This was so fun to learn about so many plants in the wildlife and we even got to see turtles mixing with alligators and not be eaten. We love the train it was a easy way to see a lot of the plantation and I WOULD do it again. read more

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This was a magical place - the swamp was amazing :). Loved the egrets, cranes, alligators, turtles and soothing nature sounds! read more

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A unique garden that is worth checking out if visiting the Magnolia Plantation. It's a nominal add on to the plantation admission cost. Most of the garden is lined with boardwalk and fencing at the sides. Considering the large number of alligators on the property this is the part of the path where I felt most comfortable. In between boardwalks there are areas of dirt trail. The map provided at the ticket counter wasn't the best so we wandered, but may have missed some areas. The water areas were truly cool to see. The moss on the water and the beautiful trees were certainly unique from parks in other areas I've visited. Along the boardwalk there were signs with information about the local plants and animals. So enjoy the walk and just look at everything or read the information and learn something too. It's a swamp so be prepared for animal life and insects. The spiders we encountered were literally larger than my hand so keep an eye out as you walk. There are alligators in the water so pay attention as you walk. We were warned to be very careful if you see baby alligators since that means a protective mother is nearby. In the water there are boards to help visitors catch a sunning alligator. My husband saw three when he wandered off on his own. read more

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Note that this is an $8 add-on touring area to the Magnolia Plantation Garden property- get your tickets up at the main garden area and tour there first, then drive to this section on your way out. There's a gate code given with your ticket to access this area and you're totally on your own. I would say allow a couple of hours for this section but that's mostly because I got lost because the signage is extremely limited and I looped around a few extra trails and accidentally ended up in someone's private property. It's basically the boardwalk path over the swam and a short trail, just over a mile. I did not see as much wildlife as I'd hoped to for this portion of the property- we saw a couple of turtles, the eyes of a single baby croc peeping out of the water (too far to photograph), a couple of birds, and tons of dragon flies. I would come back in the fall, as that's when informative plaques indicated other featured animals were present (migratory birds, a swimming rabbit) and flowers would be in bloom. In the middle of the summer, I wouldn't really suggest this add-on unless you're into birding and brought your binoculars. read more

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What a great place to visit if you enjoy the outdoors and nature. Its a great place to take pictures of all types of wildlife. The folks who work there could not be any more helpful and you can see talking to them how much they love working there. If your looking for something to do this is a wonderful choice remember your camera and long pants. read more

Unusual and varied scenery to behold during my visit to the Charleston area. Very well kept for visitors.

We were so excited to experience this self guided walk however I felt like we left it to late in the day & were therefore rushed to get done before dusk set in. It is just a serene, undisturbed natural swamp habitat with boardwalks throughout most of the walk. However there are areas where there are no boardwalk just pebbles with swamp on both sides. We were totally on our own, no one else around, No one.. A little eerie to say the least. We got lost because there are NO signs, maybe two.. It was late as I said, about 4:30pm.. I felt very uneasy at this point and anxious to get out of there. I actually put on google maps to try & guide us out but of course there was no service. This walk is not suitable for strollers, wheelchairs or young children. read more

Audubon Swamp Gardens - Beautiful Tupelo Trees.. Hidden Gaters covered in the algae.. very difficult to see. - Parks Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

AUDUBON SWAMP GARDEN The Audubon Swamp is a black water cypress and tupelo swamp, lovely, mysterious, and unique to this area. Once a freshwater reservoir used for rice cultivation, the entire 60 acres is traversed by boardwalks, bridges, and dikes, and features all varieties of local mammals, birds, and reptiles, including bald eagles, herons and egrets, otters, turtles and yes, alligators. Allow at least 45 minutes for a self-guided walk. read more

We had a great time at Magnolia. The Plantation and the gardens were beautiful. The swamp tour was a fun addition. Very peaceful and lots of small alligators, turtles, and a ton of birds. Very peaceful place read more

Audubon Swamp Gardens - Parks Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

I have enjoyed going to the Audubon Swamp Gardens for most of my life. The self-guided walk takes you through beautiful views of the swamp, birds, and other local wildlife. Bring bug spray and water. The swamp is dog friendly, but I have found that I was uncomfortable walking on paths near the larger 12' alligators sunning themselves feet away from me (also on the paved paths). I know I'm invading their territory. It's worth the visit though! read more

Audubon Swamp Gardens - February 2018 - Parks Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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Go here! Mother Nature had her hair in a mess and was missing half of her clothes when I arrived at Audubon Swamp Gardens. But that's how I like it...nice and dirty. If you love nature hikes, then this is most definitely worth a visit. While hiking here, I ran across a group of Great Blue Herons creating nests in a big fuzzy white tree. Even more awesome was that they invited me into their tree to share tea and crumpets with them. I only had one cup of tea and abruptly left. (Quick tip: If any of the GBHs offer you a cup of tea when you visit, pass. My cup tasted awful. I'm pretty sure they used swamp water in it, but I didn't want to be rood so I finished it.) As I was sitting in a GBH's nest, a couple of the GBHs on a nearby branch got into a cat fight, and it's always terribly embarrassing when two large birds are heatedly arguing in front of you. You never really know what to say to them, so you start looking around at random things on the wall (things that aren't actually there), and finally come up with a reason to leave, such as "Oh, you're out of honey? Well, I best be on my way then." I saw quite a few other wahsome birds, including Red-shouldered Hawks, Little Blue Herons, Tri-colored Herons, and a huge flock of horny Ibises. Ibises are supposedly monogamous, but I'm pretty sure this group wasn't because there were quite a few people filming them with these ginormous cameras. Not only that, but the Ibises were making lots of odd noises. Sounded fishy to me, so I put the clues together: two + two = Ibis orgy. Anyway, I also spotted some bigass alligators (and a couple of newborns) hanging out on large planks of wood. I was going to jump into the marsh to give one a hug, but I decided against it because I don't like getting my socks wet, and I didn't bring a spare pair with me. Have you ever walked around with squishy socks? It sucks horribly. So don't swim out to chat up the alligators unless you've brought an extra pair. I'm sure there's more that I'm not recalling, but I've already written enough for you to get the idea. Oh yeah, you have to buy a ticket at the Magnolia Plantation just down the road. It costs $8 to visit this mofo, but it's worth it. read more

Audubon Swamp Gardens - Soup! - Parks Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Lots of gators wouldn't bring small children ! Beautiful place lita of good information and black history

Beautiful and spooky. Located adjacent to Magnolia Plantation, one of three surviving plantations along the Ashley River (the others being Drayton Hall and Middleton Place.) So instead of walking near the swamp or along the swamp, you're walking OVER the swamp on a narrow wooden boardwalk, with alligators lazing nearby. (There's a sign with a smiling, cartoon gator saying "Don't look me in the eye, I can outrun you" or something like that. Ha ha, it's a joke, right?) And then you turn a corner and there's the slaves' graveyard, and you're alone in the swamp, and your mind cues the banjo music.... I said it was kinda spooky. read more

This is an amazing sight to take in. You will feel like you stepped foot in a PBS airing of Nature. Did you know that there is a breed of rabbit, called the marsh rabbit, that can walk on water? The Audubon Swamp Garden is a unique world where trees grow from the water. Thousands of plant and animal species coexist amongst the cypress and tupelo gum trees, surrounded by blackwater. Each year, hundreds of egrets, herons, and other waterfowl nest within feet of the walking path. Is it a floating log? No! You are literally in touching distance of gators. It is stunning. I thought it was included in the Magnolia Plantation, that is the way the brochure made it sound, but it is not. This is not touristy, just nature in all it's glory. I recommend this to anyone, any day. read more

Really fun experience. Really quiet area to peacefully explore. Lots of mosquitoes, so bring your spray. This is an $8 add on that I thought was the main event. The main event is the garden tour of the plantation which is $20 per person, but definitely worth it. That was my favorite part. They also have a rescued animal exhibit which is fun. I would have probably skipped this if I could do it again, but it you go to the website they had a bogo coupon you can print off. I didn't see it until after the fact. Overall this area is great to visit on a sunny day. I would not bring your dog because of all the gators we encountered. read more

My boyfriend and I visited the Audubon Swamp Gardens on a recent vacation in Charleston. We went to visit the grounds of Magnolia Plantation, but then saw we could do this as well for an additional 8 dollars and decided to add it on. Since we were there in February, there were no bugs, which made walking around pretty pleasant. On the day we went, it was in the upper 50s and sunny. The swamp was beautiful and green, and we saw a ton of wildlife, including: great blue herons, little blue heron, white ibis, blue-winged teal, wood duck, red-shouldered hawk, marsh rabbits, alligators, turtles, etc. The trails here are either on wooden boardwalks over the swampy areas, or on concrete walkways and dirt trails. All are well-maintained. It was clear that this place is a haven for birders (makes sense since it's run by Audubon), and we had a nice chat with one of them who pointed out a lot of birds to us. She said that the number of birds increases dramatically in March and April. I felt like we saw a lot of birds as it was, but I'm sure it would be really cool to return at the height of spring. This place isn't huge, but I think it would be easy to spend several hours here observing the wildlife. We really enjoyed it and would definitely return if we come to Charleston again. read more

A pleasant walk after seeing the main plantation area. Did some gator spotting, and a good spot for bird watching too.

The Audubon Swamp Gardens were beautiful and well-occupied by much of the local wildlife. The gardens are well-worth the drive out to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens (from Charleston... about twenty minutes). During our walk, we spotted several interesting creatures, specifically an alligator. I would recommend this walking tour (without a guide) just before dusk, because the light has a nice way of peeking from around the trees, which makes the swamps waters look more majestic and even a little spooky. I would recommend finding a map of the walks to assist in making your way around the swamp. read more

It must have been mating season for the "hi, im as big as your freakin face and like to put my 6 foot web directly accross the path" spiders. My boyfriend eventually took on the jungle man look, wielding a large stick for precaution and giant face sized spider transplanting. we got to see a gator, a whole one not just a green fuz covered eyeball. The turtles were talkative, the flowers beautiful, and the overall experience was awesome..........buuutttt The direction of the exit needs to be more clearly marked. Granted, im sure we were so distracted by the spiders, (and mesquitos so big you could feel them land on your shoulder, and openly mock your choice of fabric in a squeeky voice as they plunge through your clothes, skin, into your soul, to hand deliver your west nile. seriously, so many they were in my eyes and i could see a constant cloud of them between the boyfriend and i)...we may have missed the exit signs. But we ended up in a slave graveyard (which dont get me wrong, was super cool), where the trail turned into a guess. We followed the obvious path (though clearly not a normal tourist path). Finally we came to the highway (um...what?) Yes, the highway. Like a mile from the entrance where the car was parked-where the normal exit is. This path is marked by a red arrow painted on the tree. After giving me a quick "wanna turn back and see where we missed it?" glance, and receiving a shrill "F&@* THAT, IM F*#&$@* DONE WITH THIS MESQUITO S%#@" the boyfriend trecked along side me on the highway back to the car. But yes, we'd totally do it again. read more

Magnolia Plantation has by reputation the most beautiful gardens anywhere in the U.S. Most of the foliage including the live oaks and magnolia trees are natural to the area. There are many tours available, including a boat tour of the flooded rice fields, a tram tour of the plantation, and the notable Audubon Swamp Gardens. After a wonderful boat tour with many sightings of gray herons, egrets, and alligators, and a knowledgeable guide we decided next to do a walking tour of the Audubon Swamp Gardens. We drove to the area since it was some distance from the ticketing entrance and the main part of the gardens. We arrived there and noted a trail, so we set off and looked for more examples of low country swamp flora and fauna. We walked some more and came to the Rookery and cypress trees and then were puzzled as to where the trail led. There were no apparent signs as to where to go next---no arrows, no mile signs, and we ended up going back towards where we had driven. It was a long haul! We then discovered the sign to the trail that we should've taken but there was a lot of foliage around the sign and it was not clearly marked at the parking area just where to enter the swamp gardens. We really didn't see much in the way of more birds other than the Great White Egrets at the Rookery. Very disappointing! read more

Very different experience walking on a boardwalk through a cypress swamp. At times there are elevated natural walkways. Be mindful of alligators basking in the sun within a few feet! Lots of birds. Bring binoculars! read more

My friend and I were enthralled with this habitat. A very well-maintained Boardwalk and level gravel paths take you out over the swamp. I've never seen a boardwalk this long. There were displays along the way explaining trees habitat and Wildlife. We went in March and the colors were Vivid. The bright blue sky against the Spanish moss and the bright green duckweed made for some great pictures. The flowers were just starting to bloom. Saw an abundance of Wildlife including Hawks, Ibis, egrets and herons, anihinga (sp?), Ducks, Coots, several varieties of turtles and of course alligators. There were benches along the path and places to stop and take pictures. Skip Magnolia Gardens and save some money and just do this. PS there's a gate with a code to get in. Make sure the people at Magnolia Gardens give you the code when you pay. There were three of us at the gate and none of us were given a code. Thank goodness for cell phones. read more

Beware! We drove out to tour the Audobon Swamp Garden after seeing a brochure promoting it as a self contained experience. Upon arrival we learned that to buy the $8 per person ticket for the Swamp Garden, we also had to purchase a basic admission ticket, $15 each for Magnolia Plantation. For a family of 4, the 1 1/2 mile self guided swamp walk would have cost us $92. We left without seeing the swamp, and feel totally misled by the Audobon Swamp Garden advertising. This should not be advertised as a separate experience. There should not even be a separate yelp listing for the Audobon Swamp Garden. All potential visitors, be aware that you have to buy a ticket to the Plantation just to buy a ticket to the Swamp Garden, a $23 per person experience. This is definitely a bait and switch. read more

We were not allowed to buy the $8 admission to the Swamp Garden unless we also paid the $15 general admission to the Plantation. We just wanted to do some birding, not tour the plantation, so we did not stay. read more