The stately plantation house rests on ancestral grounds at the edge of the Ashley River. Grand but not imposing, it possesses a quiet gracefulness that allows you to come close. The cool shade of a wide piazza pulls at you tarry a while and forget the clock. Thirteen generations of Draytons come alive as a guide deftly talks you through the house. Museum quality antiques colonial mahogany and English walnut, rare porcelains, original maps and photographs fill the rooms.
Ancient paths meander through gardens with year-round color.
The egret and ibis share nesting grounds with wood ducks and herons. All that would be enough, but not for owner John Drayton Hastie, whose vision and inspiration have shaped this magical place and made Magnolia one of the treasures of the South. The descendent of a long line of statesmen who left many a mark on American history, Mr. Hastie has found innovative ways to make this landmark more than just a museum. He has created an environment in which you can feel, for a moment, what life here might have been like. Canoes and bikes are available for a closer look at nature.