has great passion for history. The new visitors center is great,clean restrooms with a small museum and gift shop. the photo ops are many-the grounds are well kept. A must stop for history buffs and lovers of old plantation houses. picnic tables available if you want a nice relaxing lunch in old south environment.

On a quick getaway, we decided to chance a quick visit down to Redcliffe and thank goodness we did. Unfortunately, we missed the last full tour. The park guide, Elizabeth was so full of passion for this property and so willing to share...she had a grace for bringing alive the plantation. We will be back when we have longer to visit and when we can take the full tour. Thank you.

We arrived too early to take the house tour, but thoroughly enjoyed touring all of the outbuildings and the beautiful grounds. The Hammond family cemetery is also just town the road. We'll be returning to take the house tour!

Made the trip from Augusta on a 4-day weekend. It is worth the drive for the beauty, and if you have kids especially, for educational value and run around time on the huge lawns. They have beautiful magnolias that are 100 years old, I heard from the same planter as at the National, so if you can't get into the National, you can at least see some of the trees here. You can tour the house (there were 3 on our tour), and also the servants quarters. There is a trail, but it is currently only an out and back, as a tornado went through the area a few years ago? Anyhow, a nice couple hour visit. Also a nice place to picnic. Or just sit in the rocking chairs on the porch and enjoy the view.

Located about 20 minutes outside of downtown Augusta, it's a tucked-away plantation for tour. We took a guided tour of the plantation which was interesting as well as went inside former slave quarters. The tour guide was friendly and kept things interesting. The grounds around the house are very well kept. There are hiking trails available that are most shaded but I don't believe that they get walked on often as there were numerous spider webs that crossed the trail and hit me while hiking. Overall, the experience was good, low cost, and interesting.