Top Things to do in Charles City
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The 7 Best Historic Sites in Charles City, Charles City
Discover the best top things to do in Charles City, United States including Shirley Plantation, Edgewood Plantation, Evelynton Plantation, Berkeley Plantation, Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation - 1790, Westover Plantation, Sherwood Forest Plantation Foundation.
1. Shirley Plantation
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 411 reviews
A National Historic Landmark on the James River off scenic Route 5 between Richmond and Williamsburg, Shirley stands as a testament to Colonial life and early American history of the indigenous, settlers, indentured, and the enslaved. An active family farm, Shirley is currently home to the 11th and 12th generations of the Hill Carter family. The wooden pineapple crowning the manor house has been welcoming visitors for centuries. Please check our website for details on our daily hours as they vary seasonally.
Reviewed By jdavidhillery - Virginia Beach, United States
Shirley Plantation has the distinction of being the oldest Virginia plantation in the Old Dominion dating to 1623. The estate set prominently off the James River. The 11th generation Carter-Hill family own and continue to reside in the home. Shirley Plantation has been in the Hill Family since 1660. Shirley is dominated by the three story Dutch-style mansion set off the James River. The structure that we all know as the mansion is but one of what was a vast complex. Other structures included two three story guest homes situated perpendicular to the main house. John Carter, oldest son to Robert King Carter married the heiress Elizabeth Hill in the 1723 and probably built at least the pair of facing buildings. After King Carters will was settled in 1738 John built the large home we all think of when visiting Shirley. The village like appearance is enhanced by less formal buildings including a large brick stable, a cylindrical dovecote, dairy and smoke house. Since the home has continually been in the Carter-Hill family with its vast furnishings and portraits it, offers one of the most memorable pictures of continuity in Virginia plantation history. No interior photos are permitted inside the mansion when visiting. A gift store is available. Tours are currently suspended due to COVID-19 until at least June 10th. Looking for a road trip this Summer? Consider not only Shirley Plantation, but others like Berkeley along the James River on highway 5 NW of Williamsburg.
2. Edgewood Plantation
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 37 reviews
Reviewed By LSNS2652 - Smithfield, United States
Our visit to Edgewood was so different than other plantations. Our tour guide and owner, Dot was entertaining, interesting, full of stories and alive with energy. Edgewood is a an historic home, a B&B definitely worthy of a stop.
3. Evelynton Plantation
4. Berkeley Plantation
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 472 reviews
First settled in 1619, this historic estate is the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison V, a signer of the American Declaration of Indepenence, and his son William Henry, who later became president of the United States.
Reviewed By LSNS2652 - Smithfield, United States
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the Manor House, the basement museum and grounds. Our tour guide was entertaining, full of information and wonderful energy. This plantation is full of history and definitely worth a visit.
5. Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation - 1790
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Explore four centuries of history and architecture in the James River Plantation Country with a visit to Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation. Daily gardens and grounds tour features Piney Grove-1790, Ashland-1835, Dower Quarter-1835, Ladysmith-1857 and Duck Church-1917, as well as exhibits and nature trail. Guided "Tours-by-the-Owners" are offered on Saturday evenings.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation in Charles City County near Holdcroft, Virginia, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The scale and character of the collection of domestic architecture at this site recalls the vernacular architectural traditions of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries along the James River. These frame structures of the common planters were in sharp contrast to the elaborate brick residences of the wealthiest families along the James River between Richmond and Williamsburg. Piney Grove is located on the high ridge of land to the north of the river, in an area of smaller plantations with more modest homes. In fact, the original portion of the Piney Grove home was constructed as a log corn crib on the Southall plantation before 1790. It survives as a rare and well-preserved example of early log architecture in Tidewater Virginia. Original buildings include a smokehouse, chicken house, a small pole shed and a large pole shed for farm equipment. Old photographs document a large barn, small barn and dairy no longer standing. Today, Piney Grove is furnished with a collection of antiques and artifacts that chronicle the history of the property. The grounds also include a unique collection of folk architecture moved to Piney Grove to be spared from demolition at their original sites, including buildings constructed in 1835 and 1857. The complex is open daily and guided tours of the house are available daily by appointment. Bed and breakfast lodging also is available on the property.
6. Westover Plantation
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 76 reviews
Reviewed By Pioneer40922290384 - Street, United States
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our guided first floor house tour and our self-guided tour of the beautiful grounds at Westover. Our guide and her family own Westover and reside there. The interior of this Georgian mansion is amazing. Our guide was knowledgeable about the history of Westover and history in general. She shared interesting facts about Westover from many eras of history, including the colonial period, Civil War, and more recent visits by future U.S. presidents and other world leaders. This is our third time visiting one of the James River Plantations and so far Westover is our favorite.
7. Sherwood Forest Plantation Foundation
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 69 reviews
Sherwood Forest Plantation was the home of 10th U.S. President John Tyler from 1842 until his death in 1862. It is the only nineteenth century presidential home to have been continuously owned and occupied by members of the President’s family. The oldest parts of the house date to ca. 1660. Construction and renovations of the 18th and 19th centuries, completed by President Tyler and his wife Julia Gardiner Tyler in 1845, have made the house a classic example of Virginia Tidewater “Big House, Little House, Colonnade, Kitchen” architecture. At 301 feet in length it is the longest frame house of its age in the country. The house is furnished with family heirlooms, antique furniture, paintings, silver, porcelain and oriental rugs. A few of the pieces in the home were used by President and Mrs. Tyler in the White House and were brought to Sherwood Forest after the President’s term in office. Though many furnishings purchased for the house by President and Mrs. Tyler were destroyed during the Civil War some still remain. Others are from the South Carolina home of Mrs. Harrison Ruffin Tyler who, with her husband, restored the house in the late 1970s. There are nearly twenty oil portraits of family members past and present on display in rooms toured by the public. Sherwood Forest is considered one of the most complete plantation yards still in existence in America with outbuildings, or dependencies, dating to ca. 1660. They include a tobacco curing shed, a smoke house, a milk house and a privy among others. Julia Gardiner Tyler planned Sherwood Forest’s grounds according to the principles of New York landscape gardener and architect A. J. Downing. The 25 landscaped acres surrounding the house today include centuries-old trees, terraced lawn and gardens. Self-guided grounds tours: $10 per adult, children under 15 free House tours by appointment: $35 per adult, $25 per school-age child
Reviewed By rebeccalA7377CM - Williamsport, United States
Although the grounds are open daily, with a self guided map, a tour must be made personally by going to their website. We had an amazing tour with just two other people. This is a still used family nome. The Presidents grandson lives on the property and his great grandson is a frequent visitor. Tyler is a little known President who sided with the Confedracy during the Civil War. He was the first President to be sworn in after a Presidents death. The house is stunning with most of the furntirue and pain tings being original to the house. Come and discover a piece of our history.
