Charleston Tea Garden
Tourist attraction · Charleston County ·
Trolley & factory tours, acres of tea plants, gift shop
Trolley & factory tours, acres of tea plants, gift shop
"Recommended as the preferred source for tea bags when making a tea brine, this tea garden's product is suggested for brewing a strong gallon of tea whose tannins are claimed to help tenderize chicken in certain long brine recipes." - Ivy Manning
"Set on 127 acres of Wadmalaw Island and billed as the largest tea garden in North America, this secluded site feels a world away from Charleston: a white welcome center and creaking wooden porch lead to rows of Camellia sinensis that gleam under a wide sky and release a floral, earthy scent on the breeze. Visits are free (a 45-minute guided tour costs $15) and typically begin from a red trolley; guests sample estate offerings such as Charleston Breakfast (a rich, full-bodied blend) and Peachy Peach Tea, and the gift shop sells tea-based body products and even tea Popsicles. The operation began as a potato farm in 1963 with plantings from nearby Summerville, was commercialized by William Barclay “Bill” Hall in 1987, and was acquired by Bigelow Tea Company in 2003; the word “plantation” was removed from the name in 2020, though historical references remain in videos and narration. More than 300 varieties grow on the grounds, producing nine teas, and plants require five to seven years from cutting to harvest—conditions supported by an average of about 48 inches of rain yearly that allow both black and green teas to thrive. A sign at the farm underscores its remoteness (the next nearest tea gardens are thousands of miles away), and staff advise avoiding rideshares because of long pickup waits." - Victoria M. Walker
"Whether it’s white, green, or black, all tea comes from one plant: Camellia sinensis. Tea is the second most popular beverage in the world (after water, of course). But since Andre Michaux, a French botanist, brought the plant to North America in the late 1700s, it wasn’t until 1888 that someone finally succeeded in producing plants that could grow tea for consumption in the United States. Dr. Charles Shepherd, who owned the Pinehurst Tea Plantation in Summerville, South Carolina, had many years of tea triumphs. He even won first prize for his oolong tea at the 1904 World’s Fair. However, after his death in 1915, his farm was left abandoned and overgrown. In 1960, the Thomas J. Lipton Company purchased the Pinehurst Tea Plantation and relocated the surviving tea plants to a research facility about 20 miles south of Charleston on Wadmalaw Island, where the Charleston Tea Garden now is. After 17 years of experimenting, which resulted in over 300 varieties of tea, Lipton concluded the climate and high cost of labor were prohibitive to successfully growing tea in the U.S. A man named Bill Hall, whose father and grandfather were tea tasters, bought the site in 1987. After reviewing Lipton’s efforts, he developed eight varieties of his own, blending the tea with flavors including raspberry, mint, and bergamot for Earl Grey. The tea is grown organically and is harvested with a one-of-a-kind machine assembled on site. The farm turned over a new leaf when Bigelow bought it in 2003 and began distributing the tea nationally (it’s currently available at Whole Foods), and Hall continues to oversee the facility. Visitors can walk through the factory and board a trolley to listen to a guide while seeing the tea plants. The plants bloom October to December, and the fresh leaves from the tops of the plants are harvested every 18 to 21 days from about the first week of May until late October. At the gift shop, free samples of hot and cold tea and a wide assortment of tea-related items are available. In September 2020, the facility changed its name from the Charleston Tea Plantation to the Charleston Tea Garden." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
L H
Lava G. K.
Dawn R.
Ronald G.
Özden O.
Ashes
Mercedes F
John G.
Sounds Like C.
Tammy E.
Marie S.
Meg C.
Timothy A.
John O.
Brittany C.
Lurine J.
Michael B.
Crystal O.
Julie H.
Frederick D.
Lindsay I.
April C.
Jeffery B.
Jo W.
Annemarie B.
Sarah E.
Ara S.
Fr. William S.
Courtney L.
John B.
H D.
Robin S.
Andrea M.
Michelle L.
Andrea Y.
Jeana L.
Annalise G.
Nick G.
Elle J.
Carolyn J.
Leah S.
Taylor D.
Anne P.
Crystal A.
Max B.
Adelina M.
April H.
Jen K.
No H.
Rachel G.
Justin B.
Karen G.
Dot V.
Cindi M.
Maggie H.
Kara M.
Xia Y.
Jessica S.
