Wentworth Mansion’s Gilded Age Charm
Perfect for a dinner starring Chef Marc Collins’ award-winning cuisine, or nearby lodging for your weekend guests, Wentworth Mansion is a time capsule of late 1800’s luxury. Located just a few blocks from The Jasper, this Gilded Age home to Francis Silas Rodger’s family is now a hotel imbued with history and glamour. It is recognized as the #1 Hotel in Charleston by U.S. News & World Report, and for good reason. Beyond just hospitality, it is a landmark for guests who want to step into a world of vintage Lowcountry luxury.
The Victorian estate is adorned with a regal cupola with rooms that blend antique with traditional luxury. The interior is defined by 14-foot ceilings, marble fireplaces, chandeliers and Tiffany windows that reveal the wealth of the estate’s cotton industry origins and the customary delicacies that marked the late nineteenth century.
Making your way up the winding staircase to the roof’s dome, you can savor a panoramic vista of city views. The colorful homes and church steeples are an entrancing benefit of visiting the mansion. You’ll want to grab a glass of sherry to relish the view.
History buffs, architecture aficionados and hopeless romantics will appreciate the elements of lavish leisure that incite inspiration from another age. Its Gilded Age influence yields a sophisticated atmosphere amongst the Harleston Village neighborhood, on the cusp of downtown’s nearby buzz.
Visitors don’t have to book a four-star suite to enjoy Wentworth Mansion’s grandeur. You can visit to grab a table at the hotel’s boutique restaurant, Circa 1886, located in the home’s original carriage house. Known as one of Charleston’s finest culinary venues, Chef Marc Collins delivers classic Southern cuisine amid an intimate ambiance highlighted by darkly paneled walls and candle-lit counters. If you are just in the mood for a happy hour, we recommend the Violet Feline cocktail made with Cathead honeysuckle vodka, crème de violette and lemon. You’ll enjoy the bartender’s affinity for innovative concoctions in the restaurant’s vintage glassware.
Take a brisk walk to Wentworth Mansion and enjoy the nineteenth-century charm. The Wentworth Street destination is only 10 minutes away, but you’ll feel like you’re in a different era as you’re swept away by the mansion’s rustic presentation of architecture and Lowcountry cuisine.