This grand mansion is the oldest building in Manatee County and the only remaining antebellum plantation house in South Florida.
Many Florida plantation homes were burned, destroyed, or lost due to the Seminole Wars, American Civil War, hurricanes, floods, and fire. Fortunately, the Gamble Mansion survived and now provides a tangible insight into Florida life in the mid-19thcentury. Learn more about Gamble Plantation in this featured blog post.
Open daily, the property is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is well worth a visit. In 1925, it was purchased by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and donated to the state as a memorial to Benjamin.
Learn more Florida history and interesting facts at the small museum in the Visitor Center.
There are plenty of local exhibits and storyboards giving detailed information about the sugar plantation, the Gamble Mansion, and the neighboring Patten Home (1872), which are all part of the Gamble Plantation Historic State Park.
Entrance to the site is free and fascinating guided tours are offered Thursday through Monday.
The Park is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset. The Visitor Center and Museum is open Thursday – Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Please note: The visitor center is closed for lunch 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Visitor Center is closed and tours are not available on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.