Botany Bay Plantation

Botany Bay Plantation is a mystical magical place. Located on Edisto Island, it is one of the many jewels of the low country. From the moment you turn on the dirt road that leads into the plantation, you know you are in for a treat. Lined with a canopy of live oaks, draped in Spanish moss, you immediately find yourself in a state of awe.

Upon entering the main gate, you’ll need to make a quick stop to register your vehicle and number of occupants. Afterwards, you’re free to explore all that Botany Bay has to offer.

Continuing down the main road, you’ll travel through another canopy of live oaks. Scattered amongst them, you’ll find a blend of loblolly pines and cabbage palmettos, which of course is the state tree.  

Eventually, you’ll reach a t-intersection. To the left, you can find remnants of the old Bleak Hall Plantation. Besides the ruins, you’ll come across a pond, lake and creek, as well as several agricultural fields. As you travel through the mixed pine/hardwood forest, be sure to be on the lookout for wildlife. The plantation is home to a plethora of critters, including wood ducks, ospreys, eagles and gators.

Taking a right at the intersection leads you to a parking area. From here, you’ll have a half mile walk, through the marsh and barrier island, to reach the beach. This is where the magic truly resides and where our adventure really began.

You see, the week before our adventure, the area was pummeled by Hurricane Debby. The entire area was severely flooded and at high tide, nearly unpassable. And wouldn’t you know, it was near high tide when we arrived. But being the adventurers we are, we forged our way through. Tiny crabs swam around my feet and at its deepest part, the water was roughly eight inches above my knee. Yikes! You can check out a short video of us making our way through the marsh on my YouTube channel.

As we arrived on the other side of the marsh, more of Debby’s damage became apparent. Even at high tide the ocean was higher than normal, forcing us to walk through the barrier island forest.

The near 3-mile stretch of coastline is typically littered with a boneyard of dead trees. This has been caused by erosion throughout the years and is part of what gives Botany Bay its character. However, on this day, an unusually large number of these trees were washed up along the forest’s edge.

As we worked our way through the forest and back out along the beach, the ocean receded back to low tide levels. This would reveal large amounts of shells scattered along the sand.

If you’ve ever been to Botany Bay, you know it has a treasure chest of various shells. These shells include conch, whelks, scallops, clams, mussels, oysters, sea stars and sand dollars. As a note, shell collection is prohibited and fines upward of $480 can occur. However, visitors are encouraged to pick them up and place them on trees and driftwood. This random art is another one of the magical aspects of Botany Bay.

This would be our third trip to this unique jewel, and we have yet to be disappointed. Even with the damage from the hurricane, it was still an amazing adventure. In the pictures below, you can see for yourself what makes Botany Bay such a magical and mystical place.

As always, all these pictures, as well as any photo on my site, are available for purchase. Check out my Photo Collections for more details.

So, if you find yourself down on Edisto Island, make sure to pay a visit to Botany Bay Plantation. You won’t be disappointed. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope to cross paths with you out on an adventure. Have a fantastic day!