Tours   |   Just For Kids   |   Educational Programs  |    Special Events

Whether you're looking for a tour of the plantation, a place for an educational program, classroom visit, or a beautiful place to just enjoy the scenery, Sotterley is the place!

Tours

General Guided Tours (May - Oct)

Mansion and Garden Tours - Guided tours of the Manor House and Garden by trained interpreters provide visitors of all ages with an intimate look at the lives of past residents.

Visitors...

• find out what life was like on an early 18th-century plantation
• learn about  Richard Boulton who designed the exquisite Chinese Chippendale stairway in the entrance hall
• survey the rolling panorama from the majestic portico just as George Plater III, Maryland's sixth colonial governor did, during the golden years of plantation life
• experience the elegant drawing room in which former slave Frank Kane was married
• marvel at the elegant English furniture given by financier J. Pierpont Morgan to his daughter Louisa Morgan Satterlee when she and her husband Herbert completed Sotterley's restoration in 1924

---

Group and Special Interest Tours

The Personal Touch - Sotterley makes group visits very special. Group tours are arranged in advance through the Sotterley Foundation office. Upon arrival, groups are greeted by Sotterley's trained interpreters. Groups over twenty are divided into two, each with its own guide. While one group tours the Manor House, the other group tours the garden and grounds, visits the gift shop, or relaxes on the portico. This arrangement ensures that everyone gets to experience all that Sotterley has to offer in a relaxed and intimate setting. At Sotterley, the touch is personal, no matter what size your group!

Dining on the Portico - Dining on the Portico is offered to our group tours as an option. By advance arrangement, groups of fifteen visitors or more may dine on light breakfast or lunch fare on the Mansion Portico while enjoying Sotterley's magnificent vistas. Breakfast is continental style and includes coffee and juice. Lunch consists of a selection of fresh-made sandwiches, salads and desserts. Flagstones on the Portico came from England as ship's ballast in the early 18th century and are listed in Squire Bowles' 1727 inventory. Although constructed earlier than Mount Vernon, Sotterley's columned Portico bears a resemblance to that of Washington's home. If you would like more information about dining on the Portico, please email the office.

Special Interest Tours - Sotterley's trained interpreters can provide special interest tours by advance arrangement. Antiquarian Societies, Garden Clubs, and Historical Groups will all find something special.

Suggested tours include:

• African-Americans at Sotterley
• Outbuildings Tour
• Garden Tour

The Nature Trail - The Nature Trail leads visitors through the Plantation's historic core down the Rolling Road, once used to convey hogsheads of tobacco to the Colonial Port at Sotterley Creek. Stops along the way include the 18th-century Customs Warehouse and the early 19th - century Slave Cabin.

Turning back up to view the commanding Manor House atop its bluff, today's visitors see Sotterley as a first-time visitor who arrived at Sotterley's port two centuries ago. Walk through the meadow back up to the Manor House yard and peek in the Smoke House, where the odor of smoking hams still lingers, then stroll through the flower and herb gardens. The final stop along the trail is the North Gatehouse Plantation School, for a glimpse of school days in the 19th century.

Just For Kids

Some Fun Things To Do:

1. Announce your visit by ringing the entrance bell.
2. Hike the nature trail and look for yellow-bellied sapsuckers.
3. Peek into the "Necessary" and compare bathrooms, past and present.
4. Figure out what time it is using Sotterley's sun dial.
5. Grind corn off the cob at the corn crib.

Educational Programs

Historic Sotterley Plantation offers a variety of educational programs in cultural and environmental studies for students of all ages. Groups of children are invited to come and learn about more than three centuries of tidewater plantation life through visits and outreach programs. Sotterley's resources include an estuarine shoreline, woodland trails, meadows,  and formal gardens. It has authentic 18th and 19th century architectural holdings highlighting plantation life including a customs warehouse, smokehouse, corn crib, brick necessary, and plantation schoolhouse.

Student field trips encompass four sites: The Mansion, The Slave Cabin, and the Plantation Landscape including outbuildings and nature trails, and the Sotterley Port. Sotterley has a gift shop, restroom facilities, and picnic tables. Groups are encouraged to bring brown bag lunches, although box lunches are provided with advanced notice. The Plantation is located 20 minutes north of St. Mary's City.