HOLLYWOOD, Md. — Historic Sotterley opened its new Visitor Experience Center on May 2, marking the start of the 2026 tour season and expanding how the site welcomes and educates the public.
The opening introduces a central hub for visitors at the 94-acre historic plantation, which features 22 preserved structures and serves as one of Southern Maryland’s most significant cultural and educational landmarks. The new center will debut alongside a traveling exhibit from Maryland Humanities, themed guided tours and family-friendly activities.
Sotterley leaders said the project reflects the organization’s broader mission to connect people with the region’s complex history while expanding access through programs, events and community engagement.
A Descendant-Led Vision For Shared History
Gwendoline Bankins, president of Historic Sotterley’s board of trustees, said the new Visitor Experience Center is more than a starting point for tours. It is a place where visitors can begin to understand the scale, complexity and humanity of the site before stepping onto the grounds.
“I feel that it gives them a place to connect and engage,” Bankins said. “It helps you to prepare for your visit.”
Bankins, a descendant of people enslaved at Sotterley, said the site interprets more than 320 years of history, including about 160 years of enslavement. She described Sotterley as a “living, breathing museum,” where visitors can see authentic structures and better understand the labor, trades and daily life that shaped the property.
“For our shared and connected American history, it’s not local, it’s American,” Bankins said. “Through all of the wars, through everyday life, people’s lives were interconnected.”
Bankins said Sotterley’s mission is to tell those stories with honesty, including the pain of enslavement, the resilience of families, the sharecropper story, forced apprenticeship and the lives of descendants after emancipation.
“It is about really understanding the whole history with truth and transparency,” Bankins said. “That does mean pain, but it also means rebuilding and repairing the harm that was done.”
She said her own connection to Sotterley has changed over time. As a young student, Bankins said she did not want to visit a site where her ancestors had been enslaved. Later, she came to understand the importance of recovering stories that were not always taught in classrooms.
“It’s being able to share the journey of not being informed, to doing the work to be informed,” Bankins said.
For visitors, especially students, Bankins said she hopes Sotterley offers more than a tour.
“I want it to be a lived experience,” Bankins said. “I want you to feel the history.”
Bankins also sees Sotterley as a community space, where history, families and conversations can meet.
“It’s the bridge to where the future and the past meet,” Bankins said.
Bankins said Sotterley’s role today goes beyond preservation, serving as a space where visitors can engage with history in ways that resonate with their own lives and experiences.
She said the site’s environment encourages people to slow down, reflect and connect, not only with the past, but with one another.
“In our country today, conversations are not happening. People are talking at people and not to people,” Bankins said. “When you’re in a safe space and the environment is not threatening, people will talk about things that they wouldn’t talk about.”
She said she has seen those conversations unfold across generations, even within her own family, as stories are shared that had never been spoken before.
“It becomes a catalyst for conversation,” Bankins said. “A conversation for those things that are not in books, because it’s the lived experience people share.”
A Living Historic Site Rooted In Education And Preservation
Located along the Patuxent River, Historic Sotterley operates as a nonprofit educational and cultural resource dedicated to interpreting all aspects of its history, including its legacy as a slaveholding plantation.
Through field trips, tours and public programming, Sotterley serves thousands of students and visitors each year with hands-on learning experiences designed to connect past and present.
Leaders at Sotterley emphasize the importance of preserving authentic structures and landscapes to tell those stories in place, an approach that allows visitors to engage more directly with history.
The site has received national and state recognition for its preservation work and inclusive storytelling efforts, including designation as a UNESCO Site of Memory connected to the Slave Route Project.
In addition to education, Sotterley maintains an active agricultural program, farming sustainably and donating produce to local food pantries as part of its community outreach.
Visitor Center Designed To Improve Access
The new Visitor Experience Center is designed to serve as a gateway to the property, improving orientation, accessibility and the overall visitor experience. The Visitor Experience Center will also include an archives section on the upper level, available to visitors by appointment.
Opening day activities include:
- A new traveling exhibit from Maryland Humanities (Freedom of the Press)
- Themed guided tours across the grounds
- Family activities such as face painting and children’s programming
The opening also marks the start of the site’s full seasonal programming. Activities will also include a puppeteer and opportunities for visitors to see Sotterley’s livestock, including goats and cows.
Mother’s Day At Sotterley
A special Mother’s Day program on May 9th, beginning at 1:00 p.m., will invite families to spend time on the grounds with activities designed to celebrate the holiday in a historic setting. The day will include afternoon tea, and a celebration of women featuring special guest Miss Maryland 2025 Maria Derisavi. Tickets are $50, with discounted rates of $35 for students and $25 for children 16 and younger.
Speaker Series Brings National Stories To Local Audience
Sotterley will also continue its “People & Perspectives” speaker series on May 20 with featured guest Edna Cummings, a retired Army colonel and author.
Cummings will discuss her memoir, A Soldier’s Life, and her efforts to bring national recognition to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the “Six Triple Eight,” an all-Black, all-female unit that served during World War II.
The free event can be attended in person or virtually and will include a talk, book availability and display items related to the battalion. Organizers say the series is designed to connect the community with thought leaders and expand conversations beyond local history.
A Venue For Community Events And Gatherings
Beyond tours and programming, Sotterley has expanded its role as a community gathering space.
The property offers multiple event venues, including:
- The Barn
- The Tractor Shed
- A brick patio event space suitable for weddings and large gatherings
Scott Gray, executive director at Historic Sotterley, said the indoor and outdoor spaces on the property are available to the community and visitors for meetings, field trips and private events, allowing organizations and families to use the historic setting for a wide range of purposes.
Gray said the property includes a pavilion, outdoor plaza, historic buildings and a custom brick patio, along with accessible walkways and open greenspace used for concerts and community events.
“The Barn and the Tractor Shed combined with this plaza makes a great space for events, like weddings, business events and socials,” Gray said. “The Plaza has new custom brick, and these buildings serve as an example of our adaptive reuse of these historical buildings.”
This growing events program helps support Sotterley’s operations while increasing public engagement with the site.
Continuing Sotterley’s Mission
Sotterley leaders say the new Visitor Center and expanded programming reflect a long-term commitment to building connections through history.
The organization’s work includes ongoing efforts such as its Descendants Project, which seeks to honor and engage all families connected to the site’s past.
By combining preservation, education and community programming, Sotterley aims to create space for reflection, dialogue and shared understanding.
The new Visitor Experience Center opens May 2, with events scheduled throughout the month. More information, including tickets and event details, is available through Sotterley’s website.
Got a tip or photo? Text us at 888-871-NEWS (6397) or email news@thebaynet.com.
Join The BayNet Membership for exclusive perks and zero ads.
Don’t miss a story—sign up for our newsletter!
