Middleton Place

Middleton Place on Ashley River Road, approximately 14 miles northwest of downtown Charleston, South Carolina, contains America's oldest surviving landscaped gardens, laid out circa 1741 by Henry Middleton, president of the First Continental Congress. The estate's signature feature — the terraced butterfly lakes — consists of two rectangular reflecting ponds flanking a central green terrace that descends to the Ashley River in a formal geometric cascade. From above, the ponds resemble butterfly wings, a design element visible from the elevated house ruins. The main house was burned by Union troops in 1865; one flanker building survived and was stabilized as the Middleton Place House Museum, now furnished with original family pieces including silver, porcelain, and antebellum furniture. The formal gardens include rose gardens, a camellia allée, and specimen oaks estimated at 350 years old. Camellias begin blooming in December and continue through March; azaleas peak in April. The Stableyards — an active working farmyard area — demonstrates 18th-century crafts including blacksmithing, pottery throwing, carpentry, and spinning, with costumed interpreters seven days a week. The estate also contains a 19th-century rice mill ruin along the riverbank and a restaurant serving Lowcountry cuisine. The Middleton Place Inn offers overnight accommodations within the property. A visit covering gardens, stableyards, and house museum typically runs two to three hours; a leisurely garden and lunch visit can stretch to four hours. Middleton Place is part of a UNESCO-recognized group of Ashley River historic properties.