Around Charleston: Magnolia Plantation

Of all the plantations I have visited, Magnolia Plantation is my least favorite in terms of historical houses. Not because the house isn't gorgeous, but because the house is not as old as some of it's neighbors.


(Click to view better quality)

The plantation does have several wonderful things to offer visitors though. It has a fun topiary maze that challenges individuals of all ages to find their way out. It has a petting zoo, where I had the pleasure of feeding and petting deer. They truly are gentle creatures. It also has an extensive array of gardens that you can walk through. It certainly provides you with extensive exercise.

As with all of the local landmarks I have visited, I would recommend seeing Magnolia Plantation and it's surrounding gardens. If you visit, make sure you say "hi" to the deer for me!

The entire family took the trip out to Magnolia Plantation last month. I captured many great things on camera, in color and in black and white. Below is one of my favorite moments from the trip. It's a screenshot of my parents (who have been married for 28 years and counting) holding hands. It made me smile.

Around Charleston: Middleton Place

Yet another place we visited in the month of January! Middleton Place is a local plantation with acres and acres of land. It was first set up by John Drayton, who was son to the owner of nearby Drayton Hall Plantation. The grounds and gardens of Middleton are absolutely gorgeous. I have provided you with some of my pictures from our day excursion to the plantation. Enjoy!

To learn more about Middleton Place, you can visit them at: http://www.middletonplace.org/

Around Charleston: The Charleston Museum

The above images are taken at the Charleston Museum, which I highly recommend visiting if you are a history buff. The museum had lots of great artifacts with interesting descriptions dating back to the colonial times in Charleston. I had the opportunity to learn about colonists, pirates, plantation owners, slaves, and so much more on my visit to the museum. In addition to their regular collection, they also have a special collection that rotates out periodically. During our trip to the museum, it was a wedding collection. We had the opportunity to see beautiful (and not so pretty) gowns from various time periods.

I have to give high praise to the museum for their Kidstory exhibit. This part of the museum is a hands-on area for kids to learn more about the local area. There is a pretend pirate deck, scaled lighthouse, and playhouse for the kids to enjoy. This room was probably my favorite in the whole museum. I would share pictures from this section, but they did not turn out as well as the others I have shared. I did provide a link, which gives you a good preview of this area.

Around Charleston: Cypress Gardens

Above are lovely shots of the swamp land at Cypress Gardens. It's a lovely place where you can take a glass-bottomed boat tour of the swamp or trek on the nature trail around the swamp. If you're lucky, you might even see an alligator! In addition to the swamps, the gardens also has a reptile house and butterfly house to enjoy. The last time I visited was on a field trip with kindergartners last year, so most of my pictures contained kids (hence the limited supply of good shots).

Interesting tidbit about Cypress Gardens? It has been featured in several movies, including The Patriot, The Notebook, and North and South.

If you would like to learn more about Cypress Gardens, you can do so by visiting http://www.cypressgardens.info/.

Around Charleston: Boone Hall Plantation

Boone Hall Plantation



The pictures above are from Boone Hall Plantation, which is a local plantation open to the public. You may recognize the house from the movie North & South, which was filmed on the grounds. To find out more about Boone Hall, you may visit their website. Each year, the plantation hosts many events, including Civil War reenactments and oyster roasts. I recommend heading over to the website to find out more about this beautiful landmark.

February Theme: Around Charleston

Can you believe that January is almost over? I know I can't, but it is. The end of the month is fast approaching (as in tomorrow), which means I need to announce my theme for February.

The theme for February is...Around Charleston!



For February, I am going to be taking you on a photo tour around Charleston, SC. Some of the posts will simply be photographs, while others will be more elaborate. For each photo, I will let you know where it was taken and give you a link (if possible) to find out more information about the place.

So...are you ready to see where I'm from?

Song of the Day: "Only Wanna Be With You" by Hootie and the Blowfish
One of the members of Hootie have a house in Charleston. They do a lot to support the local schools, so they seemed fitting for the announcement of my Charleston theme.