Magnolia Plantation tour from Charleston: tram ride & gardens

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

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Duration4h 30m

GroupUp to 25

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

A 45-minute tram ride past slave cabins, swamps and wildlife on nearly 600 acres

This 4.5-hour guided tour of Magnolia Plantation departs from Charleston with round-trip air-conditioned coach transport and includes admission, a narrated tram ride through the Audubon Swamp Gardens, and a guided walk through the plantation's Romantic Garden. The tour covers nearly 600 acres where you'll see alligators, egrets, herons and turtles, plus a 30-minute tour of the historic home. Arrive 15 minutes before departure; moderate walking is required and the tour is not recommended for children under 3.

4h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Magnolia Plantation tour and transportation

Travel from Charleston by air-conditioned coach
Enjoy 45-minute narrated tram ride on plantation
See slave cabins, swamps, rice fields, wildlife
Take guided walk through Romantic Garden
Return to Charleston by coach

The Experience

How do you see a plantation that survived the American Revolution and the Civil War without spending the day arranging transport? This tour picks you up in Charleston and handles the drive, so you step off the coach ready to walk into one of the oldest plantations in the South. Magnolia Plantation has stood since 1676, and the 4.5-hour itinerary moves through three distinct parts of the grounds: the narrated tram, the gardens, and the historic home.

The tram ride lasts 45 minutes and covers nearly 600 acres. You'll pass slave cabins, move through swamps and rice fields, and watch for alligators, egrets, herons and turtles that live on the property. The narration gives the history as you move, so the landscape itself becomes the story. After the tram, a guide leads you through America's last large-scale Romantic Garden on foot—this is the part that requires moderate walking, and it's where the plantation's design choices become visible in the layout and plantings.

The 30-minute tour of the historic home rounds out the morning. You'll be back in Charleston by early afternoon. Drinks are available for purchase on the grounds; bring water or plan to buy it there. The coach is air-conditioned, and you'll need to arrive 15 minutes before the departure time listed at checkout.

What’s included

Round-trip transportation aboard an air-conditioned coach from Charleston.
admission to Magnolia Plantation.
a 45-minute narrated tram ride through the Audubon Swamp Gardens.
a guided walk through the Romantic Garden.
a 30-minute tour of the historic home.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Adventure Sightseeing

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to see the plantation grounds and swamps without driving yourself—the coach transport and fixed schedule mean the day holds together without you building it. The tram ride is the core of the experience, so choose this one if you want to cover the 600 acres and spot wildlife without walking the entire property.