Back in April, my mom and I visited the Charleston Tea Garden. I couldn’t find many posts or videos about it online. So, I thought I would provide a brief review as well as some tips for anyone considering a visit.
Charleston Tea Garden
After spending a few days in Myrtle Beach, my mom and I headed down the road to visit Charleston for 24 hours! One of the things my mom really wanted to do was visit the Charleston Tea Garden. In part because she works in a beverage bottling factory and also because we’ve enjoyed attending tea parties since I was a little girl.
It’s named after Charleston, but it’s actually located on Wadmalaw Island. So, it’s a good bit outside of Charleston proper. Thankfully, we had our own car and my mom drove us. However, there were signs about needing to making prior arrangements to get transportation back to wherever you came from since the garden is pretty far removed from the more populated areas.
Trolley Tour
It’s free to visit the gardens and try some tea. However, there’s also a trolley tour of the gardens that costs $16-18/adult. The website says you can save a few dollars by booking the tour online in advance, so that’s what we did. We ended up arriving a little early and they allowed us to move our tour time without charging anything extra.
The tour takes about 30-45 minutes as you are shown around the gardens. The tour does a good job of telling the history of the garden as well as giving general information on tea. Our guide was quick to point out that this is the only commercial tea garden in the United States! So, all of the tea you purchase from them is tariff free! You also get to visit the greenhouse during the the trolley tour. It was neat to see how they cultivate the plants to make other plants. My mom and I both really enjoyed and recommend doing the trolley tour.
Free Factory Tour
Following the trolley tour of the gardens, we headed inside for the free factory tour. Unfortunately, we were a little too early in the year to see any tea being processed. However, we were able to look at the equipment and watch videos depicting the process. It was really interesting to be able to see the tea being grown and then go inside to see how it’s processed. It’s a real start to finish experience.
Following the factory tour we visited the gift shop and tried various tea samples! I ended up purchasing two boxes of tea to bring home as well as some hand cream. I enjoy thinking about our visit when I drink the tea or use the hand cream.
Tips for Visiting
- Book the Trolley Tour in Advance – Booking in advance saves you a little bit of money. Plus, then you are guaranteed a seat and don’t have to worry about it selling out.
- Drive yourself – This is definitely a place to visit when you have a car or if you are traveling on a bus with a tour group. It’s apparently very difficult to get a ride share to leave the gardens.
- Try the free teas after the tour – You will have a new appreciation for tea after the tours and it will feel much more leisurely after the tour. Plus, there’s no restroom on the trolley or in the gardens.
- Arrive ready to learn – This is such a unique learning experience. Every employee is friendly and eager to answer your questions.
Should you visit the Charleston Tea Garden?
We saw at least one retiree tour group here. So, I think this experience is ideal for adults on vacation who want to learn something. Also, keep in mind the issue with transportation before deciding to visit. However, it was a wonderful highlight of our trip for my mom and I. We enjoyed learning about tea and its history. It ended up being a gorgeous day that made the visit all the more pleasant. Overall, I recommend a visit (and the trolley tour) to anyone with an interest in tea/agriculture/history.
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