2009-December Events
Family Yuletide at Middleton Place
Saturday, December 12
From 5:30-8:00 p.m. families can enjoy storytelling around a warm fire, Christmas caroling, and ornament and wreath making. See craftspeople working in their shops by candlelight and a live nativity scene featuring many of the plantation’s animals. Hot cider and seasonal refreshments included. Reservations required. $10 adults; $5 children ages 7-15, 6 & under free. Call (843) 556-6020.
Grand Illumination: Christmas 1782 – NEW!
Friday, December 18, 6:30—8:30 p.m.
Step back in time to Christmas, 1782. Stroll through gardens illuminated by torchlight, candlelight and starlight and hear costumed interpreters along the way tell stories of the joyous holiday season when the British evacuated Charleston at the end of the Revolutionary War in the South. See the House seasonally decorated and glowing in candlelight, and on the Greensward, enjoy a warm fire, live music and refreshments. Advance tickets are $15 adults, $20 at the gate. Children are $5. Group rates are available.
Secession Day
Sunday, December 20th
The American Civil War and the signing of the Ordinance of Secession changed forever the course of American history and the lives of the Middleton family. To commemorate this momentous event, a wreath of remembrance will be laid at the tomb of Williams Middleton, signer of the Ordinance of Secession at 1:15 pm. Tours of the Middleton Place House Museum will highlight an extensive collection of Civil War related items including a copy of the Ordinance of Secession, a portrait of Williams Middleton one of its signers, family owned Confederate bonds and currency, military commissions, an Appomattox Parole, and a pass allowing a Middleton wife “to pass our lines with ordinary baggage and go south,” signed A. Lincoln, Jan. 21, 1865. Regular admission. Call 843-556-6020 for additional information.
Gingerbread House Workshop
December 20th, 2:00 - 4:00 pm
All ages are welcome for the third annual Gingerbread House Workshop at The Inn at Middleton Place. All materials will be provided for you to come up with a tasty Christmas treat and decoration! Come take part in this fun family activity, while designing an architectural masterpiece at an Architectural Award Winning Inn! $12 adults, $10 children ages 5-16, under 5 free. Reservations required, call (843) 556-0500.
2010 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Camellia Walks
February 4 - March 27 (Every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday)
Special guided tours focus on camellias throughout the original gardens as well as the "new" camellia garden of the 1950s. Middleton Place has hundreds of varieties, including the 1786 Reine des Fleurs, one of the first camellias planted in America. Tours begin at 11:00 a.m. at the Garden Market & Nursery and last approximately 1½ hours. Reservations are required. Regular admission. Call 843-556-6020. This event is sponsored by AT&T Real Yellow Pages.
Civil War Encampment
Saturday, Feb. 20 & Sunday, Feb. 212
Visitors may enjoy numerous educational programs and activities centered on a Civil War Encampment set up in the Middleton Place Stableyards. See cooking and camp life demonstrations, military tactical demonstrations and more. Regular admission. Call 843-556-6020.
Spring Winefest
Wednesday, March 31 and April 7
Mother Nature works her magic everyday of the year at Middleton Place, but her boldest and most colorful display is definitely in the Spring. Come enjoy a Spring Wine Tasting overlooking the famous Azalea Hillside. Thousand of azaleas, dogwood and wisteria bloom each spring with their glorious colors reflecting in the water of the Rice Mill Pond. Tasting will be 5:30 – 7:00 pm and by reservation only. Cost is $20 per person. For reservations, call 843-556-6020.
Easter Eggstravaganza
Saturday, April 3
It wouldn't be Easter without an egg hunt, and what better place to look for them than in America 's oldest landscaped gardens where spring flowers abound with their colorful displays. The Easter Bunny will lead the hunt for candy and prize eggs, hidden for children of all age groups. Natural egg dyeing in the Stableyards. Reservations required. Regular admission; Foundation Members and Inn guests are free. For reservations, call 843-556-6020.
Sheep and Wool Days
Saturday, April 24 & Sunday, April 25
Experience the joys of sheep and the crafts made from their wool. See sheep dogs herding and sheep being sheared. Artisans will be dyeing, spinning, weaving and knitting with wool. Adults may participate in a wine and sheep cheese tasting while children enjoy fun activities making crafts out of wool. For tickets & information, 843-556-6020.
Summer Wine Strolls
Every Wednesday, May through September
Enjoy wine tasting in the Gardens of Middleton Place! Summer Wine Strolls will be held every Wednesday from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Cost is $10.00 per person. Each Wednesday, Middleton Place will host the wine tasting in a different garden location. Enjoy strolling through America's oldest landscaped gardens while sampling a variety of summer wines. Wine Stroll participants are urged to extend their evening with dinner at the Middleton Place Restaurant. For dinner reservations, call 843-266-7477.
Interactive “Hands-on” Rice Planting
May 18
Join a costumed interpreter and learn how Carolina Gold rice was planted on Low
Country plantations and about the African origins of rice and its cultivation in South Carolina in the 18th and 19th centuries. Participants, if they desire, may get down and dirty in the demonstration rice field and assist with the planting! Traditional methods will be employed beginning with the May planting through the September harvest. Regular Admission. 843-556-6020.
Interactive Rice Cultivation
May 29 and June 2
Learn more about the cultivation of Carolina Gold rice in this interactive discussion led by a costumed interpreter at the demonstration rice field overlook. Visitors can view Carolina Gold rice growing in the flooded rice field and learn about the African origins of rice and its importance in colonial and antebellum South Carolina. Regular Admission. 843-556-6020.
Spoleto Finale
Sunday, June 13
Bring a blanket and picnic supper to enjoy under the majestic live oaks on the Middleton Place Greensward. The Spoleto Festival concludes with a concert by the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an African American string band, performed under the stars and followed with a dazzling display of fireworks. Tickets available through the Spoleto Festival Box Office or at the ticket gate the evening of the event.
Independence Day
Saturday, July 2-4 (July 2 - Middleton Place to host Naturalization Ceremony)
Hear the fife and drums and smell the gun powder as re-enactors celebrate Independence Day at Middleton Place, home of Arthur Middleton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Walk through an 18th century military camp and examine uniforms and equipment of the period. See how the troops lived, including cooking and musket firing demonstrations. Visitors can also take part in ceremonies commemorating the contributions of Arthur and Henry Middleton, as well as the troops of the Southern Continental Army. Regular Admission. Call 843-556-6020.
Interactive Rice Harvest
September 18, 21, 29
Its harvest time on the plantation! Join a costumed interpreter at the rice field overlook as he describes and demonstrates how Carolina Gold rice was harvested on Low Country plantations. This interactive program will also enable participants to understand how the grain went from the field to the plate as they learn about the laborious task of processing the grain after harvest. Regular Admission. 843-556-6020.
Plantation Days
Saturday & Sunday, October 16 & 17 and November 13 & 14
Craftworkers demonstrate the skills practiced by slaves as they prepared the antebellum plantation for harvest time. Different aspects of 18th and 19th-century plantation life will be explored: Domestic Skills, African American, Traditional Arts, Low Country Foodways and the Plantation Natural Environment. Regular admission.
Family Yuletide
Saturday, December 11
From 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. families can enjoy storytelling around a warm fire, Christmas caroling, and ornament and wreath making. See craftspeople working in their shops by candlelight, and a live nativity scene featuring many of the Plantation's animals. Hot cider and seasonal refreshments included. Reservations are required. Call 843-556-6020.
Middleton Place Grand Illumination
Friday, December 17 and Saturday, December 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
See historic Middleton Place by torchlight, candlelight, and moonlight. This special Christmas celebration will introduce the holiday traditions of the 18th and 19th century. Stroll garden paths illuminated by torches and hear costumed interpreters describe Christmas during the Revolutionary and Civil War eras. In the Middleton Place House, view family collections by candlelight and learn Christmas traditions celebrated by the Middleton family. End the evening on the Greensward around a warm fire and enjoy seasonal refreshments. Advance tickets are $15 adults, $20 at the gate. Children are $5. Group rates available. Call (843) 556-6020 for reservations and additional information.
Secession Day Remembered
Monday, December 20th
The American Civil War and the signing of the Ordinance of Secession changed forever the course of American history and the lives of the Middleton Family. A wreath of remembrance will be laid at the tomb of Williams Middleton, signer of the Ordinance of Secession at 1:15 pm, a time chosen to coordinate with the historic date - on Monday, December 21, 1860. Regular admission.
AT THE EDMONDSTON-ALSTON HOUSE
Christmas 1860 Candlelight Tours
Fridays, December 3 & 10, continuous tours run 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Celebrate the holiday season with a special candlelight tour of the Edmondston-Alston House, one of the first dwellings built on Charleston's High Battery. The historic house will be dressed for the holidays much as it would have been in the 1860s. Living historians in period clothing will tell the story of Charleston's last opulent Christmas before the start of the Civil War, and will share the different Christmas traditions of the day. In the courtyard, visitors can enjoy hearing Christmas.
