What Should You Know Before Visiting McLeod Plantation Historic Site?

McLeod Plantation Historic Site is a 37-acre Gullah Geechee heritage site on James Island, run by Charleston County Parks. It is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $20 for ages 13 and up and includes a guided tour, offered at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m.

McLeod is not a garden plantation visit. The site tells the story of the people enslaved there and their descendants, from 1851 to 1990, through the cabins they lived in, the cotton gin house, and the main house. It is on James Island, a short drive from downtown, which makes it an easy morning to add to a Charleston trip.

Hours, prices, and tour times are from Charleston County Parks as of October 2026. Confirm before you go.

What Is McLeod Plantation?

McLeod Plantation is a former Sea Island cotton plantation on James Island, now preserved as a Gullah Geechee heritage site. William W. McLeod began his ownership in 1851, and by 1860 the plantation led James Island in cotton production, with 74 enslaved people living on the property.

The site's history runs well past the Civil War. Union troops, including the 55th Massachusetts, a regiment of free African Americans, occupied it in 1865, and the main house then became a Freedmen's Bureau office. The McLeod family lived there until 1990. Charleston County Parks bought the property in 2011 and opened it to the public on April 25, 2015, according to the county timeline.

What Will You See at McLeod Plantation?

You will see six one-room clapboard cabins built for enslaved people, the cotton gin house, the main house, and the grounds along Wappoo Creek. After slavery ended, the cabins housed freed people and later Gullah descendants, and the county's tours cover the people who lived here from 1851 to 1990.

The first floor of the main house is self-guided, with interpretive panels in four rooms and a cultural history interpreter on hand for questions. Comparing the McLeod family home with the cabins is one of the most direct lessons on the site. Outdoors, look for the oak allée, a riverside pavilion, and the McLeod Oak, which the county says is believed to be more than 300 years old. The site also includes a cemetery.

How Do McLeod Plantation Tours Work?

Guided tours run at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. They are first come, first served and included with admission. The county describes the guided walking tour as about an hour over less than a quarter mile; the self-guided main house is extra time on top of that.

Tour themes include Sea Island cotton cultivation, Gullah Geechee culture, and resistance to slavery and its legacy, and the county notes that topics change as research develops. Expect to stand for long stretches, since seating is not available for the whole tour. If you prefer to go at your own pace, the free McLeod Plantation Historic Site: Transition to Freedom app offers a self-guided tour, but it is listed for iPhone only.

How Much Are McLeod Plantation Tickets?

Admission is $20 for ages 13 and up, $15 for ages 60 and up, $6 for ages 3 to 12, and free for children 2 and under. Tickets are bought on site, and the guided tour is included.

Prices from Charleston County Parks. Groups of 10 or more book a private tour through the county in advance.

When Is McLeod Plantation Open?

McLeod Plantation is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Mondays. Holiday hours can differ from the regular schedule, so check with Charleston County Parks before planning a visit around a holiday.

Bad weather and some park events can close the site, so check before you drive over. Visiting over the holidays? See Thanksgiving in Charleston for what is open that week across the city.

How Do You Get to McLeod Plantation from Downtown Charleston?

McLeod Plantation is at 325 Country Club Drive on James Island, near where Folly and Maybank roads meet at Wappoo Creek. Plan on a car or rideshare; it is a short drive from downtown, not a walk.

Check your map app for the current drive time, and call the county at 843.795.4386 with any parking or accessibility questions before you go. For more on getting around without your own car, read do you need a car in Charleston.

Is McLeod Plantation Worth Visiting?

Yes, if you want to understand Charleston history through the lives of the enslaved people and their descendants who lived here, rather than through gardens and a planter's house alone. That focus is the reason to choose McLeod.

Pair it with other history stops. Fort Sumter tours cover the start of the Civil War, and our guide to museums in Charleston covers the downtown options. Traveling with children? Ages 3 to 12 pay $6, and our Charleston with kids guide has more ideas.

Where Should You Stay to Visit McLeod Plantation?

Stay downtown and drive or ride over for a morning tour. You get the peninsula for dinner and walking, and McLeod is a short trip across the river.

The Iris Charleston is an apartment hotel at 84 Line Street in Cannonborough-Elliottborough, one block from King Street. If you bring a car for day trips like McLeod, on-site parking uses parking carousels with size limits, so reserve parking ahead. The Iris allows one pet per reservation, so plan pet care for the morning you visit McLeod, where pets are not allowed. Browse suites at The Iris or call 843.329.2040.

McLeod Plantation FAQs