Did you know that Drayton Mills– in addition to 289 luxury loft apartments and a bustling, historically renovated marketplace– is home to its own events venue and catering operation?
Eighteen Hundred Drayton Catering & Events is more than just an events space. The customizable venue (1800 Drayton Rd) features multiple rooms, suites, and patios, to fit your party size. The facility can host private dinners and catered events from 20 to 300 guests, weddings and receptions up to 500 guests, and outdoor festivals.
The popular venue also features historic details from the 1902 textile mill, such as original exposed brick walls, soaring rustic ceilings, and an open-air plaza in the center of the mill. At Eighteen Hundred Drayton Catering & Events, enjoy nearly 120 years of history and an events staff with 50 years of combined experience. Amenities include Draper Hall, Opening Room, Bobbin Room, The North Events Plaza, and the Lawn at Drayton.
Eighteen Hundred Drayton believes the menu is the guest’s inspiration; customize your event’s eats to your heart’s content!
But if you need some inspiration, they have several inspired menus to choose from, including omelette and french toast brunch bars, 24 unique cocktail Hors D’oeuvres, and dinner buffets such as “Smoke & Mirrors BBQ,” “Italian FarmHouse,” and “Low Country Boil.”
(View a full list of catering menus here.)
The in-house catering team, led by Executive Chef Bob Munnich, also includes a resident baker, Cindy Munnich.
Drayton Mills is host to many creative events, aside from wedding and party bookings.
In an open-air pivot to accommodate COVID-19 social-distancing guidelines in 2020, Eighteen Hundred Drayton featured regular drive-in movie events with Dray: Bar + Grill this Summer, incorporating the entire Drayton Mills campus, including the lawn and parking lot. Continuing with the popular screening events, Drayton will host several spooky renditions in October:
October 15th: Dinner and a Movie: Ghostbusters
There is no Dana…only Zuul! Enjoy a five-course dinner inspired by Ghostbusters and a screening of the spooky movie. Ticket price includes dinner, dessert, and private table. Cash bar will be available.
October 24th: Movie in the Mill: Rocky Horror
Join 1800 Drayton for an evening of antici….pation as they screen the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show in Draper Hall. Costumes are encouraged…masks are required. Sexy red lip masks and prop bags will be available for purchase at the door, with drinks and snacks available at the concession stand. Let’s do the time warp again!
October 29th: Movie on the Lawn: Hocus Pocus
Is it really Halloween if you haven’t watched Hocus Pocus? Grab your spot on the lawn, a cup of hot chocolate and snacks from Dray: Bar + Grill, and enjoy this classic spooky film. Come! We fly!
Additional upcoming events to look forward to at Drayton Mills include the Second Annual Drayton Holiday Craft Fair (December 12th,) and the weekly Beets by Dray market on Tuesday evenings.
How do you feel about the exciting events calendar at Drayton and the site’s mission of creating once again, an active, safe and vibrant community?
Wendy McCarty: The Drayton Mills Marketplace provides a comfortable way to socialize and remain healthy, both mentally and physically. Each Tuesday evening, Dray Bar and Grill provides new and established artists a way to share their wares with the public during “Beets by Dray.” This weekly event has been especially helpful to me. My success as a vendor at “Beets by Dray” has given me the confidence to pursue my dream of creating a crafting business.
Eighteen Hundred Drayton Catering & Events continues to come up with creative ways to bring people together (but not too close together) during their family friendly events. I love that the local community is welcome to attend all of the events and visit all of the businesses. I am especially fond of Eighteen Hundred Drayton’s idea to show “Hocus Pocus” as a movie on the lawn almost every year close to Halloween.
I have participated in a few of the art and vendor festivals that have taken place next door within the Eighteen Hundred Event Hall. I love that I don’t have to load my car up with the items I need to attend a festival as a vendor. I just wheel them next door! I have made friends and met other Drayton residents during these events. I have decorated our loft with art from local artists I may not have been introduced to otherwise.
With minimal socialization choices due to the pandemic, Drayton Mills has provided my sons and I a place to look forward to speaking with and meeting new friends. As a resident of Drayton Mills, your backyard has walking trails, a pond full of vibrantly colored fish, a place for your children to ride their scooter, a saltwater pool, a bar, a coffee shop, a gym, a restaurant, a barber shop, a physician, a chiropractor, a salon, a bakery, a pizza shop and thriving other businesses. There’s quite a long list of businesses and people who have made Drayton Mills their home, and I believe they have chosen well. I am happy that our family chose to live at Drayton Mills.
Drayton Mills is an ingenious model of community living without being in the center of a city. I feel that this model will become more and more popular as time progresses. Having access to amenities and necessities that are within walking distance to your home is valuable.
Enjoy your lattes and craft beer guilt-free, with an intensive workout from 
If exercising outdoors or solo is more your speed, hop on 
Remember when we mentioned a pool…? A 60-foot salt water lap pool, to be exact. Drayton residents can tan poolside, cool off with a dip in the water, and cook at the outdoor luxury kitchen.
Throughout Drayton Mills’ campus, textile history can be found– in the original hardwood flooring, exposed brick walls of the loft apartments and business spaces, the two iconic water towers, and more.
The spinning mill, constructed in 1902, is an example of Romanesque Revival architecture that influenced textile mill buildings at the turn of the century, according to the mill’s historic places registration. Its frame is made entirely of heavy timber. The weaving mill, which was added some years later, is mostly made of steel.