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Antebellum refers to a time and place in history – the 30 years leading up to the Civil War, from 1831 to 1861 – not an architectural style as some people think. Most antebellum homes are actually one of three styles: Greek Revival, Classical Revival Tidewater or Federal style. They are boxy, grand mansions with central entrances in the front and back, impressive columns and sizable covered porches made for lazily watching the days go by while sipping on homemade lemonade or backyard hooch (as the case may be). These are typical architectural features introduced by Anglo Americans who settled in the area after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Today, antebellum homes conjure up romanticized images of Southern opulence, owned by folks with so much money, they’d gladly give you some (just ask nicely, hon); but in reality, folks with this much money usually “owned” slaves, so most of these antebellum homes aren’t without their dark side.

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TIME

8 days

DISTANCE

1100 miles

BEST TIME TO GO

Mar – Jun

START

Charleston, SC

END

Vacherie, LA

ALSO GOOD FOR

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Bookending this trip are two evocative river roads – Ashley in Charleston, South Carolina and the Great Mississippi in Vacherie, Louisiana – that together represent the most picturesque destinations to take in the refined elegance of antebellum architecture in a concentrated area. But there is no shortage of impressive stops along the way – small patches of the Deep South, like the fictional Tara, were left untouched, while others suffered damage but not irreparably so, leaving behind one of America’s most endearing architectural legacies.

Charleston, South Carolina offers its visitors an unparalleled continuum of classical American architecture, ranging from early colonial through Federal, antebellum and Victorian styles, unmatched anywhere else in the United States. Despite being the cradle of the Civil War and its succession movement, a surprising amount of buildings here eluded destruction or irreversible damage. The Aiken-Rhett House is the only surviving urban plantation. Built in 1818, it was described in a 19th-century newspaper ad as: “Twelve upright rooms, four on each floor, all well finished, the material of the piazzas and fences all of cypress and cedar; underneath the house are large cellars and storerooms.” Confederate President Jefferson Davis slept here on a visit to Charleston in 1863.

Everywhere you turn in Charleston, an historic inn or hotel beckons. Try the Mills House Hotel, which is slightly hipper than most. Owned by Holiday Inn, it’s anything but a typical highway-exit haunt. An ornate $17 million restoration has returned it to the glory of its original opening date (1853). The staircases and chandeliers are original. Inside a 19th-century shipping warehouse a few blocks west, you’ll find S.N.O.B. which stands for Slightly North of Broad, but order the Carolina quail breast over cheese grits and your graduation to food snob will be complete.

A few miles west of town is the impossibly scenic Ashley River Rd, a picturesque glimpse into once-thriving South Carolina Lowcountry wealth. The oldest preserved plantation in the US is the pre-revolutionary Drayton Hall, built in 1738 and unique here for its Georgian-Palladian architecture. If it all goes down while you’re in the area, this is a good place to seek shelter; it has survived the American Revolution, the Civil War, the earthquake of 1886, and Hurricane Hugo. A few clicks northwest is the Magnolia Plantation (1676), known for its exquisite formal gardens – said to be the origin of azaleas in the US – and 19th-century slave cabin.

Your bed for the night is at the Inn at Middleton Place on the sprawling Middleton Place Plantation, another 4 miles or so down Ashley River Rd. The main house (c 1730) is home to the oldest landscaped gardens in the US. Several generations of influential Middletons stomped these gorgeous grounds, including the president