Charleston Plantation Tour: Middleton Place Magnolia Gardens Lunch

Three centuries of family gardens, 65 acres of working plantation grounds, and lunch included.

A private Charleston plantation tour combines admission to Middleton Place and Magnolia Plantation and Gardens with air-conditioned transport and a box lunch. You travel the Spanish Moss Canopied River Road to West Ashley, explore both sites at your own pace with self-guided access, and learn how each plantation shaped antebellum life in the lowcountry. The tour runs 4 to 6 hours and includes pickup from your hotel.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens2h
2. Middleton Place2h · entry included

Visit Magnolia and Middleton Plantations

• Ride Spanish Moss Canopied River Road
• Explore Magnolia Plantation gardens
• Visit Middleton Place gardens and stable yards
• See water buffalo and other animals
• Learn about rice cultivation and phosphate mining
• Visit Blacksmith, Carpenter, Pottery, and Textile Shops

The experience

You get picked up from your Charleston hotel and driven through the Spanish Moss Canopied River Road to reach two of the area's most significant historic plantations. The route itself is part of the experience. The landscape signals where you're heading before you arrive. A live guide travels with you and answers questions along the way, though both plantations are explored on your own schedule once you're there.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens holds the oldest unrestored gardens in America, with sections more than 325 years old. The same family has owned the property for over three centuries, and each generation added their own plantings: camellias, daffodils, azaleas and countless other species bloom year-round, building toward the spring peak. You walk the 65 acres at whatever pace suits you. At Middleton Place, you see the Stable Yards with water buffalo, gulf coast sheep and cashmere goats brought to the lowcountry for their climate resilience, then visit the Blacksmith, Carpenter, Pottery and Textiles Shops to understand how people on the plantation actually lived and worked. The site also covers the cultivation of rice and phosphate mining that sustained the area through the 17th and 18th centuries.

A box lunch is provided during the tour, and bottled water travels with you. Both plantation admissions are included. If you want to add a house tour or nature boat tour at Magnolia, or other add-ons at Middleton Place, you arrange those directly with each site at checkout. The vehicle is air-conditioned, and the tour works for families with infants and strollers, as well as for visitors with mobility needs.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned private vehicle with pickup from your Charleston hotel.
• admission to Middleton Place and Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.
• box lunch.
• bottled water.
• a live English-speaking guide in the vehicle.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:30

Book up to2d before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcome

Operated by GCT

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're arriving without a car or staying somewhere without easy plantation access. The driver handles the route along the Spanish Moss Canopied River Road, and you spend your afternoon walking the gardens and grounds instead of navigating between two sites on your own.

Traveler reviews

4.00★★★★★★★★★★

1 verified traveler review

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What are the oldest gardens at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens?

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens contains sections of gardens more than 325 years old, making them the oldest unrestored gardens in America. The same family has owned the property for over three centuries, with each generation adding their own plantings, so the gardens have grown continuously rather than been restored to a single historical period.

What will I see at Middleton Place?

Middleton Place spans 65 acres and includes the Stable Yards where you see water buffalo, gulf coast sheep and cashmere goats, plus the Blacksmith, Carpenter, Pottery and Textiles Shops where you learn how people on the plantation survived. The site also covers the history of rice cultivation and phosphate mining that supported the lowcountry through the 17th and 18th centuries.

Is the tour self-guided or do I have a guide with me?

A live guide travels with you in the vehicle and answers questions about the plantations and the area. Once you arrive at each site, you explore Middleton Place and Magnolia Plantation and Gardens on your own schedule. Both are self-guided admissions, so you set the pace.

Does the tour include lunch?

Yes, a box lunch is provided during the tour, along with bottled water. If you have dietary restrictions or preferences, confirm those with the concierge when you book.

Can I add the house tour or boat tour at Magnolia?

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens offers a house tour and nature boat tour as add-ons that you arrange and pay for directly with the plantation at checkout. Middleton Place also has additional options available the same way.

How long does the tour take?

The tour runs between 4 and 6 hours, depending on how much time you spend at each plantation and which add-ons you choose.