If anybody knows me personally, they know I love a good challenge in order to receive prizes. This year I am visiting different farms in the state of South Carolina. While there are a few that I visit all the time, the vast majority of the ones I plan to visit will be new to me.

The Charleston Tea Plantation is one that is not new to me. I have been visiting this place since I was a teenager when they only opened to the public on an occasional Saturday. Times have certainly changed since they are now open all year long with the exception of major holidays.

When you first arrive at the tea plantation you see rows and rows of bushes that appear to be hedge bushes. Those hedge bushes are actually “Camellia Sinensis” which are your tea shrubs or tea trees. There is a special machine that is used to remove the leaves from the plants, and they are taken straight to the factory to begin making the delightful “American Classic Tea”.

While you are walking around the gift shop you can drink as much tea as your heart desires. A tea bar is set up where you can sample the different varieties of tea that they produce. I have a fondness for the sweet peach tea, but if hot tea is your thing, they have you covered on that as well.

A factory tour is included for free for just visiting. If you are lucky enough to be there when fresh tea leaves are brought in to be made into tea, you are in for a treat. I shall have another blog about that in the future, but I didn’t take the factory tour on this particular visit.

If you would like a trolley tour to see all of the tea growing, a small fee will let you climb aboard. I have never taken the trolley tour personally, so I can’t give an honest opinion on that. I do know that I have overheard people talking when they get back to the gift shop, and they rave about how good it was.

You honestly can not leave and not take a picture with “Waddy”. He is a frog that sits on a bench with a tea cup in his hand. Waddy is named after Wadmalaw Island which is home the tea. There are a few more opportunities to take some photos near the tea plants. I always enjoy seeing the largest cup of sweet tea, and the signs that tell you how far away the other producers of tea are.

The Charleston Tea Plantation is open Monday through Saturday from 10am until 4pm, and on Sunday from noon until 4pm. It is located at 6617 Maybank Hwy in Wadmalaw, South Carolina.

Published by travelingthesoutheast

My name is Donna. At an early age I had a love for photography. There was nothing more fun than taking film to a store and then having to wait several days to get the photographs back, sometimes only to find out that none of the pictures turned out the way I wanted them to. Quite a few years ago digital came out, and the rest is history. I can always be found with a camera around my neck, on my arm, or in my hand. I have always had a love for telling stories and sharing them with others. My imagination has always been a little on the wild side. About ten years ago, I decided one day that I wanted to start traveling, and I have never looked back. There is nothing in the world that I enjoy more than traveling and taking photographs. View all posts by travelingthesoutheast