Nestled within the 60-mile stretch of South Carolina
coast known as the Grand Strand, there is a place where history, art, and
nature merge seamlessly. Magnificent sculpture is showcased under a canopy of
live oak trees, among native plants and flowers, beside walkways that ebb and
flow like tides in the nearby river. The place is Brookgreen Gardens, and for
more than 75 years visitors have come here to marvel at its beauty.
In 1930,
philanthropist Archer M. Huntington and his wife, sculptor Anna Hyatt
Huntington, purchased 9,100 acres of South Carolina land that stretched from
the Waccamaw River to the Atlantic Ocean. Within the tract were the remnants of
four rice plantations – The Oaks, Springfield, Laurel Hill and Brookgreen. The
Huntingtons created Brookgreen Gardens on a 300-acre parcel of land with
massive live oaks trees planted nearly two centuries earlier. The “oak alley”
became the passageway into a butterfly-shaped garden the couple designed. In
1932, the Huntingtons opened Brookgreen Gardens to the public, having
established it as both a nature preserve and a showcase for American figurative
sculpture, including the work of Mrs. Huntington, a prolific sculptor.
Today,
Brookgreen Gardens consists of two main components, the Huntington Sculpture
Garden and the Lowcountry History and Wildlife Preserve. In the Huntington
Sculpture Garden several hundred works of sculpture, all by American
artists, are displayed outdoors at Brookgreen, with additional works exhibited
indoors.
Brookgreen’s
Lowcountry History and Wildlife Preserve is rich with evidence of the
great rice plantations of the 1800s and the Gullah culture that was born in
that era. It also contains the native and domestic animal exhibits and is the
only AZA accredited zoo on the coast of the Carolinas. You may begin to explore
these places and the culture they supported at the Lowcountry Center, a
state-of-the-art educational facility with daily programs, demonstrations, an
indoor exhibit, and cultural garden exhibit. The Lowcountry Center is also the
boarding point for two of Brookgreen’s most popular tours: Springfield tidal
creek excursions and Trekker back-roads excursions where you may travel on our
boat or overland vehicle deep into the Preserve.
While
Brookgreen Gardens is undoubtedly a place of beauty, it is also a source of
enlightenment to all who visit. Tours, classes, cultural events, lectures, and
other programs are woven into Brookgreen’s day-to-day operations. These programs
shed light not only on the sculpture, plants, and animals seen at Brookgreen,
but also on the rich history of the South Carolina Lowcountry.
If you go…
Brookgreen Gardens
1931 Brookgreen Dr. and US Highway
17
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
843-235-6000 or 800-849-1931
www.brookgreen.org