Every spring, near the southern tip of South Carolina, uplifting aromas, low-hanging Spanish moss, and brightly-colored flowers come together to bring feelings of freedom and life to all who travel the Ashley River Road. Enjoy glorious vistas designed and enjoyed as early as the 1800s while you learn about this exciting slice of American history.
Founded over 325 years ago by the Drayton family, the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens creates a unique blend of history and beauty on the banks of the Ashley River. Over the centuries, the Draytons refined their estate’s original 2000 acres into a 500-acre park. Admire towering Drayton Oak, planted in 1680 by Thomas Drayton, Jr., or the criss-crossed pickets of Long Bridge, built almost 200 years later by Reverend John Grimke Drayton. Since the 1870s, the Draytons have allowed the public to meander through the Gardens along walkways lined with intense bursts of color, tranquil ponds, and drooping trees. In early spring, find Southern favorites such as daffodils, and flowering trees such as cherry, peach and magnolia. As the spring winds down and summer begins, azalea, dogwood, and wisteria display clouds of vibrant pink, orange, white and purple flowers. Visit during the summer for hundreds of fragrant varieties of crepe myrtle and hydrangea, or drop by in the fall for the “second-Spring” as new flowers bloom in the wake of shorter days and wonderful temperatures.
Continue north on the byway for a visit to Middleton Place and escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. This 267-year-old estate spans 65 acres of America's oldest landscaped gardens. The beautiful greenery of the South is based on the ideal of a triumphant union between humans and nature, popular in the 1700s. Discover the meaning of this philosophy as you stroll leisurely past a pond shimmering in the sunlight or stop to admire growths of Confederate jasmine, Virginia iris, pink and white dogwood, and a host of other spring bloomers.
A tour of the House Museum, a restored 1755 gentlemen's guest quarters filled with Middleton family collections, brings to life the history of four generations of American statesmen. Here lived Henry Middleton, a president of the First Continental Congress; Arthur Middleton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Henry Middleton, Governor of South Carolina and later Minister to Russia; and Williams Middleton, a signer of the Ordinance of Secession.
In the Plantation Stableyards, craftspeople demonstrate the skills performed by slaves more than two centuries ago, surrounded by the domestic animals that worked alongside them.
This spring, gain a first-hand appreciation of the glory of the Old South, re-ignite your love of nature, and take it slow as you follow Ashley River Road to two of the oldest and most beautiful gardens in the U.S.
