Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Rice plantation and botanical garden in Charleston, United States

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is a 464-acre historic house and garden estate on the Ashley River at 3550 Ashley River Road, west of Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina. The gardens cover 25 acres, with 16 acres of lawn around a live oak allée and 150 acres of marsh and waterfowl conservatory. A paved road bordered by grass runs beneath tall trees hung with pale grey moss.

The Drayton family founded the plantation in the 17th century and grew rice along the river. Reverend John Grimké Drayton redesigned the gardens in the 1840s and planted numerous species from Asia and Europe.

The restored cabins on the grounds show the daily lives and working conditions of enslaved people on a rice plantation through original furniture and personal belongings. Visitors can trace how different generations of African American families lived here and how this history continues to shape understanding of the place today.

The grounds are expansive and best explored on foot or by taking a tour boat through the wetlands. Sturdy footwear is recommended as some paths are uneven and can become slippery after rain.

The oldest section of the plantation house was built before the Revolutionary War near Summerville and was brought down the Ashley River after the Civil War, then joined to the rebuilt house. The wide verandah and large columns were added later. Of the five cabins on site, four date from slavery times and one from about 1900.