The three-day Wilson's Weekend lets guests relive the Gilded Age

Palmetto Bluff is preparing to turn back the clock to 1918, a time when the exclusive community was even more, well, exclusive.

At that time, its 18,000 acres along the May River only had a single mansion, an extravagant estate that hosted some of the South's most lavish dinners and spectacular balls.

Richard T. Wilson Jr., a wealthy banker and industrialist, built the four-story home on the property with his wife, Marion, in the early 1900s. From 1915 until it burned in 1926, the estate welcomed some of New York's elite for weeks at a time, who dined well and partied well into the night.

On Feb. 2, Palmetto Bluff will recreate the opulent lifestyles of the Wilsons when it hosts its second-annual Wilson Weekend.

During the three-day event, "Palmetto Bluff doesn't look like it would any other day of the year," said marketing manager Courtney Naughton. "It's transformed to be as over-the-top as it was in the Gilded Age."

The glitzy weekend doubles as a fundraiser for the Palmetto Bluff Arts Commission, an arm of the nonprofit Palmetto Bluff Conservancy. The year-old arts commission was created to help feature and preserve Lowcountry art.

Last year's inaugural event raised about $30,000 to launch the commission. That money has gone to hosting public events like a Memorial Day concert with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, a book-signing by local authors Pierre McGowan and Roger Pinckney and a pottery exposition by Bluffton potter Jacob Preston.

This year, the weekend is on track to raise about $50,000, Naughton said. And that's with only about 150 guests.

Weekend packages start at $1,000 per person. For two nights at the Inn, it's $1,500 for a single and $2,500 per couple.

"It's not for everybody," Naughton said.

The centerpiece of the event is the "Victory Ball," a re-enactment celebration of the end of World War I, where guests are treated to a five-course meal with wine pairings and cocktails.

Women are advised to wear vintage dresses with a hat or feathers in their hair, along with long strands of pearls. Men should consider three-piece tuxedos with top hats, walking sticks and gloves.

During the day, guests can participate in a nine-hole golf tournament using wooden clubs, play tennis with traditional wooden rackets, dress in whites for a croquet match and take an hour-long cruise on the May River.

At night, they can take in silent movies and sip cocktails in an old-fashioned speakeasy.

Beaufort Mayor Bill Rauch, who attended the event last year with his wife, Sarah, said the dinner and ball were memorable.

"The costumes sort of bring a festive element to the whole thing," he said. "But it all depends on your imagination. If you've got a good imagination, you can certainly believe that you're back in the 1920s. It's quite something."