Brookgreen Gardens

A sculpture garden and wildlife preserve on the site of four former rice plantations. The 9,100-acre property features American figurative sculpture and preserved Lowcountry landscape.

Brookgreen Gardens, built on the grounds of four former rice plantations, is rich with the spirits of those who lived, worked, and died here over centuries. The land's history as a rice plantation means thousands of enslaved people toiled in the fields, and many believe their spirits still walk the property. Visitors have reported seeing figures working in the former rice fields at dusk, bent over in labor just as they were in life. The sculpture gardens themselves seem to attract spiritual energy, with some statues said to move or change position when unobserved. Cold spots are encountered throughout the property, particularly near the remains of plantation buildings. The sound of singing and chanting has been heard near former slave quarters, carrying across the marshes in the evening hours. Some visitors have photographed misty figures near certain sculptures, and others have reported the sensation of being watched while walking the garden paths. The wildlife preserve's isolation and the weight of history combine to create an atmosphere where past and present seem to blur together.