Magnolia Plantation

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens was established in 1676 by the Drayton family, Magnolia has survived the centuries and witnessed the history of America unfold before it from the American Revolution through the Civil War and beyond. Magnolia is the oldest public tourist site in the Lowcountry, and the oldest public gardens in America, opening its doors to visitors in 1870. The Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation, South Carolina's only statewide partner with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, awarded Magnolia the 2010 Heritage Tourism Award for their interpretive program at the slave cabins. Past winners of the award include Drayton Hall, the Preservation Society of Charleston and the South Carolina Heritage Corridor. Magnolia was also named in 2011 an International Camellia Garden of Excellence by the International Camellia Society.