dropping

Visit the Charleston Visitors Center to see what might be available for garden walks. As you may know, Charleston is famous for it's small PRIVATE gardens, but walking tours are interesting. You really should visit one of the plantations, as history and horticulture intermingle plenty there. One of my favorite free destinations in Charleston is The Angel Oak. Worth the side trip, pack your own lunch if you wish.

If you are going around azalea season (Easter-ish), nearby Summerville isn't called Flowertown for naught. Azaleas ad nauseum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Click here

It's been such a warm winter that some of us don't see how the spectacular azalea gardens are going to give much of a show anyway, so it might be a good year to do it a little differently.

The private gardens of downtown are indeed lovely. I think you and your sister both would be very satisfied simply to take walks downtown in the area bounded by S. Market, Broad, Meeting and State streets. Because this is a district of good art galleries, even just the windowboxes can be captivating. My husband and I love to walk these streets of an afternoon to view private gardens through the wrought-iron. Tradd and South Battery, especially east of King, are also good for strolling. There, you have your gardens and your sister has her architecture and history! especially if you start your visit with a Carriage tour, so that during your walks you will have some of our stories to keep in mind. Docent tours of the Edmonton-Alston and the Nathaniel Russell houses with their gardens might be a good value for you both. Of course you may research our many tours on the internet to see what appeals.

I love the gardening in the downtown graveyards, and the Unitarian Church's is especially good in a chaotic, passionate sort of way. It can also be charming to drive past people's yards on Folly Beach, especially the older smaller homes away from the beachfront, which are generally inhabited by their owners rather than rented out, and lovingly cultivated over many years.

On 17N, Boone Hall is a great example of plantation life. It's still in commercial production of certain goods, I believe, and the docent tour of the main house and the interpretive installations in the slave quarters are fascinating.

Yes it is such a shame that I too don't know how beautiful the azalea's will be this year. I live in Summerville home of the Flowertown Festival which is chocker block full of azaleas, and dogwoods. Just down the street I saw a dogwood in full bloom and some pink azaleas in bloom in January!

Anyway the plantations are some of the most beautiful places to visit in the spring located off highway 61. There is Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Plantation, Dean Hall Plantation all on the same road they are a bit pricey though. However, they are worth going to I think. Also you may want to check out Charlestown Landing, which is the first settlement here, also very beautiful in the spring plus they have a little zoo type area with animals that are native or once native to SC.

Kathexis also has some really good ideas. Well hope you have a nice trip and that this crazy weather won't spoil it for you. If you are here at the the first weekend of April last weekend of May check out the festival I was talking about it's a arts and craft festival. Plus Summerville the historic part has some beautiful historic homes and B&B's with some pretty gardens you may want to check out or even stay at one of the B&B's. I love Summerville especially in the spring!