Magnolia Plantation and Gardens: Escorted Vacation to Charleston, South Carolina, from Indianapolis
We have a tour coming up that gives you all the magnificence of the South in the spring!
Savannah and Charleston Spring
March 23-30, 2010 (8 days, 7 nights)
- Guaranteed departure (plan in confidence!)
- Escorted vacation (0% fuss, 100% vacation!)
- Tour for active adults (share a great experience!)
- Includes home pickup and return (for clients in Marion and adjacent counties)
Previous blog post about this tour: Dining out deliciously in Charleston and Savannah
In this tour, you’ll be visiting many wonderful places in the South–places of true elegance and beauty! Magnolia Plantation and Gardens exemplifies both of these qualities. According to the official website,
Founded in 1676 by the Drayton family, Magnolia Plantation has survived the centuries and witnessed the history of our nation unfold before it from the American Revolution through the Civil War and beyond. It is the oldest public tourist site in the Lowcountry, and the oldest public gardens in America, opening its doors to visitors in 1870 to view the thousands of beautiful flowers and plants in its famous gardens. So join us here at Magnolia Plantation to experience the beauty of its gardens and its rich history today.
Wikipedia has the following information about this masterpiece of the gardening arts:
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is one of the oldest plantations in the South and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Originally a rice plantation, Magnolia became known for its gardens after the Reverend John Grimke Drayton inherited the property in the 1840s and began to rework its gardens in an English style. According to legend, he built the gardens to lure his bride south from her native Philadelphia. He was among the first to utilize Camellia japonica in an outdoor setting (1820s), and is said to have introduced the first azaleas to America.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, Reverend Drayton was forced to open the gardens as the first man-made tourist attraction in the United States. Today, Magnolia Plantation includes a restored plantation house, a slavery history tour, a nature train, a marsh boat tour, a wildlife area, a petting zoo and gardens.
Major garden features include many azalea plantings, an indoor tropical garden, 900 varieties of camellias, a 500 acre wildlife refuge, a cypress lake, seven bridges, and a maze.
Here is a highly charming video from a teen who visited this spectacular destination. Her take on the gardens is quite fresh, and she also shares her photographs.
Remember, however, that Magnolia Gardens is just one of many destinations on this tour of a lifetime! Why not give it a try? We welcome reservations from Indianapolis, where we are based, or from any location in the United States or Canada.
Photo by Brian Stansberry; used with permission.
–Matt
The Interlude Tours Blog Team
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Tags: charleston escorted vacation, escorted vacation to south carolina, magnolia gardens, magnolia plantation and gardens
