This past week I visited with several friends. We were staying in Hilton Head, playing a lot of golf, and all needed a change of pace. Rose Hill was about a half hour drive away and we all agreed it was just what we wanted! The drive up towards Rose Hill was thrilling, evocative of Tara with all the ancient, beautiful oak trees dripping with lacy Spanish Moss which were blowing in the (considerable) wind that day. The extraordinary gothic architecture was somewhat surprising since the broad, sweeping Georgian style was more the norm when the house was initially built. Once inside, we were welcomed by our tour guide Joanne, a delightful lady with tons of information. She made us all feel at home inviting us to sit anywhere we'd like - now that's different! Once the tour began, we moved through the main floor rooms and were once again invited to sit anywhere (with only a few exceptions) and look at everything. At no point was anyone admonished not to touch! The history of the house was fascinating, although as others have mentioned, more Antebellum information would have been very welcomed. The Civil War history of the house and the entire area was most interesting. At the end of our little tour, a lady named Pat (quite the character) came in to talk about the foods laid out on the dining room table and everyone was invited to help themselves to crackers, cookies with various jams and spreads as well as a welcome offering of water, lemonade, and a fruit punch. At that point, to our delight, the owner Robin White stepped into the room and remained actively chatting with visitors until they left around 4 o'clock. No, this house isn't like other plantations you might visit but so what? It was delightful and even included a surprise birthday cake for Joanne, candles and all, which we were all invited to share. A most delightful afternoon!
