Charleston, South Carolina
There is nothing like wandering under imposing live oak trees cloaked in Spanish moss at spring. Late March finds mountains of azalea, dogwood, and grand strands of wisteria. Anyone near these grand plantations in the spring should make a point to visit.
The gardens at Magnolia Plantation are of such beauty and variety that they have brought tourists from around the world to view them since they were open to the public in the early 1870s. However, many parts of the gardens are much older, some sections more than 325 years old, making them the oldest unrestored gardens in America. As the plantation has stayed within the ownership of the same family for more than three centuries, each generation has added their own personal touch to the gardens, expanding and adding to their variety. Today there are various varieties of flowers from camellias, daffodils, to azalea’s and countless other species in bloom year round, with the climax of incredible beauty building towards the spring bloom.
Thomas Drayton and his wife Ann arrived from Barbados to the new English colony of Charles Towne and established Magnolia Plantation along the Ashley River in 1679. Thomas and Ann were the first in a direct line of Magnolia family ownership that has lasted more than 300 years and continues to this day.
The plantation and gardens have evolved and grown into one of the greatest public gardens in America with a rich history.
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