When Anna Hyatt Huntington was looking for a place to showcase her sculptures, she and husband Archer Milton Huntington came across the 9,100-acre property that would become Brookgreen Gardens. Located in Georgetown County, South Carolina, the gardens were originally one of four rice plantations that the couple purchased. The Huntingtons first visited the property in 1929, and Brookgreen Gardens opened in 1932 as the country’s first public sculpture garden. The property features themed gardens with figurative sculptures, a small zoo, and a nature exhibition center.

Brookgreen Gardens is a National Historic Landmark with the most significant collection of figurative sculpture in an outdoor setting by American artists in the world and has the only zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on the coast of the Carolinas.The thousands of acres in Brookgreen's Lowcountry History and Wildlife Preserve are rich with evidence of the native plants and animals of the South Carolina Lowcountry as well as the great rice plantations of the 1800's. Explore these places through the programs at the Lowcountry Center, by walking the Lowcountry Trail, and by taking an excursion on our boat or overland vehicle deep into the Preserve.In "A Forest Sanctuary" visitors are surrounded with plants and see first-hand how the beauty of nature can be found in the smallest details. It is open daily and free with garden admission. Cruise on the creeks a 48-foot pontoon boat along historic ricefields now home to alligators, waterfowl, and osprey as an interpreter helps you see the distinctive landscape of the rice plantations and understand the role of enslaved Africans in the cultivation of the rice crop. Boat rides last approximately 45- minutes.Ride with an interpreter along an avenue of historic Live Oaks to a plantation cemetery, a Civil War earthen fort site, and a historic rice mill chimney. From the top of one of the area's highest bluffs, see a panoramic view of the Waccamaw River. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children in addition to the garden admission and must be purchased at the Wall Lowcountry Center at least 10 minutes before tour time. Excursions last approximately 50 minutes. Not recommended for children under six years of age. Daily at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m.

The lush, rambling 9,100-acres of Brookgreen Gardens near Myrtle Beach contain one of the most significant collections of outdoor figurative sculpture by American artists in the world. The land is also a wildlife preserve and contains the Lowcountry Zoo and several themed gardens. It was previously the site of four rice plantations. Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington from Connecticut purchased the plantations to create gardens to showcase Anna’s sculptures. When it opened as a public garden in 1932 it was the first public sculpture garden in the country. Today there are more than 2,000 pieces in the collection, with works by Anna Huntington as well as Karl Gruppe, Cornelia Van Auken Chapin, Edith Howland, Donald De Lue, Marion Sanford, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The Lowcountry Trail features a restored rice field from the plantation, four archaeological structural remains from that time, as well as panels that describe slave life on the plantation.

The beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry is in full bloom at Brookgreen Gardens, a 9,100-acre property located about 15 miles south of Myrtle Beach. Visitors can stroll through the many sculptures, fountains and flowers and take a break in the shade of giant live oak trees that pre-date the U.S. Constitution. This former rice plantation also features boat rides through the marshes and a zoo featuring alligators, birds and other creatures native to South Carolina. A new butterfly pavilion exhibit allows visitors to get up close and personal with various species of butterflies. This is Lowcountry nature at its best.

Brookgreen Gardens plays home to a sculpture park with 1,400 pieces of art, trails, nature reserves, and a zoo. Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington bought the property, which was originally four plantations, to showcase her figurative sculptures in an outdoor environment. Wander through lush, moss-draped coastal vegetation, along riverbanks, and across rich marshland at this National Historic Landmark that opened to the public in 1932. Watch for local wildlife and numerous archaeological sites, or visit the on-site Lowcountry Zoo and its dedicated center for rehabilitating injured animals. Add Brookgreen Gardens and other attractions to your Murrells Inlet trip itinerary using our Murrells Inlet trip planner.

This botanical sculpture garden which includes a zoo is located near Murrell's Inlet about 30 minutes south of Myrtle Beach. These gardens sit on what were once old rice plantations and they are part of a larger 6,000-acre nature preserve run under the guidance of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The gardens display more than 500 sculptured pieces of work interspersed throughout, whereas the zoo presents wildlife exhibits of South Carolinian animals as well as other creatures like birds of prey. However, the most noteworthy feature of the site is their History Adventure Tour, where guests can board a 48-foot pontoon boat up murky swamps to watch alligators in their elements, or a trek on a rugged four-wheeler through the back-country that houses the historic Antebellum Plantations.