CHARLESTON, South Carolina — A new orientation hall, education center and galleries that opened May 1 are designed to enrich the visitor experience and allow the display of historic artifacts for the first time at Drayton Hall, a National Trust historic site outside Charleston.
The additions were done by Drayton Hall Preservation Trust, the privately funded nonprofit responsible for the operation, administration and interpretation of Drayton Hall.
The Sally Reahard Visitor Center, with its welcome area, museum shop and orientation hall, includes gallery space where Drayton Hall’s internationally significant furniture, artwork, manuscripts and archaeological finds are on exhibit for the first time, illuminating daily life at the estate.
The interpretive gardens include historically accurate botanical plantings evoking the Drayton family’s scientific pursuits and international connections during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The project also includes expanded parking, convenient restroom facilities, improved wayfinding, accessibility and more.
