Earlier this spring, Will and I took the kids on an adventure to one of our favorite spots in the Charleston area: Cypress Gardens. This was our third time going (but the first time with all four kids) and since the azaleas were in bloom we decided to pair our trip to Cypress Gardens with a picnic at Mepkin Abbey. These two spots combined make for the perfect day trip so make sure to add this to your Charleston bucket list.
The highlight of the trip is the canoe ride through the swamp. Taking all four kids on a canoe through alligator infested waters seemed pretty nerve racking at first so Will and I decided to go into it with very low expectations. However all four kids did amazing and Will was able to handle doing all the paddling through the swamp by himself without any issues. After the canoe ride, we decided to do the hike around the swap, which is also a great way to view the towering cypress trees, see some wildlife, and peep the beautiful flowers. Then we hit up the Swamparium, the butterfly garden, and the play area before heading off to Mepkin Abbey for the picnic.
A few tips: Cypress Gardens is free for children under 6, $5 for children 6-17 years old, and $10 for adults. You can get tickets in advanced on their site or pay the attendant when you arrive. The park opens at 9am so I suggest getting there between 9-10 and reserving your spot on the canoe. On this day we arrived at 9:15 and there was no wait so we were able to hop right on to one of the larger canoes. The canoes are no additional charge to rent while you are there and no boating knowledge is necessary. It is pretty self explanatory and it is only one short loop through the swamp with markers on the trees so you know where you are going.
Next we headed to Mepkin Abbey’s public garden for our picnic. This garden is gorgeous in the spring but pretty small. I would say you need less than an hour to explore. We decided to set up our picnic blanket right by the Cooper River to watch the boats going in and out before we explored the gardens. It was very peaceful and even for a beautiful spring weekend, we had the entire area to ourselves.
I don’t have as many photos of this trip but we took a few videos to share so click below if you are interested in seeing more about the canoe ride. Take a look at all the wildlife we spotted, included the biggest alligator I have ever seen in real life:
