Audobon Swamp Garden
By the time most visitors to Magnolia Plantation have walked the ornate gardens , navigated the topiary maze , and played in the petting zoo , they breeze by the Audubon Swamp Garden on their way out the gate . But the 60- acre swampland is a destination in itself . Over a mile of raised dikes allow as close an encounter with gators , egrets , and herons as any hike in the Lowcountry . Tupelo and cypress trees rise from the mat of green plant life covering the surface of the water . Combined with nature trails within the Gardens there are over 7 miles of trail to explore . There is an admission fee of $ 10 to access the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens .
Directions from Charleston : Take Hwy 17 S and bear right onto SC 61 . Continue 10 miles until you reach the plantation district . Magnolia is the second on the right after Drayton Hall .
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