Visit a South Carolina State Park historic plantation home for the holidays and experience Christmas in the days gone by. Decorated for the Holidays The halls of Redcliffe, Hampton and Rose Hill will be decked with period holiday decorations and interpreters (at Redcliffe) will be outfitted in period clothing. As you peruse the rooms, historic music will be heard throughout and you can delight in tasty refreshments as you learn more about the importance of these houses and the people who called them home. Oh what fun to encounter the holidays at three of the most historic homes in South Carolina! Redcliffe Plantation, at Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site in Beech Island, is the mid-19th century home of former South Carolina Governor James Henry Hammond. The home’s last owner was John Billings, former managing editor of Time-Life-Fortune magazine and great-grandson of Governor Hammond. Redcliffe was also home to many African American families who worked as slaves, sharecroppers, tenant farmers and paid employees for the Hammond and Billings families. The park honors the impact of African Americans at Redcliffe with two annual programs – Christmas in the Quarters and the African American Experience at Redcliffe. Hampton Plantation Many socially prominent families of Colonial and Antebellum South Carolina such as the Rutledge, Pinckney and Horry families lived at Hampton Plantation. George Washington visited the Horry family at Hampton Plantation in 1791, and the mansion was last home to Archibald Rutledge, author and state poet laureate. The beautiful architecture of the Georgian-style home was created by French Huguenots. Located on a Colonial-era rice plantation, Hampton Plantation in Charleston County hosts Christmas through the Ages every December. The program is indicative of how citizens of the Lowcountry have celebrated Christmas from the 1700s to the present. Besides Christmas decorations and exhibits, highlights include dramatic readings of Christmas stories, a visit form Santa and a make-your-own Christmas card station. Rose Hill Plantation in Union is the former home of Governor William Gist, South Carolina’s “Secession Governor”. The Federal-style house still contains furnishings once owned by the Gist family. The mansion will be decorated in its Christmas splendor throughout the month of December. An evening of glamour, sophistication, elegance, fine dining and classy entertainment is on tap during Christmas at Rose Hill. The holiday season is just one special time to see South Carolina State Parks’ historic homes. Because the houses are not air conditioned, it’s also a great time of year to visit them. Tours of these mansions are held year round and visitors can take a tour for FREE every weekend during the month of January.