Wentworth Mansion, Charleston, S.C.

Seduction is inevitable at this gilded age estate in the South, where pampering is a birthright and romance comes with the territory. After a few nights in Charleston’s historic postbellum era Wentworth Mansion (circa 1886), you may feel like you were born in the wrong century.

Francis S. Rodgers sure was a man of his time.  As a prosperous Reconstruction era cotton merchant in Charleston, the South’s economic and cultural capital, Rodgers built this magnificent 24,000 square feet, four story home for his family of thirteen.  He hired a well-known artisan to construct the opulent surroundings which boasted intricate wood engravings and hand carved marble fireplaces in almost every room and Tiffany stained glass windows on each floor.  Upon completion, the home was considered one of the finest in Charleston.  Needless to say, the imposing decorative quality of the Second Empire architectural style was never meant to blend in quietly.

When current owner Richard Widman purchased the house in 1997 he undertook a major 18 month restoration. Together with his wife Linn Lesesne and interior design firm Pulliam Morris Interiors, they made it a point to maintain the building’s original period features including the custom-built louvered window treatments with original Victorian hardware.  Two grand matching Italian crystal chandeliers are still hanging today and are right at home with the lavish furnishings and enviable collection of antiques.

To get a sense of what life was like at the end of the 19^th century for the affluent family, follow the grand staircase up to the top floor where another winding staircase will lead you to a rooftop cupola granting a majestic 360 degree view of downtown Charleston and its harbor.  With a glass of wine in hand at sunset, it’s impossible not to feel nostalgic for Charleston’s booming years.

Still, the Wentworth Mansion is not your typical bed and breakfast for not a detail is missed. For example, handmade chocolates are provided at turndown from Circa 1886, the hotel’s own Forbes Four Star and AAA Four Diamond rated restaurant located in the original carriage house.  The historical integrity of the property is equally sensed in this fine dining establishment where many of the earliest structural details still exist, including the wood-burning kitchen fireplace, stable doors and pine floors.  A complimentary gourmet Southern breakfast is served here and naturally includes plenty of good old fashioned grits!  Let’s not forget, Charleston is still a decent jaunt south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Chef Marc Collins has created a menu featuring “seasonal, Low Country cuisine with a distinctively modern and forward-thinking spin.”  In a town where traditional Southern cuisine (fried chicken, fried yams, fried green tomatoes, just plain fried anything!) is still the norm, Chef Collins has brazenly, yet healthfully, reinvented classic mains like the Antelope Loin brined in coffee and Carolina Bass with toasted coconut, mango rum coulis and a bell pepper hash.  Don’t forget the Crispy Pear Bread Pudding with sharp cheddar ice cream and rosemary Cabernet reduction for dessert. Remind me again why bread pudding never became main stream in the North?

What’s more, the mansion’s former stables were transformed into a 1,000 square foot full service spa.  Not forgetting the Wentworth’s heritage, the spa houses many unique architectural artifacts utilized as modern day decorative elements in a warm and intimate space.  Vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, etched wood floors, glass brick and bead board molding all evoke the same historical charm felt throughout the mansion.   Upholding the Wentworth’s standard of excellence, the spa offers a short but selective list of treatments including a ‘Gentleman’s Facial’ and a ‘Royal Face and Back’ massage and deep cleanse. Little did the Rodgers family know what would become of this gentlemen’s estate. Even the stables have a second life.

Let’s just say that life on the grounds of the Wentworth Mansion today is decidedly better than it was in 1886. I dare you not to be seduced!