After 40 years, I know just about every square foot of the majestic and historic, Magnolia Gardens on the Ashley River, located about 12 miles from where I live.
I dearly love the place, and have photographed it in all seasons of the year for many years. I have posted countless pictures online over those years and continue to do so. I always see something new or different every time I go. It restores and rejuvenates the world-weary and over-burdened soul, which is why it is so popular.
During March through May when azaleas and many other varieties of flowers bloom, tourists flock to this place, many hundreds of them during the course of a day at peak camellia, azalea and other bloom times. I am so fortunate to be able to visit any time I want. It’s shady and cooler than the city in summer, so I can even go in August and September.
So it was quite crowded the other day, even when I went at my usual time, 4 pm, an hour before closing. Two weddings were also being set up.
Most times during seasons other than Spring, I can be there almost alone among the 400 diverse acres of paths through the gardens, bamboo forests, woodlands and marsh.
Below is a brief history of the plantation and gardens, as well as photos from my most recent visit. I hope you enjoy. I love sharing this beauty with others.
From the Magnolia Gardens Website:
“Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, located along the Ashley River near Charleston, South Carolina, traces its origins to 1676, when the Drayton family established a rice plantation on the site.
“Over the centuries it became renowned not only for its vast gardens—among the oldest public gardens in America—but also for its Romantic-style landscape design, camellias, azaleas, and sweeping live oaks.
“The plantation survived both the American Revolution and Civil War, though its wealth was built through the labor of enslaved Africans and African Americans whose history is now more openly interpreted through preserved cabins and educational exhibits.
“Magnolia opened to the public in 1870, making it one of the earliest tourist attractions in the Charleston Lowcountry and a lasting symbol of both the beauty and complexity of Southern history.”
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Here are photos of the gardens taken in the Spring of 2016. Ten years ago. So hard to believe.
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