Laurel Hill Plantation
8913 Norht Highway 17
McClellanville, SC 29458
(888) 887-3708, (803) 887-3708
Rates: $85-95
Web Site

For an escape from the hectic pace of the city (but only 35 miles north of Charleston and 60 miles south of Myrtle Beach), Laurel Hill Plantation is a bed and breakfast opportunity not to be missed.

As you travel down the soft, sandy road to the plantation, you'll see a sight that is right out of the movies: Laurel Hill Plantation is surrounded by Spanish moss-draped live oaks and looks over an enormous, beautiful marsh. The stunning mansion has four marvelous guest rooms.

Nestled in a nook by a picturesque tidal creek, the spacious reconstruction was designed to retain the romance of the past while affording the convenience of the contemporary. Wrap-around porches overlook a sweeping panorama of Cape Romain's salt marshes, islands, waterways, and the Atlantic Ocean. The setting is a nature lover's delight!

The owners, Jackie and Lee Morrison, spent two years rebuilding, following the floor plan of the original mid-19th century Low Country vernacular farmhouse. Some changes were incorporated: there are now 10-foot ceilings instead of 12, one working fireplace instead of 10, four private baths for the guest rooms instead of one shared bath, and a wrap-around porch--which Jackie attributes for their repeat business--filled with rocking chairs, benches and a hammock. The walls of the dining room are a work of art, stenciled with varieties of South Carolina fauna: holly, pine and smilac. The patterns, cut by Lee, were drawn and painted by Jackie, who has furnished the house with old pieces of pine and walnut.