Congaree National Park and Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, in Columbia.
ACE Basin Center, Edisto Island.
S.C. Artisan Center and the new swamp park in Walterboro.
have a nice trip.
Wm

The botanical garden at Riverbanks really is worth the trip but the botanical garden at Clemson is the state botanical garden and is really worth a trip if your near by. I love the place.

2nd vote here for two of the places:

Congaree National Swamp Monument, right off HWY 601

And Riverbanks Zoo garden.

There is also a Brunson's Nursery off of Hwy 378 very near where I live (out in the boonies) that is fantastic.

During the active growing season Brunsons has a fatal attraction for me. However even in the middle of winter the 'real' plant enthusiast can appreciate it.

The first two places are easy enough to find on mapquest or randmcnally.com. For Brunson's directions just e-mail me if you are interested.

Of course Charleston is my pick for a really great weekend.
I love to walk the battery and look at all of the beautiful gardens, lots of great stores selling handcrafted items and too many great restraunts to choose from. If you go to Charleston park in front of the Doubletree hotel and you are within walking distance of more interesting things than you can do in a day. Poogans Porch is a unique and picturesque restraunt that is reported to be haunted. The battery makes a nice walk after dinner or lunch and I ALWAYS have to go to Wet Willies for a drink. There is a very old inn right around the corner of the Mills House Hotel. I cannot remember the name but it is pink. My husband and I had our first weekend 'get-away' there. All of the rooms are four poster beds with crochet tops, pine floors and your breakfast and coffee is brought to your room on silver tray and settings. It was very romantic. If you are interested I can find out the name.

If you come through Spartanburg, check out Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve. It's not that big, so it doesn't take that long to tour, but has several picnic areas, so is a nice place to have lunch and only 2 miles off I-26 after taking I-26-East off I-85 (Follow I26-East about 5miles to the 3rd exit, Reidville Rd., S.C. 296), then you turn left, and it's 2.2 miles on the left. If you're taking 85 to Clemson, anyway, I see no reason to not make the little sidetrip and see where I spend some time volunteering.

The only sad part is the streams aren't running right now as they're doing some water-garden renovation over the winter and I had a tour there Sunday and it looked nowhere near finished, but it's still nice, with winter jasmine, winter honeysuckle, Peggy Clarke flowering apricot and witch hazel all in bloom there right now (all four of those are in bloom in my yard, only about a 1.5 miles from Hatcher, right now, too, but only one of the four came from there, lol).

I'll post the link to make it easier, if you're interested.

Hope you enjoy your trip!
Jeff

Here is a link that might be useful: Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve

Wow, looks like some great suggestions! I'm going to look some of them up and I'll be back with questions. The battery sounds like my cup of tea and the Zoo Gardens. Does that include an Aviary? Looks like I may have to make a list for future trips. Probably need to talk a friend of mine into a little summer time trip! Thanks!

Riverbanks is great. I used to work there and the hort dept. did a wonderful job. Be sure to walk the natural area along the river. There is a great bird house and an open area where you can feed the smaller parrots. Clemson Botanical garden is lovely with a waterfall, a geology museum, horticultural "art" sculptures and arboretum. Charleston is a wonderful gardener's mecca with plenty of shops for garden artefacts for sale. Many garden plants are tender for me, but lots of great ideas to copy. Bring a camera!

I'm sending a link to some pics that we took last summer while in charleston. The pic of a blue house, black shutters with planted widow boxes belonged to my boss but he sold it a few months ago. The pic with the pool in it is the old inn that I mentioned.

Hope this works...

Here is a link that might be useful:

No one has mentioned not to be missed Brookgreen Gardens, south of Georgetown on Rt. 17, which then continues south to Charleston. With several weeks to travel you might want to continue from Charleston south on 17 toward Savannah visiting Middleton Plantation (near Charleston) and its famous Camellia gardens in full bloom now. Several other open-to-the public plantations in the same area. If you decide to travel the coastal route keep on going to visit the old part of Savannah. Lots to do and see. Both Charleston and Savannah have excellent visitor centers and visitors to both cities should begin at them for an overview of the attractions.

And....if you like Bearded Iris, and all other sorts of Iris for that matter...Swan Lake Gardens in Sumter is stunning in May-June. Brunsons nursery is also near Sumter. I mention the nursery as they have a really big selection...they wholesale to ACE and etc/etc. I worked in Sumter 20 plus years and always loved the gardens but the swans are just magnificent also. It is because of swan lake that I truly have over 400 iris plants in my front border as of Fall 04, have not counted since!

Yes, Brookgreen. http://www.brookgreen.org/

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.brookgreen.org/

rootdigger, I had to tag onto your thread - thought maybe you might like any info that turns up.....

We are going to North Myrtle Beach this coming Monday and will be there until Thursday or Friday. We have been to all of the usual 'touristy' places before.

Does anyone know of any neat spots, such as garden centers, nature preserves, flea/antique markets, coffee shops, etc right around the North Myrtle Beach area?

Thanks, Jeanine

If you are going to be near Charleston, then you have to go to the Angel Oak - reportedly the oldest living thing on our planet - about 1400 years old. It took my breath away. You can't really tell how huge it is from these photos! And it is free to see!

http://www.user.fast.net/~notime/angel.htm

http://sciway3.net/outdoors/park-angeloak.html

Hope you have internet access on your vacation! The best nursery that I've ever been to is True Blue Nursery in Pawley's Island. Coming from North Myrtle Beach it will be on your left. It looks relatively small from the road but it's one of the biggest nurseries I've ever been to. The plants were beautiful and the selection was just unreal.