1. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens: America’s Oldest Public Garden
Few places in America carry the weight of living history quite like this one. Founded in 1676 by the Drayton family, Magnolia Plantation is the oldest public tourist site on the Carolina coast and the oldest public gardens in America, having opened its doors to visitors in 1870. That’s not a trivial claim. Nearly a century and a half of welcoming guests gives the place a settled, unhurried quality that’s hard to manufacture.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens spans 464 acres along the Ashley River and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, 25 acres of the property are devoted to the gardens, 16 acres for the wide lawn surrounding the live oak allée, and 150 acres for a marsh and waterfowl conservatory.
The groves of azaleas and camellias at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens are among the largest collections in the nation. While Middleton Place’s gardens attract visitors who appreciate manicured order, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens appeals to lovers of wilder spaces and romantic-style gardens, with visitors coming to enjoy camellia and azalea season in early spring and wildlife throughout the year…