Woodlands to be wedding, special event venue

SUMMERVILLE — Weddings and special events will be offered at the former Woodlands resort, its new owner says.

Rooms will be available for event attendees on a limited basis; a restaurant will not open at this time, said owner Tom Limehouse.

No further development of the 11-acre property is planned, he said.

“This property is beautiful and special, and I always said I’d make every effort not to carve it up.” he said.

Limehouse, Summerville Auto Auction owner, has mulled suggestions on what to do with the closed, once-world-class restaurant and inn since he bought it in September. He considered a multi-use facility and public uses, he said, but decided against them.

“Simplicity and efficiency are the key words for a successful business model,” he said. “I don’t know that that’s been tried here.”

The Woodlands is a “Golden Age” of Summerville plantation-style manor and grounds refurbished into a five-star resort in the late 20th century. Three sets of previous owners failed to make a go of it.

The community prizes the cachet of the estate, and people worried that it would be razed, turned into condominiums or a subdivision.