About Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation
Piney Grove sits just off the Route 5 scenic byway in Charles City County, on land the site's own history describes as the homeland of the Chickahominy people. Furneau Southall built up a 300-acre plantation here, and the log section of the main house dates to about 1790; the foundation that runs the site calls it the best-preserved example of early log architecture in Tidewater Virginia. After the Southall years the property passed to the Saunders, Harwood and Hughes families, and in 1984 the Gordineer family began a long restoration. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The gardens, grounds and nature trail are open every day from 9 to 5 for self-guided visits. Besides the main house, the family moved and rebuilt several historic buildings here, including Ladysmith (1857, from Caroline County), Ashland (1835, from James City County), Duck Church (1917, from coastal North Carolina) and a Dower Quarter from Henrico County. Exhibits in the Welcome Dependency cover the owners and four centuries of Native history, the Arbor explains the Dower Quarter as a record of antebellum slave quarters, and the trail exhibit covers Piney Springs and Rippons Run in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Harwood children's cemetery and two unmarked graves believed to be those of enslaved people are also on the grounds.
A two-hour guided progressive tour, which goes inside Piney Grove, Ashland and Ladysmith, runs on select Saturdays, and groups of ten or more can arrange other days. The site also lists weekend house tours in April and October. It is a stop on the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail and the Virginia Civil War Trails.
Sweethaven Lavender, near Williamsburg, is about 16 miles east. Plan on roughly half an hour by Route 5 to pair a morning on the grounds with a reserved pick-your-own visit at the lavender farm.
What to do
- Walk the self-guided gardens, grounds and nature trail, daily 9 to 5
- See the log section of the main house, dating to about 1790
- Visit relocated buildings such as Ladysmith (1857), Ashland (1835) and Duck Church (1917)
- Read the exhibits on the site's owners, Native history and the Dower Quarter
- Join the two-hour guided progressive tour on select Saturdays
- Look for birds along the trail, a listed Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail site
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- Grounds and trail open daily year-round; weekend house tours in April and October; guided tours on select Saturdays
- Hours
- Gardens, grounds and nature trail daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (as posted on their website, checked October 2026)
- Admission
- $5 per person for the self-guided gardens, grounds and nature trail (as posted, checked October 2026)
Good to know
- Reservations
- Walk-in
Tips for your visit
- No phone number is published; contact the site by email through their website to ask about Saturday guided tours
- Groups of ten or more can arrange a guided tour on days other than Saturday
- Come on an April or October weekend for the seasonal progressive house tours
Pair it with a lavender farm
Sweethaven Lavender · about 30 minutes away
Sweethaven Lavender near Williamsburg is about 16 miles east, an easy half-hour drive for an afternoon of reserved lavender picking.
Getting there
Questions
How old is Piney Grove?
The log section of the main house dates to about 1790, according to the site's history.
Is there a guided tour?
A two-hour guided progressive tour runs on select Saturdays; groups of ten or more can arrange other days.
What does admission cost?
The site lists $5 per person for the self-guided gardens, grounds and nature trail.
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
