Summer has arrived at Magnolia Plantation and the Gardens.

If you are planning your trip to Charleston, stop in to see the largest romantic gardens in the United States at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. The moss is on the oak trees and the summer flowers are in full bloom.

Magnolia is the last large scale Romantic Gardens left in the United States. The Romantic Garden movement has its roots in the industrial revolution in Europe, and is tied directly to the empowerment of the common man. When he went to work in the factories, he wanted to design gardens that would help him forget the dreary life offered during the workday. Romantic Gardens are designed to take the viewer to a place where emotion takes precedent over reason. Surprise awaits around every corner. Form, balance and symmetry are thrown to the wind and these gardens are designed to appeal directly to the soul.

Guided interpretive tours include the Plantation House, a Nature Tram tour in the wildlife areas, a Nature Boat tour in the wetland areas of the plantation, and our newest tour, "From Slavery to Freedom". This new edition is a 45 minute tour that discusses Magnolia's unique street of slave cabins that were occupied well into the 20th century and have been carefully preserved and restored to document the full arc of African-American life at Magnolia Plantation. See The Robert and Patti Whitelaw Founders Award and Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation Honor Award information below.

Bird Walks

There are 254 migratory and year round bird species found at Magnolia Plantation. Bird walks are the best way to see as many of these wondrous creatures as possible. Your guide, Perry Nugent, has been actively studying birds for over fifty years, thirty-two of those years in the Charleston area. Since 1988 he has led the bird walks at Magnolia Plantation.

The Robert and Patti Whitelaw Founders Award

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens has received the Robert and Patti Whitelaw Founders Award. This award is given annually to recognize individuals, groups, or government entities for the long term protection and preservation of important buildings and places as well as those involved with preservation advocacy. The recipients’ work embodies the spirit of achievement and high expectations that were the highlight of Robert and Patti Whitelaw’s efforts to preserve Charleston’s streetscapes, neighborhoods and public buildings in the 1940s through the 1970s. Robert Whitelaw was one of the Founder’s of Historic Charleston Foundation in 1947.

Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation Honor Award

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens has also received a prestigious Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation Honor award for the meticulous restoration work and innovative interpretation of the “From Slavery to Freedom” project. The Palmetto Trust, in partnership with the S.C. Department of Archives and History and the Office of the Governor, recognized the winners of the 15th Annual 2009 Historic Preservation Awards at the Landmark and Preservation Conference in Columbia, South Carolina on March 26. Honorees represented some of the most significant preservation, rehabilitation, interpretation and restoration of architectural and cultural heritage that have taken place over the past year around the state.

Awards recipients were selected by a panel of preservation professionals with the intent of recognizing outstanding examples of stewardship of the state’s historic resources and the significant contribution that historic preservation makes to the landscape and culture of the state. Criteria include: degree of difficulty of the project, obstacles that were overcome, impact in the community or state and best practices in the implementation of preservation techniques.