The Spoleto Festival

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens is full of history over 350 years deep. The Rev. John Grimke Drayton first laid out the famous gardens we see today. Along the Garden Tour, guests will enjoy the camellia and azalea cultivars that have been planted over centuries, along with points of historic significance. Guests will also enjoy the Nature Train, which circumnavigates the 450 acres of wetlands, forests, marsh, and swamp, where they will learn about the native plants and animals of the Lowcountry, as well as the history of rice cultivation and phosphate mining at Magnolia. Before it was a public garden, it was a working rice plantation, and the cabins featured on the From Slavery to Freedom tour have been preserved and restored, each representing a period significant to African-American and Lowcountry history.

This tour honors and remembers the men, women, and children who designed, planted, and worked in the gardens, built and maintained the bridges, and labored in the house and the rice fields.

From conversation and laughter in the bar to their stylish dining rooms of heart pine floors and antique brick, you’ll understand genuine Charleston hospitality at the legendary High Cotton. High Cotton is known for its stately design and was featured in “The Notebook”.

Located on bustling Meeting Street, the Gibbes Museum of Art is Charleston’s only true art museum. Take in the four centuries of history through the museum’s Permanent Collection, featuring sculptures, paper works, and one of the most prestigious Miniature Collections in the country. Or, engage in the rotating special exhibitions by renowned and upcoming artists. Either way, you are sure to appreciate the power of art.

Relax on your private horse-drawn carriage as the guide takes you into some of the most beautiful streets of Charleston. Learn about our history as a city and as a nation as you pass by beautiful antebellum homes. As you approach Battery Street, feast your eyes on the famed Battery Row, known for its stately homes. The Battery hosts a line of towering waterfront mansions representing the height of Charleston's wealth and opulence. Shaded by large oak trees and lined with Palmetto Trees that overlook the Charleston Harbor, homes here originate from 1735 to 1920. Each tour and guide is different, so even those who have been here before will see and hear new morsels of the Holy City’s history.

We will end the afternoon with authentic Southern cuisine in Charleston’s French Quarter, the heart of the Historic district. Rudy Royale is known for its fabulous fried chicken! The restaurant loves to put contemporary spins on classic southern cuisine, and with Chef Macready Downer putting creative touches and unique flavors on the food we love, you are bound to enjoy the inspired tastes of the South!