Cypress Gardens

Cypress Gardens, SC

Cypress Gardens was closed for a long time after hurricane damage and I hadn't been back since it opened. Yesterday was the perfect day for it. Following all of the side trails gave me a good walk in the woods. I find myself fascinated with cypress knees lately and where better to find them than Cypress Gardens? They made for some fun photo ops.

A peaceful resting place

Kittredge tombs, Cypress Gardens, SC 

You can't tell by this image how large the cross is in this family cemetery plot. It is huge. It is a lovely surprise to find this peaceful resting place for the Kittredge family who donated the land for Cypress Gardens along the walking trail around the lake. 

Magnolias tall against the sky,

Whisper to this silent cry.

"Weep not! For here eternally

In love together they shall be"

 

I was initially puzzled by the small tombstone with the inscription "My Happy" until I saw the family pictures on the history board. It must be a beloved pet dog snuggled up next to them forever.

 

Day tripping - Cypress Gardens

Cypress Gardens, SC

There are some places worth annual revisits and Cypress Gardens in one of them. They have row boats to explore the lake but on the beautiful day I went, there was a line of costumers waiting for a chance to paddle through my pictures. Luckily I enjoy the walk around the garden just as much. Check out the Bat Hotel in the bottom shot. I wonder if it works.

Beautiful Cypress Gardens has been a preferred group and family destination since 1931. Visitors from all over the country come to experience this unique and exciting attraction, which has been featured in numerous national magazines and popular television shows and motion pictures including The Notebook and The Patriot.

Feeling blue

Bottle Tree, Cypress Gardens, S.C.

I have a better shot of this bottle tree enlarged on my wall hiding my fuse box. This one is at Cypress Gardens. Sunday was such a lovely day that was a perfect destination for a picnic.

While I was at Cypress Gardens I discovered an upcoming event you might be interested in. Yup - a Ukelele Festival!

Blackwater Ukelele Festival

Saturday, September 14, 2013
The Blackwater Ukelele Festival is put on by local ukulele enthusiasts. They kick the festival off with a workshop appropriate for the beginner through intermediate players. The workshop is taught by local ukulele legend Donald "Noodle McDoodle" Whitley, one of the best ukulele players on the east coast.
A free concert will be put on by the Charleston Hot Shots, a "Skiffle" band and The V-Tones, a unique ukulele swing band. Another unique feature is the Boat Jams, where ukulele players man the Bateau boats, 10-12 to a boat, and are rowed around the swamp singing and jamming together. Even the non-ukulele playing visitors to the park get a real kick out of it.
There is open mic where the local ukulele crowd gets to perform, some for the first time. For the non-uke playing members of your family there are the regular park attractions a gift shop, island vendors, craft vendors and food vendors. Admission: $10 Adult, $9 Seniors, $5 (6-12 yr), 5 and under are free. For more information visit: http://festival.charlestonhotshots.com/

Chapel in the Swamp

Cypress Gardens, Moncks Corner, S.C.

I recently visited in the home of an art student who showed me a drawing of this chapel in her sketch book. Drawn from a photograph, she had never seen the actual scene or had any idea where it was. I remember the first time I walked into Cypress Gardens and thought, "What the heck! What is a stone chapel doing in the middle of the swamp!?"

It didn't belong there, of course and it isn't there any longer. It was a fake chapel built of polystyrene, as part of the film set for The Patriot, starring Mel Gibson. One reference says it finally collapsed during a wind storm in 2006.

Cypress Gardens was also used to film the Notebook. I sat up straight in my chair when the movie screen showed the familiar black swamp full of swans. Too weird. SCIWay had this story about the swans:

The lake scene with swans was shot at Cypress Gardens. The animals weren't native to the area, so they were imported and trained 1 month prior to the shoot so they would learn to follow boats and appear on screen as the director wanted. This all had to be done around the month of January so that filming could take place when the resident alligators were hibernating.

It's a beautiful spot. I've featured pictures of the gardens in spring time, boating on the swamp, the bottle tree and the secret graveyard in the woods. All this is to say, I will be busy on Saturday but the Google Data Center is holding a Community Day and you might want to go.

November 14th Community Benefit Event Set for Cypress Gardens
Proceeds will be donated to The Supporters of Historical Cypress Gardens

The Supporters of Historical Cypress Gardens and Google, Inc. will team up to host a Community Benefit Event on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.