Each home or more accurately described mansion, tells the story of both the family that lived in it and the slaves that served the family.

You can't help but be enthralled by the stories of the elite class of Charlestonians that built the foundation of the city centuries ago. But with so many preserved homes from which to choose, where should you start? Which historical home evokes the most charm?

1. Drayton Hall

Why is Drayton Hall so charming? What makes the home so memorable and such a gem to visit is that it is the most historically accurate of all of Charleston's preserved homes.  It's a gorgeous example of Georgia Palladian architecture and it survives intact today. While there is no longer any furniture in the house, it looks much like it would have when it was built in 1738. It's been in the Drayton family for seven generations.

2. Middleton Place

Middleton Place is a must visit for the gardeners of the world. In fact, the gardens, which are considered the oldest landscaped gardens in the country, are modeled after Versailles. You can even take a wine tour of the gardens in the evening, which is only made more exquisite by a stay at the opulent Inn at Middleton Place. The house museum, which was built in 1755, overlooks the beautiful Ashley River.

3. The Washington Heyward House

The Washington Heyward House is exciting to see not just because of its gorgeous interior and formal gardens, but because of the man that once owned it. Thomas Heyward, a wealthy rice planter, was a true American patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Heyward also had a summer home in Bluffton, South Carolina, just outside of Hilton Head.

4. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is another example of the great wealth of the Drayton Family. As you tour the grounds you can learn how the Charleston elite were often entrenched in rice planting but once slavery was abolished so too was rice farming. The cultivation of rice simply became too expensive and difficult without slavery, so the society began to transition out of it. The gardens at Magnolia are also home to a host of native birds including egrets, herring, and water fowl.

5. The Joseph Manigault House

The Joseph Manigault House is a must see destination because it was designed by Gabriel Manigault, a famous Charlestonian architect who would later be responsible for Charleston's stunning City Hall and Society Hall. The Manigaults were French Huguenots that initially escaped Europe because of persecution and then later amassed huge amounts of wealth in the Low Country of South Carolina. Much of their wealth was due to rice planting as was the case with other famous Charleston families like the Draytons.