Somerset Place State Historic Site

Great Historical Site. Free to visit and walk around. You can walk around on your own or take the tour for $1 per person. Handicap persons will not be able to go inside each building because they are small (like in the 1800's) put you can see the whole inside from the doorway and hear what the tour guide is saying (still getting the full experience). As a handicap person I really enjoyed everything about the site.

I absolutely love visiting Somerset Plantation! It has a fascinating history you can feel while walking the peaceful grounds. Even the massive trees are a site to see and there is a path to Pettigrew park at the back left of the Plantation. You can pay a small fee for a tour or walk the grounds for free which I really appreciate the option as my family prefers to do things at our own pace.

Excellent historic plantation to visit. Free entrance, but I would highly recommend taking the very informative and inexpensive guided tour with the guide on site.

Matt was our tour guide, he was wonderful, went above and beyond to answer our questions. The tour is a must during your visit.

Amazing historic site, worth the drive. Recommend coming to visit.

Great Job to the NC historic staff at Somerset Place. A+

The experience was so fantastic learning the history is amazing. The tour guide was fabulous, wish we had been able to heard more about other parts of the land but its ok , i enjoyed what we did get to learn but he did know the history well.

Everytime I place by Creswell I always stop by this place. They have an amazing set up with some very beautiful views. They also have an amazing back story and is definitely worth a tour. They even have trails that lead over to Lake Phelps with spectacular views of the lake. It also has benches to take a rest and enjoy the view. Swimming is prohibited.

The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, and the site presented a very moving history of antebellum enslavement.

We really enjoyed the tour given by Matt. Very informative.

This was a great day trip to a remarkable place. It was educational and enjoyable for the beauty of the house, outbuildings, and grounds​ with towering cypress trees.

Must do the tour in order to go in the buildings. When you show up you can just ask for a tour. Very informative. $2 each for adults. Pay in cash or else there’s a $5 minimum for credit cards.

Our recent visit to Somerset Place was most enjoyable and exceeded our expectations.
The tour guide was knowledgeable, professional, and delightfully accommodating. The focus of the tour appeared to be humanizing the enslaved people and their lives. She was able to give us detailed information about the life on the plantation from both sides of the garden fence. She was able to talk about specific enslaved individuals, their families, their occupations, and their personal histories. She let us know these were not merely abstract objects of exploitation but human beings with lives, loves, and concerns similar to our own.
My wife and I have visited several plantations throughout the South. Most of the information we received at those places concerned the overlord families rather than the enslaved people. This tour was the best at giving us a glimpse of what life was like for these unfortunate souls.
Also, we were visiting with an older man with a disability and our guide was gracious in her accommodation.
I highly recommend the trip to Somerset for Anyone wishing to learn more about the lives of enslaved people and complex interactions in plantation life.

A fantastic site and tour. I'm so glad we made the drive out here. I loved that the tour made sure to talk about all the different types of people who lived on the plantation. The site has been well preserved, the reconstruction well done and the staff incredibly knowledgeable. I would have taken photos but I was too busy asking questions.

What an awesome place. The only thing I regret is I didn't take a guided tour.

Beautiful place! I really enjoyed the grounds and the lake, and will return again.

Would encourage all to visit, especially those living in Eastern NC.

This place is full of history, real American history. Plantation owner's house, slave hospital and cabins, and other buildings bring the antebellum period to life.

Very beautiful, well kept area. Informative, thank you for keeping history alive to still learn from.

This plantation is well worth the visit. Informative displays that do not hide or sugarcoat the life of a slave on the property. The reconstructed buildings add depth and the footprints of other structures lend well to the story. This is really the only plantation I’ve been to that creates an atmosphere in which you can step back in time and imagine what life would have been like for those who were forced to toil in the fields instead of focusing solely on the family home and life of the plantation owner. Their visitor center/ bookshop has unique titles that further our understanding of the human toll of slavery through personal stories. This is a must see plantation in my opinion.

The staff is knowledgeable and welcoming. I enjoyed the grounds and buildings. I would be recommend the tour for children that can control their fingers and older. You go into the house and cannot touch anything. A very pleasant 1/2 day trip. We would have easily spent a full day if the kids weren't tired when we arrived.

Tours are $2/person and worth it. It's much more than just visiting a plantation, the tours guides speak candidly about the happening on the property without white-washing it. Probably better to visit between Febraury-June to enjoy the full tours.