We decided to take this tour over the other two plantations in the area. I’m so glad we did. It’s the only original left that wasn’t burned during the Civil War. The are all about preservation not restoration and we loved that. Instead of painting over everything to make it look new you get to see what the colors were when the house was sold. It also has the oldest carved plaster ceiling in the United States and it’s so interesting what they are doing to preserve it. We didn’t miss not having furniture in the house because you do get to see some of the original pieces in the museum.

The greens and gardens around this house are simply stunning! The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. We enjoyed getting to see a house that had not been decorated and was in its natural state. The gift shop is also very nice and has some beautiful things. This is a must see!

The grounds (with self-guided tour) are beautiful and the visitor center was interesting. Our only complaint was with the house tour. The guidebooks and websites said the house tour was 45-50 minutes and the Drayton Hall website says it's one hour. However, the tour we were on lasted 90 minutes. That was too long for many on the tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and enjoyed sharing lots of details (and maybe hearing his own voice) but many in the group weren't looking for that level of detail. He didn't "read the room" very well. We also spent 20 minutes near the visitor center listening to background before going to the archeological site, then the house. This was helpful context, if a bit more than was needed, but there should be chairs for some people to sit.