Magnolia Plantation

Today we decided to find the most boring thing that we could ever inflict on the children, so obviously a trip to a majestic old plantation was in order!  We ended up going to Magnolia Plantation, a magnificent old place that was established almost 200 years before Canada became a country. (!!!)  It has huge beautiful gardens, and an old plantation house.

The Plantation was originally 2000 acres, but the owner found himself destitute after the Civil War and had to sell 1500 of those, leaving it with only 500 acres left. Poor guy also had his house burnt to the ground, so he had to dismantle a hunting lodge he had somewhere, float it down the river, and reassemble it so he had someplace to live.

The first thing we did was placate the kids by visiting the on-site petting zoo. We bought some animal food, and the kids were so brave about feeding deer, goats, chickens, ducks, and even a tortoise had a snack!

 I am so proud of the wee Peanut. 

It took a lot of courage for her to feed the deer, but it was so gentle it made her feel brave.

 My sister was in love with all the animals. All of them.

 This was a particularly aggressive goat. She tried to steal our food, bullied the other animals, 

and even tried to eat the fringe on my sister's purse and nibble on the back of my skirt!

 I know they taste good and all, but turkeys really are the ugliest things.

We went on a 'From Slavery to Freedom' tour through several cabins on the grounds, originally built in 1850! Even more impressive to me, some of them were lived in right up to 1999 (with additions like plumbing and electricity). The kids were remarkably quiet and patient throughout the tour, and I enjoyed seeing how people lived back then.

 This magnificent old oak tree was right in front of the slave cabins. Apparently these live oaks have very strong and deep root systems that help protect them against the fury of hurricanes. They're also wider than they are tall!

After the slave cabin tour, we took a Nature Tram Tour. The kids were excited to ride on a train. It covered quite a lot of the area around the plantation, so we could see different kinds of growth and wildlife. South Carolina has 40 species of snake, 6 of which are poisonous. All 6 of those live on the Plantation, but fortunately we only saw one, and he kept to himself.

 Little dude looking out at the marshes going by.

 If you click on this picture to expand it you might be able to see that there are four (FOUR!!!) little alligators sitting on the ramp. We actually saw lots of alligators in the swamps, including one that was 12 or 13 feet long. Unfortunately he was swimming and not terribly photogenic.

 Success! Tomi was so lulled by the warmth and rocking tram that he completely conked out... sitting up.

 The he started to head-bob....

 ... so Grandpa held his head up. It's hard to see because he has his shades on, but dude is still asleep!

 We followed up with a nice walk along the river and through the gardens. 

Look at those big beautiful live oaks reaching out over the river! 

You can also see that beautiful Spanish Moss hanging from its branches.