The extensive informal garden, begun in 1685, has evolved into an overflowing collection of plants that bloom year-round, including a vast array of azaleas and camellias. You can take a tram or boat to tour the grounds, travel through the 125-acre Waterfowl Refuge, or explore the 30-acre Audubon Swamp Garden walking its new network of boardwalks and bridges. You can traverse the more than 500 acres of trails. (Regrettably, you can no longer rent a canoe or a bike, though you can bring them into the grounds.) There are also a petting zoo, a miniature-horse ranch, and an antebellum cabin (a guide gives a slave talk). You can tour the 19th-century plantation house, which originally stood in Summerville. (The original burned.) The home was taken apart, floated down the Ashley River, and reassembled here. The Audubon Swamp Garden is the only individual attraction that can be visited without first paying the $15 admission fee for the grounds.
Reviewed by bachslunch from US on 3/31/09
Another of the Ashley River plantations. The house here is nice enough, originally located in Summerville and transported to this spot -- has lots of personal items, and the tour is reasonably good. Sizable garden area, a little more free-form and shaggy than at Middleton Place. Nice little conservatory on-site, with lots of tropical plants and orchids. Has a large amount of swampy, fauna-rich areas that can be toured via trackless "train." Less good in value, as you get charged extra for many of the activities. Certainly very good, though Drayton Hall and Middleton Place are more "must sees."
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