Cypress Gardens

Cypress Gardens in Moncks Corner, Berkeley County, South Carolina, approximately 30 miles north of Charleston via US-52, occupies a 170-acre blackwater cypress swamp fed by the eastern branch of the Cooper River. The site was originally the freshwater reserve for Dean Hall Plantation; Benjamin Kittredge converted it into a garden open to the public in 1932, planting azaleas along the swamp edges and establishing the flat-bottomed rowboat tours that remain the defining experience today. The swamp is dominated by centuries-old bald cypresses whose knees protrude from the water's surface and whose canopy creates a vaulted green ceiling above the dark mirror-like water. Visitors explore the swamp by renting flat-bottomed aluminum rowboats (included in admission) and paddling independently through narrow channels between the cypress roots. The water's dark tannin color, derived from decaying vegetation, creates near-perfect reflections of the surrounding canopy and, during February and March, of brilliantly colored azalea banks in pinks and deep reds. A walking loop around the swamp perimeter provides views from above and access to an aquarium building housing native freshwater fish, turtles, alligators, and other reptiles from the Carolina lowcountry. The aquarium is modest but well-curated and focuses on species found within the gardens' own ecosystem. Butterfly gardens on the dry-land sections of the property attract native species from spring through fall. A bird tower on the western edge of the swamp provides elevated sightlines over the cypress canopy for spotting wood ducks, great blue herons, and osprey. The gardens are quiet and locally known rather than heavily marketed, giving them a more intimate atmosphere than the better-known Ashley River plantations.