Magnolia Plantation, Summerville, South Carolina, USA

It is the oldest public tourist site in the Lowcountry, and the oldest public garden in America, opening its doors to visitors in 1870 to view the thousands of beautiful flowers and plants in its famous gardens.

Magnolia Plantation: 3550 Ashley River Rd, Summerville, South Carolina, USA

The plantation dates to 1676, when Thomas and Ann Drayton built a house and small formal garden on the site. (The plantation remains under the control of the Drayton family after 15 generations.)

Magnolia was originally a rice plantation, with extensive earthworks of dams and dikes built in fields along the river for irrigating land for rice cultivation. African enslaved people from rice-growing regions created the works.

The residence of the owner of the plantation.  A tour of the house is available, but photo taking is not allowed, so no photos of the inside.

Walking the trails on the plantation

Ashley River