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Wind on the Water by Richard McDermott Miller, Brookgreen Gardens
photography courtesy of Myrtle Beach CVB
Brookgreen Gardens, the first public sculpture garden in America, has in its collection more than 1,200 works by 350 sculptors.†But it is more than that, so much more than you can imagine when you enter the long winding driveway into a mysterious but pleasurable excursion for all the senses. Upon entering these magnificent grounds there spreads before you a natural wonder that combines fantasy with Zen, art with history.
In the heart of Brookgreen Gardens, both literally and figuratively, is a 30-acre display garden of outdoor American sculpture art. It is not an assumption that garden, history, art and outdoor enthusiasts will be inspired. Located northwest of Pawley's Island in the low country of South Carolina, this is the place to learn about historical, pre-Civil War rice plantations and the extraordinary collection of artwork conceived by Archer Milton Huntington and Anna Hyatt Huntington.
The 9,200-acre property is a testament to the natural landscapes that surrounded this site in 1931 when they founded Brookgreen Gardens. Anna Hyatt Huntington designed it in the shape of a spread wing butterfly. The live oak garden is comprised of 250-year-old oak trees that were planted in the early 1700s when Brookgreen Gardens was a thriving rice plantation.
Make sure you visit the gardens first thing in the morning and wear comfortable shoes. It is so vast that your entrance ticket is good for a whole week. Any season is a good time to visit, as different plantings and trees bloom every month.
Creek excursions allow you to cruise on a 48-foot pontoon boat along rice fields now home to alligators, waterfowl and osprey. An interpreter will help you distinguish elements of the landscape and the rice plantations, and understand the role of slaves in the cultivation of the rice crop.
The Laurel Hill families and fortunes are living history experiences enjoyed by those who take pleasure in learning about the history of the land before it became what it is today. 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.
Those with small children will also enjoy Mother Nature's Café and Meet the Animals, two popular daily programs for families. The Children's Discovery Room offers seven interactive stations where kids learn about the art, horticulture, history and nature of Brookgreen.
Brookgreen Gardens is a National Historical Landmark and is accredited by the American Association of Museums. www.brookgreen.org
After playing journalist as a child, Grace Anne Belangia ventured off to UCLA to earn a degree in Political Science. She later merged her desire to engage the public with her love of communication by getting her Masters of Science in Mass Communications from San Jose State. Belangia, now associate editor of Augusta Magazine, has balanced journalism, writing, teaching, event planning and marketing with motherhood and community leadership. She has written for The Augusta Chronicle and Metropolitan Spirit, and is a monthly columnist for Augusta Family Magazine. gbelangia@gmail.com
