When Archer Huntington, one of the wealthiest men in America, and his wife Anna began to amass their Brookgreen Gardens sculpture collection in 1931, they knew exactly what they were — and were not — looking for. An award-winning animal sculptor in her own right, Anna preferred a realistic style, according to Robin Salmon, vice president of art and historical collections and curator of sculpture at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina — a little over an hour’s drive from Ocean Isle.
Brookgreen Gardens is more than you imagine, offering stunning sculptures, lush landscapes, wildlife habitats, and rich history. It blends art, nature, and culture, providing a peaceful retreat where every corner reveals something beautiful and unexpected.
The figurative sculptures — a collection of more than 3,000 total — housed in the 9,127-acre property between Charleston and Myrtle Beach may be lifelike, but Salmon describes their effect as magic. “Visitors experience it. We hear it all the time — how beautiful, serene, calming, and peaceful this place is, and how they leave feeling rejuvenated.”
You don’t have to be a sculpture enthusiast to appreciate the wonder of Brookgreen. Whether you’re a gardener, history buff, art enthusiast, or just looking for a fun family outing, read on for four ways to find your path.
Covey Rise by Granger McKoy (b. 1947). Photography courtesy of Brookgreen Gardens
Stroll Brookgreen’s grounds and you come face to face with sculptures throughout the centuries-old landscapes and huge trees. Inspired by ancient civilizations where sculpture was exhibited outside, the Huntingtons always wanted the art in their gardens to be an interactive experience. Beyond the art that mingles with the outdoor surroundings, the indoor Bleifeld Gallery is home to an additional sculpture collection that focuses on the natural world.
In the case of artist Granger McKoy, the process didn’t end with his exquisite wood-carved bird sculptures. “He creates display cases, which are like pieces of furniture for each individual bird sculpture,” Salmon says. “His birds are so life-like, people think they’re looking at the real thing.”
Another group of birds titled Covey Rise looks as if it’s just burst from the ground. “McKoy perfected a way to use a flattened steel ribbon that acts as a support between the birds,” she says. “We like to say he’s the first sculptor to make wood fly.”
The Windy Doorstep Abastenia St. Leger Eberle (1878-1942). Photography courtesy of Brookgreen Gardens
The Offner Sculpture Learning and Research Center includes pieces that demonstrates how artist Stanley Bleifeld was able to carve the gardens’ bronze sculptures. “These sculptures start with a fired terracotta model,” Salmon explains. “The last step of the process is the bronze casting.”
Salmon’s favorite piece is included in the more than 600 sculptures on display. The Windy Doorstep, a bronze sculpture a little over a foot tall, depicts a woman with her head in a kerchief sweeping her front porch. “This is Abastenia Eberle at her best,” Salmon says. “She lived with Anna during her time in New York and was really focused on people doing everyday things. It’s just beautiful — the lines, the movement.”
Part of Brookgreen Gardens, Floyd Family Farm works alongside the Lowcountry Zoo to protect wildlife and rare heritage breeds. Photography courtesy of Brookgreen Gardens
In the 1700s, four rice plantations thrived where Brookgreen Gardens now stands. From the Lowcountry Trail, visitors can see 10 acres of these old rice fields, which are sprinkled with two tons of feed corn each winter. “Then we flood the rice fields with river water so that they become a prime habitat for waterfowl who make Brookgreen Gardens a stopover as they’re migrating north,” Vice President of Horticulture Miles Arnott explains.
It’s all part of Brookgreen’s mission to give nature a place to thrive. “Gardening here in coastal South Carolina is different from gardening other places,” Arnott says. In Bethea’s Garden, visitors can learn more about those challenges, plus the heirloom varieties of crops that thrive. The Sea Island pea, for example, was a staple for the Gullah Geechee people whose language and cuisine are closely related to their West African heritage. “The garden is 100 percent organic. We want to teach people how to grow their own food without using chemical fertilizers.”
All of the garden’s vegetables are donated to the Baskervill Food Pantry and Brookgreen’s Austin’s Harvest Restaurant, a full-service restaurant with indoor and patio dining.
Meet Spanish goats at Floyd Family Farm. Photography courtesy of Brookgreen Gardens
After lunch, Arnott suggests a stop by the Lowcountry Zoo, which gives visitors a true sense of place. “If you really want to feel what it’s like to be in the wilds of South Carolina, take a walk through the zoo and get a taste of the native plants and wildlife habitat.”
Separate from the zoo, Floyd Family Farm gives children a peek into the types of rare heritage breeds like Tunis sheep, red Devon cows, and Spanish goats you’d see on an 1800s farm. “It’s great that your ticket is good for seven days,” Arnott adds. “You couldn’t possibly see it all in one visit.”
Cruise past historic rice fields and wildlife aboard the 45-minute Creek Excursion tour. Photography courtesy of Brookgreen Gardens
If the soil in Brookgreen Gardens could talk, oh, the stories it would tell. “We are more than you could possibly imagine,” Arnott says. “We have a rich history that goes back to the Indigenous Americans, and even further back than that, a natural history with geology and forestry and native plants and animals. There is an endless wealth of topics to explore.”
In addition to programs offered at the Wall Lowcountry Center, visitors are invited to embark on boat and overland vehicle excursions to explore the lush landscapes and learn more about the diverse plant life and sculptures.
The Laurel Hill and Springfield excursions traverse dirt roads for a 50-minute tour of an earthen fort site from the Civil War, a historic rice mill chimney, a plantation cemetery, and a path of historic live oaks.
Take in the blooming azaleas and other flora that thrive in the Lowcountry soil. Photography courtesy of Brookgreen Gardens
When Anna designed the walkways of the Huntington Sculpture Garden, she found inspiration in one of nature’s most iconic patterns. “If you could look down from above, you’d see a butterfly layout,” Salmon explains. “Art historians have wanted to assign some sort of special mystical reason she did that, but she wrote that it was actually very practical.”
Because Anna wanted to incorporate existing structures and mature plantings, the wings of a butterfly gave her the perfect opportunity for gently winding walkways. The Huntingtons hired Frank Tarbox, a native plant expert, to fill the garden beds with lush plants that would thrive in coastal South Carolina. “A lot of plants people think of as Southern, like many varieties of azaleas and camelias, are not native at all,” Salmon says.
Cherish quiet moments in Anne’s Garden, one of Brookgreen’s smallest gardens and home to “Child of Peace” by Edward Fenno Hoffman, III (1916-1991). Photography courtesy of Brookgreen Gardens
Arnott feels passionately about the new pollinator garden, filled with nectar and butterfly host plants like milkweed. “Monarch butterflies have taste receptors on their feet, and if they land on a milkweed plant, it stimulates her to lay her eggs so we have the next generation of monarchs,” he says. Alongside the milkweed, joe-pye weed’s huge clusters of dusty-pink flowers attract tiger swallowtail butterflies, and native salvia’s red tubular flowers call out to the hummingbirds.
When Arnott has a moment for himself, he ducks into Anne’s Garden, one of Brookgreen’s smallest gardens inspired by an English cottage garden. Set in a pedestal spilling with soft ferns, the Child of Peace sculpture is of a child holding a dove. “Anne’s Garden is not a passthrough, so you have to go in and out through the same garden gate. It’s a quiet, reflective spot — an inner sanctum.”
Ready to experience the gardens in bloom? Click here to learn more about visiting this exquisite destination in South Carolina and start planning your trip.
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