Southern belles and Christmas bells have this much in common: Both were part of the time-honored traditions of the antebellum South. While those particular traditions have been replaced with the more modern sights and sounds of streamlined fashions and digital holiday music, the holidays of yesteryear live on today through special programs and events presented at some of the South’s most gracious plantations.
Visitors to these plantations during December can experience a true 19th-century Dixie Christmas and relive the joy, the charm, the grandeur — and sometimes the stark, but meaningful simplicity — of celebrating the most wonderful time of the year, Southern style.
Immerse yourself in the antebellum spirit of Christmas by visiting any or all of these four well-preserved plantations, each of which has captured the sights, smells, sounds and sentiments of an Old South holiday celebration.
1. Antebellum Christmas at the Old Governor’s Mansion, Milledgeville
Experience Christmas the way some of Georgia’s most distinguished historical figures once did at this stately landmark on the campus of Georgia College & State University. The 170-year-old Greek Revival mansion served as the official residence of 10 of the state’s governors from 1839 to 1868, and it is a National Historic Landmark.
Each December, the mansion is restored to its holiday glory of old, decked and trimmed by volunteers with authentic antebellum Christmas décor.
“The Old Governor’s Mansion holiday décor provides a unique window to past celebrations of the season,” mansion curator Matt Davis said. “The authenticity of the decorations along with the interpretation of the building both provide visitors with a true appreciation for how 19th-century America rang in the holidays.”
Those decorations include hundreds of glittery ornaments, ribbons, dried flowers, bushels of fruit and too many lights to count. The transformation also requires more than 1,000 yards of pine and cedar garland, as well as sprays of cotton, pheasant and peacock feathers. A 19-foot tree in the rotunda is a stunning display of handmade antebellum ornaments, candle lights, crystals and more. For the full holiday effect, try to catch a nighttime candlelight tour (offered Dec. 5, 12 and 17), complete with Christmas music and refreshments.
Antebellum Christmas at the Old Governor’s Mansion. 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Dec. 5-31. $10, $7 seniors, $2 ages 6-18. 120 S. Clarke St., Milledgeville. 478-445-4545. www.gcsu.edu/mansion
Stay: Antebellum Inn Bed and Breakfast. Circa 1890 Greek Revival home in historic district featuring five guest rooms and one cottage. $109-$169. 200 N. Columbia St., Milledgeville. 478-453-3993, www.antebelluminn.com
Eat: Aubri Lane’s. Offering fine contemporary Southern cuisine, full bar and comprehensive wine list. Entrees $7-$12 (lunch), $12-$28 (dinner). 114 S. Wayne St., Milledgeville. 478-454-4181, www.aubrilanes.com
Info: Milledgeville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. 478-452-4687, www.milledgevillecvb.com
2. Christmas at Ashtabula Plantation, Pendleton, S.C.
Visitors to Ashtabula Historic House during December will be treated to more than period holiday décor — they will actually witness historical holiday scenarios presented by local actors.
“What we’re trying to do is represent what Christmas was like in 1855 here in Pendleton by using people from Pendleton to portray families and servants of that era,” said Jackie Reynolds, president of the Pendleton Historic Foundation.
A series of “mini plays” are presented in separate quarters inside and outside Ashtabula Plantation, a circa 1830 house and museum. These plays serve as re-enactments of a 19th-century Christmas, often portraying real events and people who lived during that time. This year’s theme for the production is “Enjoying the Holidays in the South Carolina Upcountry” hosted by Mrs. Angela Latta, the lady of Ashtabula House in 1855.
Christmas at Ashtabula Plantation. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2-5 p.m. Sundays, Dec. 4-20. $7 adults; $3 children ages 5-11; children ages 4 and younger free (no strollers permitted). 2725 Old Greenville Highway, Pendleton. 864-646-3782, www.pendletonhistoric foundation.org
Stay: Fieldstone Farm Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast. Quaint farmhouse with four guest rooms, two cottages and one cabin nestled on 23 bucolic acres in South Carolina’s Upstate region. $79 Sunday-Thursday; $85-$135 weekends. Special rate of $79 every day Dec. 1–May 1. 640 Fieldstone Farm Road, Westminster. 864-882-5651. www.fieldstone farminn.com
Eat: 1826 on the Green. Serving lunch and dinner amid the live oaks and village green of historic Pendleton. Entrees $8.95-$9.95 (lunch); $17-$23 (dinner). 105 Exchange St. 864-646-5500, www.1826onthegreen.com
Info: Pendleton District Historical, Recreation and Tourism Commission. 864-646-3782, www.pendletondistrict.org
3. Christmas in the Quarters at Redcliffe Plantation, Beech Island, S.C.
Consider Christmas from the perspective of the slaves who once lived and worked at Redcliffe Plantation. Through tours of the slave quarters and storytelling, visitors will learn about 19th-century holiday rituals practiced by the men, women and children who kept this plantation, owned by the Hammond family, operational. The themes of food, free time, religion, gifts and visiting, which were prized by the Redcliffe slaves, will be presented to highlight the most anticipated aspects of their holiday experience.
“Ironically, much of our information about Christmas at the Hammond plantation involves the celebrations of the enslaved individuals rather than the Hammond family,” park interpreter Elizabeth Laney said. “ ... This program gives us a unique opportunity to share this kind of detailed information with the public about how the majority of individuals who made up the plantation community celebrated the holidays.”
This one-day event, planned Dec. 19, will also feature a 2 p.m. presentation by special guest Kitty Wilson-Evans of Historic Brattonsville. She will portray Kessie, a Redcliffe slave whose specific duties were to prepare the plantation for the holidays. Children will enjoy a 3 p.m. program in which they can participate in an apple challenge — a game played during the holidays by slave children.
Christmas in the Quarters. 1-4 p.m. Dec. 19. $6 adults, $4 ages 6 to 16, free ages 5 and younger, $3 seniors. 181 Redcliffe Road, Beech Island. 803-827-1473, www .southcarolinaparks.com/park-finder/state-park/2015.aspx
Stay: The Partridge Inn. Features 145 guest rooms (singles, studios, suites) with elegant décor, no two alike. $129-$149. 2110 Walton Way, Augusta, Ga. (about 8.5 miles from Beech Island). 706-737-8888, www.partridgeinn.com
Eat: Manuel’s Bread Cafe. Serving French dishes created with organic ingredients grown on the eatery’s own farm. Fresh-baked pastries, breads and more. Entrees $15.95-$26.95. 505 Railroad Ave., North Augusta. 803-380-1323, www.manuelsbreadcafe.com
Info: Beech Island Historical Society. 803-867-3600, www.beech-islandhistory.org
4. Christmas Through the Years at Stately Oaks Plantation, Jonesboro
Take a trip to Southern Christmas past during Christmas Through the Years at Stately Oaks Plantation. Each room (and the sharecropper cabin) of this 1839 Greek Revival antebellum home, located in Margaret Mitchell Historical Park, will reflect a different decade of the home’s 19th-century occupation by the Allen, McCord and Orr families. Stately Oaks, said to be the inspiration for the book “Gone With the Wind,” will also be festooned and trimmed with Christmas décor reflecting antebellum days.
Barbara Emert, president of Historical Jonesboro/Clayton County Inc., said this year’s holiday event will be undertaken as a civic project that will be a “celebration of the 170th anniversary of Stately Oaks, the 150th birthday of Clayton County and of Jonesboro, as well.”
The event will give visitors a whimsical peek into Jonesboro history, with members of the local historical society modeling fads and fashions of previous eras. Bring along a pair of bobby socks for some old-fashioned jingle bell rocking during a planned sock hop at the tour’s end in the Bethel Schoolhouse.
Christmas Through the Years at Stately Oaks Plantation. 6-9 p.m. Dec. 11-12. $12 adults; $9 seniors (55 and older); $6 children 5-13; $3 ages 5 and younger. 100 Carriage Lane, Jonesboro. 770-473-0197, www.historical jonesboro.org
Stay: Maison LaVigne. A circa 1906 home featuring three deluxe guest rooms with in-suite baths, fine European linens and breakfast prepared by the owner, a French chef. $120-$145. 3532 S. Fulton Ave., Hapeville. 404-766-5561, www.maisonlavigne.com
Eat: The Feed Store. Dine in a former grain store-turned-contemporary fine-dining establishment featuring stylized interpretations of traditional Southern dishes. Entrees $12-$26. 3841 Main St., College Park. 404-209-7979. www.thefeedstore restaurant.com
Info: Clayton County Convention & Visitors Bureau. 770-478-4800, www.visitscarlett.com
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