Among the oldest surviving landscaped gardens in the United States — an 18th-century plantation on the Ashley River with formal butterfly lakes, ancient camellias, and working stables. The restaurant serves Lowcountry food on the river terrace. More intellectually honest about its plantation history than most comparable sites.
Why It’s Worth Your Time
Middleton Place was laid out in 1741 and represents the most ambitious formal garden in colonial America — terraced lawns descending to the Ashley River, butterfly lakes, a working stableyards farm, and camellias planted in the 1780s that still bloom every February. The on-site restaurant is notably good. The site grapples more honestly with its plantation history than most comparable destinations in the South. Expect to spend most of a day.
What Stands Out
- Oldest landscaped gardens in America — laid out 1741
- Formal butterfly lakes | 280-year-old camellias
- Plantation restaurant on the Ashley River | Honest historical interpretation