Brookgreen Gardens

Getting out to see and enjoy nature is one of our favorite activities as we travel. One of the sights near Myrtle Beach is Brookgreen Gardens, an outdoor museum with majestic oaks and world-renowned sculpture. Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington bought several run-down plantations on Murrells Inlet south of Myrtle Beach in the 1930s.. Anna was a sculptor and Archer a poet. They planted the gardens around the old brick walls left from the plantation buildings. Sculptures created by Anna and others they purchased are showcased in the gardens. The non-profit company that operates the gardens today has continued to buy sculptures. I hope you enjoy these pictures. And, if you are ever visiting along the Carolina coast, don't miss Brookgreen Gardens.

We were captivated by our visit. As we drove in we saw a coyote run across the road. The gardens are a wildlife sanctuary. The wandered around looking at the formal gardens and reflecting pools. The blooming rhododendron were beautiful and we loved Live Oak Alley.



The variety of sculptures we saw was amazing. They represented numerous styles and decades of work and included bronze and marble works. Some were serious, some represented a whimsical look at the world and some just showed human (especially childlike) joy.



Finally, we walked the Low Country Trail to the Low Country Zoo,where numerous injured and rescued birds and animals that can no longer live in the wild are housed and cared for. We saw river otters; white, cattle and black crowned night herons; red and gray fox, and alligators.