This winter, I spent a nice, long time in Wilmington, NC, once again. It was cold the first couple of weeks, and then around Valentine’s Day it began to warm up nicely. The third week of February we had planned to drive over to Aiken, SC, and spend a few days with an old friend. That changed the night before we were to leave when our friend had to cancel unexpectedly. Well, I don’t know about you, but don’t give me a few days with an absolutely blank slate and a car to drive because I am going to LEAVE! No plans, no itinerary and beautiful weather predicted, we got in the car and headed south along the coast. First stop: Magnolia Plantation and Gardens outside Charleston, SC, around 4:00 p.m. on a glorious, balmy afternoon. Spring was evident everywhere and because we slid into the place just before closing, we had it practically to ourselves.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is a lovely, natural style garden designed along the Ashley River. Pathways run through 70 acres past giant Camellias, Azaleas, Live Oaks draped with Spanish moss, and countless varieties of shrubs and trees. The garden is so cohesive that it is hard to believe that some parts of the garden were planted 325 years ago, making it the oldest unrestored garden in America. Magnolia is one of the oldest plantations in the South and ownership is still held by the same family.

We arrived in Camellia time and you cannot imagine the Camellias—there are over 900 varieties. Magnolia has its own nursery and 150 of these varieties were developed right on site. It’s astounding. There are some formal areas, yet the parts of the garden we fell in love with are the natural areas that change with every turn. Some are breathtaking. The bridges and bamboo grove pictured here are stop-in-your-tracks gorgeous. So creative. And the Cypress Lake has wonderful Bald Cypress specimens hung with moss. What a treat to have the gardens all to ourselves at the perfect time of day for photography.

Winter Travels Continued >