101 in 1001 – Magnolia Plantation

One of the things that Charleston is most famous for are all of its plantations. Dating back hundreds of years, these plantations have a lot of history behind them. Thing is, most people that live in Charleston don’t ever go to the plantations because they are “touristy” and, honestly, kind of far away. So for number 36 on our 101 in 1001 list, we decided that we wanted to visit all of the major plantations in Charleston. We started with what is arguably the most well-known, Magnolia Plantation.

Last weekend, Magnolia Plantation was waiving fees for all Tri-County residents, so we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to visit. Magnolia Plantation is located way down Highway 61 and takes roughly 45 minutes to get to from James Island, so that was a big deterrent in the past. But to save the $15 per person entry fee, we had to take advantage.

Unfortunately, going in November didn’t give us the opportunity to see a lot of the blooming flowers that the plantation is known for. They were mostly all dead, but we were able to see a few strong survivors.

Magnolia Plantation offers several miles in walking trails through gardens and swamps and over bridges, which would be beautiful places to take some family or engagement photos.

While walking around, my favorite part was the bamboo forest. It was crazy. We were walking around and then all the sudden, there was tons of huge bamboo stalks. They were everywhere!

One cool feature was the Horticulture Maze, which would have been much more difficult in full-bloom, but still would offer some family-fun time.

Another cool feature is the Wildlife Observation Tower. Climb up several flights of stairs and you get an expansive view of the marsh and rivers around the plantation. It’s a beautiful sight, but everytime someone took a step, the structure shook, which terrified me.

The best part of the plantation, at least for this time of year, was the petting zoo. We had never seen anything like it! There were animals in cages, but there were lots of wild animals just roaming around like nothing. Literally, deer, pigs, peacocks, goats and more were walking around waiting to be pet. This was really fun to see.

Overall, we were really glad we got a free opportunity to visit our first plantation. Magnolia Plantation was really fun to walk around in and would be even more beautiful when the flowers are blooming, so we’ll have to go back. But for now, we’re working our way through number 36 in our 101 in 1001 list!

Have you ever been to Magnolia Plantation?