Review of Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, SC: A must see garden and zoo near Myrtle Beach

 

Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC

After booking our pack’s (my wife, myself, and our Pomeranian) 3 months stay from December 2021 until February in Murrells Inlet, I had done some preliminary research on must see places to visit.  I had come upon Brookgreen Gardens in my research time and time again, from various sources.

I had debated whether or not to purchase online tickets before our arrival on December 1st, but decided against it, as there wasn’t any good reason for early booking, e.g., no discount for early booking.  I was sure glad I had decided not to purchase the tickets as my awesome neighbors upstairs gave us two complimentary guest tickets!  

The free tickets came from my neighbor’s friends at the church, who had these guest passes, but wasn’t able to give them to anyone they knew.  In comes our neighbors who mentioned us (we’ve never visited the place) and the rest they say, is history!

We were ecstatic!  The tickets were to expire at the end of January, so we hurriedly made plans to visit before the end of the month.  So on January 27th, my wife and I headed out to Brookgreen Gardens on a cold January day, with temperatures right around 36 degrees at around 10 a.m.

The drive was only about 10 minutes from where we were staying in Murrells Inlet.  We knew the road well, as we had already taken the same road to get to Huntington Beach State Park and to all points south, like Georgetown, Pawley’s Island, Charleston, and so on.

We arrived at Brookgreen Gardens around 9:35 a.m., which is right after their opening hour.  We saw a visitor center to our left, so we parked our car and went in to inquire about our complimentary guest tickets.  The reception desk clerk told us to head straight for the ticketing booth up ahead, so we got out, then drove towards the main entrance/ticketing booth.

We handed over our printed guest tickets and we were admitted in without a fuss.  We were on our way!

Beyond the ticketing booth, we saw how immense the gardens really is.  The driveway to get to the parking lot, takes a good 5 minutes.  We passed a roundabout past the ticketing booth, then followed the signs for the gardens and the parking lot to the left.  We looked all around as we drove in, and it reminded us of places like Longwood Gardens, Nemours Mansion/Gardens, or Winterthur, in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

At that time of the day, we only saw 3 cars (total) parked in the lot near the gardens.  We got out and headed for the main entrance to the gardens directly up ahead.  We saw a large white tent had been set up, perhaps getting ready for a wedding reception or a gathering of some kind, and we saw an obligatory gift shop right next to it.

Garden entrance, near the gift shop

Near the garden entrance

Tent set up for receptions, near the garden entrance

Entrance to the gardens, Brookgreen Gardens, SC

We skipped the gift shop (we’re minimalists, so we try not to buy knickknacks these days as much as possible), then turned left to enter the gardens.  Our immediate reaction to the gardens was absolutely positive.  Despite the cold, we loved the beautifully manicured gardens, walkways, and various plants/trees.

We walked slowly, meandering through different walking paths, big and small, trying to capture every little hidden gem.  We came upon a large open courtyard with palm and palmetto trees, centered by a fountain.  What a lovely sight!

Palmetto Gardens 

We took our time watching the leaves of the palmetto trees swaying left and right, going with the direction of the wind, with sunlight illuminating them like a spotlight, in the early morning.  We walked through the gardens on our left hand side, then cut right to visit a huge oak tree.  Wow!

Giant oak tree

We backtracked not wanting to miss anything, then headed all the way to the farthest reaches of the gardens to the left, where the sculptures were, including Fountain of the Muses, the Visionaries, and Pegasus.  Each were awesome in their own unique ways.  I’m no artist, but I know what looks good, and what I like…

The Visionaries statue

Pegasus statue

Samson and the Lion statue

As we got near the Pegasus statue, we got really cold!  We were hoping for a cafe somewhere, and to our delight, we found one, called Old Kitchen.  Old Kitchen is a converted home that is now a cute and whimsical cafe that sells hot/cold drinks, and snacks.

We went in and stood near the inviting fireplace to warm ourselves.  Boy, that felt good!!!  We ordered a hot coffee (for me), and hot apple cider (my wife).  Old Kitchen was like an oasis in the middle of a desert for us!  We were so relieved to find a cafe…

Old Kitchen where we bought hot drinks

The fireplace where we warmed ourselves!

The few minutes of standing next to the fireplace worked wonders for our cold bodies.  We were again ready to go!  We sipped our hot scalding drinks very slowly and carefully while we exited Old Kitchen.

Coffee was good and strong, and my wife’s hot apple cider was good too.  We were happy as a clam, and ready for more exploration!

We wandered outside Old Kitchen to see the beautiful Dionysus status, then walked over to check out the Peace Garden Room for Children and Gretchen’s Garden.  We loved the little lights hung on tree branches at the Peace Garden Room for Children.  The area has a charming, fairytale-like feel, from a tiny rabbit sculpture, the smallish tables/chairs, and to plants.  We were transported back to our childhood…

Light lamps hung on branches near children’s garden

We got lost on purpose beyond Gretchen’s Garden so we can wander and see things as they were, without using the property map.  It was great.  We ran into wonderful subsections of different gardens, just taking our time getting immersed in our new environment…

Near the sculpture court

Dionysus sculpture 

Got lost on purpose near here

Along the way, we ran into a giant statue of a pig(!) that we had to take a closer look.  We also ran into beautiful pergolas near the pig statue.  It was such a beautiful sight…

Surprisingly, we had finished our hot drinks in no time, thanks to the cold.  We were looking for a place to throw away the cups, when we found one near Rainey Sculpture Pavilion.  

After dumping our cups, we were looking at the signpost that showed directions to the zoo.  We wondered if the admission to the gardens also includes the admission to the zoo as well.  We asked an employee who happened to walk pass us, and she confirmed it so.

She gave us the easiest walking directions to the zoo by following the hiking trail (Lowcountry Trail) that wraps around the outer boundary of the gardens then the zoo.  Feeling rejuvenated after finishing our drinks, we started the walk along the trail.

The day was starting to warm up and we were feeling good.  We passed a boat dock at the north end of the gardens, then found the elevated boardwalk and observation decks for viewing the Lumpkin Ricefield.  We kept on trucking until we saw the zoo, starting with Floyd Family Heritage Farm.

We saw donkeys, horses, and goats at the farm.  Horses were wearing coats to fend off the cold.  We saw them grazing.  

Horse at the farm

We kept on going, then saw various animals/birds including foxes, cranes/egrets, eagles, owls, hawks, and ducks.  Our favorites were the foxes and ducks.  The Fox habitat had at least 3 foxes in it.  One was sitting on the ground, while the other 2 were sitting on one of the tree branches.  We almost missed the ones sitting on tree branches, as they did not move for several minutes.

I saw movement after few minutes, which alerted me to them.  All 3 were extremely cute!

Fox sitting on tree branch

The other fascinating thing at the zoo we encountered, were the waterfowl.  These were unlike most we were used to seeing, as these had lustrous brown coat with gray feet.  These were incredibly cute and furry!

Waterfowl!

Standing on one leg!

Note how most have their faces tucked in

We were amazed at how they slept by burying their faces onto their backs, presumably to retain heat.  They were sleeping standing up, with one leg tucked in!  It was just fascinating…

Satisfied with our insatiable appetite for all things furry and cute, we headed back towards the gardens using the same Lowcountry Trail, we had used before.  By the time we made it back to the parking lot, we saw that we had walked about 7,500 steps.  It was great to get out, get some exercise, and to explore one of the best places to visit not just in Myrtle Beach, but all of South Carolina…

In conclusion:

We absolutely loved the variety of things to do and see in Myrtle Beach.  We loved the beach, the boardwalk/promenade, and natural attractions, but it’s always nice to add some flavor to our trips.

One such flavor is visiting beautiful man made gardens.  To that end, Brookgreen Gardens is a fantastic choice at that.  We loved the wonderfully maintained and landscaped gardens, the whimsical children’s garden, various statues, and the zoo.

The garden/zoo is small enough to explore by foot, for those who don’t mind a bit of exercise, yet it’s large enough to spend a day or two, if one is to explore each little nook and cranny of the garden/zoo.

Thanks to our neighbors upstairs, we had a great time, for free!  We couldn’t thank them enough…

We thank you all for reading, and we hope you get to visit Brookgreen Gardens when visiting Myrtle Beach area!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Ocean City, Maryland’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Bushkill Falls and Grey Towers.’

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 natural attractions in Las Vegas’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Zion National Park’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Vdara Hotel’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Chateau at Coindre Hall’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Oyster Bay’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ocean Casino Resort’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Wildwood Park and Fort Hunter Mansion’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Ottawa’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Fiore Suite and classic room at the Borgata’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 places with awesome views near Harrisburg, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Quebec City, Canada’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 quintessential places to visit in New York City’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ricketts Glen State Park, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Beaufort, NC’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Vernon, NJ’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Harrisburg, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Montreal, Canada’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area, Wake Forest, NC’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 parks to visit in Bogue Banks, North Carolina’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Niagara Falls State Park’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Claysburg, PA’.