Boone Hall is Best Staycation

offers some of the Lowcountry's most picturesque Southern vistas and ties to the antebellum South, and because of that, Patch readers have named the Mount Pleasant historic site the best place for a stay-at-home vacation or "staycation."

Clearly a local favorite, Boone Hall swept this week's with nearly

The Boone Hall property can be traced back to the 1600s. Its famous shaded Avenue of Oaks is actually one of the oldest elements of the plantation. Planted in 1790, the driveway was meant to convey a since of grandeur and status.

The tourist attraction also is home to nine slave cabins, which now feature interpretive programs meant to shed light on slave life and Gullah-Geechee heritage.

The mansion that exists on Boone Hall Plantation today was built in 1936 by Canadian Ambassador Thomas Stone on the site of the original home. Guided tours of the first floor allow guests to see how this Georgian designed home blends recovered materials and antique furnishings to recreate an atmosphere that would have surrounded a coastal Carolina planter’s family and his guests.

The formal gardens flanking the mansion underline the gracious antebellum atmosphere.

In addition to being a popular draw for tourists, Boone Hall plays host to a number of Lowcountry events, including the , which is billed as the largest oyster roast in the world.

It's also a working plantation. Boone Hall Farms still grows crops and invites the public to pick their own fruits in vegetables throughout the growing season. Its popular got an early start this year due to unseasonably warm weather.

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