Our family visits a lot of historical sites, but this was our first plantation visit. Nice overview... read more
Our family visits a lot of historical sites, but this was our first plantation visit. Nice overview... read more
Fantastic tour. I live near here and rate excellent. On my way home I see cows and other animals. ..
I visited Sotterley Plantation on a blistering hot summer day with my four sons ages 3-13. It's a very inexpensive outing if you don't do the house tour - I paid only $5 per person over the age of 6 (note that they are currently closed on Mondays). The visitor's center is small but they have a movie playing and adjacent to the "theater" there is a very small kids room with toys so that littles can play while you watch.
Sotterly is a legit Tidewater Plantation that was occupied pre-Revolution and while it was ransacked during the Civil War, it wasn't destroyed. There is an actual original slave cabin on the property as well as the house (which, again, we didn't tour because I could tell my littles wouldn't make it) and outbuildings to explore. On the self-guided tour we went in:
The Corncrib: This building discusses the tools and trades of plantation life - several hands-on activities in here and a lot to learn. I had important discussions about slavery here with my children and they got to imagine what life would've been like as a child on a plantation.
The slave cabin: Again good discussion in here - not much to touch or do but there were shells and rocks on the ground and my littles pretended to cook while my bigs and I talked about how many people would live in that tiny space.
The "schoolhouse" in the North Gatehouse: not much to look at in here, a blackboard and a desk, you can only look inside not go in.
The Necessary: again, you can just look inside this primitive outhouse structure.
We walked the gardens - they truly are lovely. We explored around the outside of the house and looked in the windows. We took a not-the-best-idea-ever hike down to the creek. While the shady glen at the end was a lovely place to rest (with two picnic tables where you could picnic), we still had to walk back in the blazing sun. There is hardly any shade along that nature trail although there were other trails that wandered off into the trees, we just wanted to see the creek. Next time, we will get there first thing in the morning and bring more water :) If you choose to do the nature trails be sure to fill up your water bottles at the fountain near the Customs House because there isn't any more water after that.
There weren't really any staff around and there was hardly anyone there besides us on a Thursday afternoon.
I enjoyed this enough that I really would go again next time we are in Southern Maryland and do the house tour and nature trails. In the month since my visit they have added a children's play area near the visitor's center that I'd like to try out and I saw on their calendar that they do "small fry" days where there are specific activities for little kids - I'd arrange to be there on one of those days.
A short ride if you are in the Solomon, MD area. Be sure to take the house tour. The guide we had was excellent and very informative. Also must check out all the "minor" buildings as it adds to the historical understanding. Beautiful flower gardens and be sure to take the walk down to the area of the former wharf.
We are history buffs and paid a visit to Sotterley Plantation while in the area visiting our daughter. It is a very interesting house and grounds. The docent providing the house tour was very knowledgeable.
Docents give a thorough history of this historic tidewater plantation, and there are several outbuildings worth exploring -- shops, a slave cabin, etc. The grounds are beautiful, along a river, and great for a nice walk.
We visited Sotterley Plantation on a day no guided tours were available. The grounds were attractive and the exhibit/building signs were instructive. It's a lovely property for a walk, but some of the buildings are showing signs of age and neglect. We visited in the spring (April) before the peak of the summer tourist season so we may not have seen the property at its best. For a history buff interested in southern Maryland plantation life, it's worth a visit.
Sotterley has something for everyone...fabulous living history..love the Ghost tours, the wine fest and the gorgeous gardens!