Magnolia Cemetery Trust

Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston feels like a hidden world just outside the city—quiet, shaded by huge live oaks draped in Spanish moss, with ponds, old brick paths, and rows of ornate Victorian monuments and family plots. You really get a sense of Charleston’s past here; many of the graves date back to the 1800s, and you’ll see names from local history, veterans, and entire families resting together. It’s the kind of place where you can slow down, walk the winding lanes, and just take everything in. The grounds are very well kept for a cemetery of this age, and there’s a peaceful, respectful atmosphere. You can drive through slowly if you’re not able to walk much, but it’s also great for a quiet stroll and photography—there are countless beautiful angles with statues, ironwork, and mossy trees. It never felt “touristy”; it felt more like a historic park that just happens to be a cemetery. If you’re interested in history, old cemeteries, or just want a calm, reflective break from the busier parts of Charleston, Magnolia Cemetery is absolutely worth visiting. It’s a hauntingly beautiful place that sticks with you long after you leave.

An incredibly beautiful and historic cemetery. So much to see/explore. A highlight of my visit to Charleston. I will definitely be back to explore some more.

This is worth the trip if you enjoy beautiful old cemeteries. This is peaceful, beautiful and full of history. It would take several days to see the cemetery in its entirety. We barely touched the surface in the few hours we were there. I highly recommend stopping even if to just drive through and see the beauty of the place. Reading the tombstones gives you a glimpse back in time.

A beautiful cemetery with wonderful old stones. So much history. Fascinating to take a stroll through, but please be respectful!!

One of the most beautiful ethereal places I've ever visited. I went today on a whim. Always been comfortable in cemeteries and this one had me in awe. The time was around sunset if that matters. The way the graves spread out for what seemed like forever.. the mossy trees and sunlight mixing together was so beautiful. I think this places is sanctuary and well kept. Alot of comments have noted that cars have been broken into and robberies have been committed here. Definitely secure your valuables and stay aware of your surroundings!! 10/10 experience

Great birding here. Historic cemetery with rural landscape style.

We really found the Magnolia Cemetery to be well kept and extremely interesting. This cemetery is huge but fortunately they allow vehicles to very slowly drive through. Checking with the office or sending a request for a location would be extremely helpful. Some of the famous graves are also reviewed on Google Maps which will provide a GPS to find them.

We had a nice historical Peaceful Saturday visit after we had a very enjoyable lunch nearby. The cemetery is a National landmark and well kept. You can walk through both cemetery’s at the posted opening and closing times. The crew members of the historic Confederate Submarine are buried in the rear entrance of the main entrance...a beautiful walk with nature, wildlife, flowers, a pond, (no fishing aloud), and a historical history trail weaving throughout the cemetery. You can drive very slowly on the narrow paths, walk or ride a bike. There are so many artistically old and beautiful gravesites and monuments to view from the past. The craftsmanship is beautiful. It was very sunny out today, with a beautiful cool breeze. I’ve posted some pictures from the Magnolia Cemetery and the Bethany Cemetery which are on the same roadway adjacent to each other.

A review of a cemetery? Yes! This place is gorgeous! If, like me, you find cemeteries to be beautiful, quiet places to wander around and get lost in your thoughts, this a stunning spot to do it. You can drive through but this sprawling combo of history, nature, and reverence is the perfect place to walk. Mix of old and new. Plenty of sculpture throughout. Well kept but not overly manicured as that would ruin it. Wildlife abounds. Very good vibes.

Absolutely stunning cemetery. We went to Find the Hunley crew and found so much more. This is an amazing little gem. Originally a 1790's rice plantation, Magnolia Cemetery was founded in 1849 on the banks of the Cooper River in Downtown Charleston. Home to 35,000 permanent residents, including authors and poets, artists, Confederate generals and soldiers, prominent politicians, bootleggers, prostitutes, and socialites. Magnolia Cemetery served as a Confederate encampment to defend the city from the Union bombardment during the Civil War. Over 2,000 Confederate soldiers lay at rest in Magnolia, including the Hunley crew, soldiers who fought in the battle at Gettysburg, and 6 confederate generals. Some Interesting Stops at Magnolia Cemetery: Hunley Circle: Three crews of mariners who perished aboard the H.L. Hunley are buried here. The submarine's 2nd crew was laid to rest following the ill-fated mission in 1863, the 1st in 2000 after being found beneath Johnson Hagood Stadium, and the 3rd in 2004 following their discovery on the ocean floor. Soldiers' Ground: A bronze soldier marching northward overlooks markers (made of stone leftover from the Columbia, S.C., capitol building) for more than 850 Confederate servicemen. Raymond-White Plot: Of Blake and Rosalie White's eight children, five didn't survive youth. A haunting reminder of childhood death's role in the Victorian era, their family plot includes Rosalie Raymond, immortalized in a portrait atop her stone cradle.

Charleston is known for history. It is the cornerstone of this community and every street and building has a heritage and family name behind it. Well, most of those early settlers and patrons are buried right here at Magnolia Cemetery. This is no ordinary cemetery. It is a work of art. Haunting, beautiful and important at each and every turn. With the look of the Cooper River Bridge in the background, open waters all around and unique and intricate tombstones, every step is a cherished moment. This is a must-see if you visit Charleston and a must-see often if you live here.

One of my hobbies is cemetery photography so of course while in Charleston I had to pay a visit to Magnolia Cemetery. I was surprised to find that nobody else was there because the cemetery is beautiful. It is large so there are plenty of places to both drive and walk to. There are so many interesting and unique things to see here. Please be aware that no matter what time of year you visit the mosquitos will be out in full force and try to eat you alive.

Nice that you can drive through it and it is free (but please consider dropping a few dollars in the donation box is right inside the front gate). Not a lot of sculpture nor old trees though aside from the one for instance. Of course a lot of history and I hope that they continue to keep it up, worth a quick stop if you're in the area.

A definite must visit for those seeking to see something different, this large cemetery has so much history and beauty. There is a large burial site for Confederate soldiers who were killed in the Battle Gettysburg, and then just endless tombstones and monuments to many others buried here. The crew of the Hunley is here and has several markers noting the history. I was amazed at the plots with rusted iron fences, and the detail work on so many tombstones. Check out the scenic beauty too, with many moss laden trees and if you're lucky blooming bushes in the spring.

Beautiful cemetery! Highly recommend a walk through here if you're in Charleston. Lots of history and plenty of wildlife to spot.

I am very surprised this place doesn't have a higher profile on the things to do in Charleston list. This place is massive and beautifully maintained. Driving paths throughout. Remarkable collection of monuments and mausoleums (and headstones) in wonderful and peaceful surroundings. Lots of beautiful oaks dripping with moss, and if you go in March, the azeleas are stunning. Many famous locals buried here, including crews from Hunley and others from confederate era. Online you can find a "locate a grave" application and a map. And is bordered by salt marsh with great views, and can even do some bird spotting

I searched out this cemetery on Memorial Day because I had heard from fellow Yelp Elite members that the HL Hunley sailors were buried here, and wanted to pay my respects. I had no idea that this cemetery was so large. There are signs that point you in the direction of the HL Hunley sailors, but don't forget to look around while you're passing through. This cemetery is so historic, that I could've spent all day here walking around and looking at all of the tombstones. One of my other favorite finds was the Civil War burial site which is the final resting place of many Confederate soldiers, including those who paid the final price in the battle of Gettysburg. Each of the tombstones in this particular area had a fresh penny placed on top, which I thought was very symbolic and humbling. I'm sure I will be back here again to share my experience with my family.

At first you will think that you are lost and wonder how you ended up in this industrial park, in a dead end. But don't worry, this little forgotten corner of the world is home to several cemeteries, a couple of them, quite beautiful. This cemetery is situated in an area that seems to home to several cemeteries, some beautiful and historic with many famous local families buried there and others, neglected, seemingly abandoned and just depressing. The Magnolia Cemetery is one that we especially came out to Charleston to visit and we were not disappointed. Here in San Diego, while our cemeteries are for the most part, beautifully landscaped and vast, there is very little character, trees or the abundant flowers and bushes that even in the winter; are lovely. There are always small chapels on the grounds, which may or may not be open, small office buildings which may or may not house friendly staff and unlike San Diego, restrooms were not readily available. One of the reasons we came was to visit the crew of the famous Hunley as well as the many Confederate graves which had long involved descriptions and sometimes, a very beautiful monument. Btw, the Hunley crews have a beautiful and well taken care of monument and site, don't miss it. http://www.hunley.org The roads are for the most part, just well worn dirt roads although there seemed to be one main paved roads. We tried to drive all over the cemetery but there was so much acreage and we wanted to visit the other smaller cemeteries, that we finally gave up. You can drive your car directly onto the grounds and then just park way over to the side of the road when you decide to stop. The day we were there, there were two other couples who also had cameras and were enjoying the historical site as well, the weather was lovely and make sure that you have plenty of time to stop at all the cemeteries.

We walked around even though it was a little warm. There's not many places to park so it looks like the most people are driving through. Either way it's a beautiful place. We enjoyed seeing the beautiful memorials to loved ones. I saw a few that I liked personally. They were just unusual. I don't know if it was because of Father's Day or a Sunday but this place had quite a few more people than I expected. There's the Horace Hunley crew that is memorialized here and their spot is very noticeable especially with all the flags on the plot.

Just beautiful! So much history & so many amazing gravestones to see. Absolutely worth the trip!!

This place was a bit tough to find. I mistakingly went through a neighborhood that I was glad to get out of. I went here solely to see the graves of the Hunley crews (that craft killed three seperate crews). But I stopped by a larger group of confederate graves (called the confederate grounds on their map) which included a fair number of CSN (confederate navy) tombstones. Some were killed in various battles of 1861-1863 and some in the defence of Charleston. Then I went to the office at about noon to ask about any famous people who are buried at this cemetery. The lady gave me a map which had a list of some famous people. It had a list of people but since I didn't recognize any of them I asked the lady she could perhaps point to any specially famous people. She annoyling pointed to the list and said that I could go see the grave of any one on the list. I asked one more time and got a gruffier rebuff. So I gave up and went on my way. As I was walking out, I heard the outside door of the office open and I saw that same gruffy lady put out a sign that said 'The office will be closed until 1pm and then she locked the door. I guess that I was interrupting their very rigourously scheduled lunch hour. So I went on to see the graves of the three Hunley crews. They are very well kept with lots of confederate flags next to them. It is fascinating to see the graves and to think that they were able to find a second crew after the first crew had been killed and that they had then found a third crew after the second crew had been killed. There was also the grave of a guy in the USAAF killed over England in 1943. I would assume coming back from a B-17 raid over occupied Europe. And of a Major Gen from World War Two.

This is a beautiful cemetery. Not just because of the history, gravestones and monuments, but the oak trees, flowers, pond and birds. So sad to see vandalism has ruined a few resting places, but some are probably due to severe weather, oak tree roots, neglect, or whatever. Still, this is a great place of beauty and peace. I love to walk through and take pictures of the ornate graves and monuments. I could spend hours here!

It is so beautiful here just to look around and see all the old tombstone and to read the history on them. The crew of the Hunley Crew is laid to rest here. It's off the beaten path but it is must see. I love the old mans whiskers handing from the trees.

The most gorgeous cemetery I've ever been to. There's a lot of history here and the grounds are maintained very well. It always feels like you're driving into an alternate dimension when you get further into the cemetery. Areas are somewhat divided by time period, i.e. 1800s, 1900s, 2000s. The water, mausoleums, and nature watching you can do here is amazing. Whenever I have days off I try to come here somewhat often to relax and pay respects to those buried here. I really can't put how gorgeous this place is into words-- go see for yourself and take a few hours (or a day) to appreciate how relaxing this cemetery is.

It was a great place to hangout and walk around. Lot's of history within the grounds. The grounds needed some serious work, they looked like they hadn't been mowed or trim in years. This made it very hard to appreciate the cemetery to it's fullest.

This cemetery dates back to the 1800's, but also has some more recent graves. The older part is picturesque with many mature trees. Overall, the grounds are very poorly maintained. In some ways this adds character, but I doubt the families of the deceased appreciate it. The cemetery includes Civil War veterans.

Beyond just a cemetery, this one is truly a "city of the dead", with well marked streets and avenues, lakes, a white bridge, and marshes. It is a part of Charleston history, although not frequently mentioned, partially because it is not located in the historic district, as several well-known cemeteries are. There are many, many elaborate headstones and monuments there, and quite a few famous Charlestonians are buried on its grounds. It features some very beautiful crypts and above-ground tombs, and offers an opportunity for peaceful walks and quiet reflection. It is also an amazing bird watcher's dream. Due to its meticulous caretakers, it is well maintained and manicured, in spite of the age of some of the graves. It's a great place for photography, but I would remind any potential visitor to remember that this is a cemetery, not a park or playground, and to be mindful of that and respect it for what it is. Not often, but on occasion, I have been there when people were behaving in a loud and unruly manner. Because it is the burial ground of the Hunley crew, it does attract some tourists, but for the most part the ones I've seen there have been quite respectful. Do visit Magnolia Cemetery and enjoy its strange beauty.