charleston tea plantation

When the woman standing at the front door of the gift shop pointed me in the direction of the free tea and told me we could drink as much as we wanted, wherever on the plantation we wanted... I knew I was in the right place :) There is a free video tour (about fifteen minutes) through the factory that was very informative and showed how tea is made. There is also an optional $10 trolley tour (maybe 45 or so minutes) around the plantation that I'd definitely recommend. You'll get to see all the tea plants and learn about the history of the plantation, and honestly, just getting driven around beautiful grounds makes it well worth the price!Even if you are not a huge tea-drinker, this is a must see. It was interesting and I learned a lot, and there are few things better than seeing the beauty of South Carolina with an iced tea in your hand!

Our trolley tour guide gave a nice hour long tour around the plantation showing us the tea fields, the growing area, and explained the process of growing and making tea. An indoor video tour along the processing area was equally good. There is a large store to buy tea and other items. Tea was offered in the store to drink/taste as you wished ......... a nice addition to a rather chilly day. If you are interested in how tea is produced don't miss this wonderful place! I would go back again just to enjoy the lovely experience of being on a tea plantation.

What a wonderful hidden gem near Charleston, SC. Definitely worth the drive out and definitely worth the $10 for the trolley tour. You are driven around the fields along with being taught about the tea which is surprisingly interesting! Would be great for people and kids of all ages and you get free tea! Score! Wonderful little place.

The Charleston Tea Plantation, on Wadmalaw Island, about a 20-25 minute drive from downtown Charleston, is well worth the drive. Consider first seeing the Angel Oak Tree, 10 miles down the road, and then the plantation. Admission to the plantation is free, as is a video tour of the tea factory. A trolley tour of the plantation, a must-do, is informative and inexpensive ($10 for adults, $8.00 for AAA members). There are modern restrooms and a welcoming gift shop. There is complimentary hot and iced tea in the gift shop.

This is the only tea plantation in the US. Make sure to take the trolley tour -- it costs $10 but is worth twice that. I learned a lot and it was fun! The driver really knew his stuff. We sampled all of the teas, hot and iced, and they were all good -- but the PEACH is the best! They use only natural ingredients and some very innovative equipment. No fungicides or insecticides or herbicides. The insects and the deer don't like the naturally occurring tannin and caffeine so there is a wonderful array of wildlife living in harmony on the property. I really like this company! The setting is educational and beautiful and very peaceful. And the gift shop had many unique items, including cookies, tea, mugs, honey, books, tee shirts, and much more. Don't miss this wonderful plantation!

For a cool February day in Charleston, the Charleston Tea Plantation was just the perfect destination for a Saturday afternoon. As many times as we had visited the Charleston area, we had never found this little gem, a short leisurely drive along Maybank Highway.We took the Trolley Tour, which was a comfortable way to see the 134 acre property and we got a little instruction in the growing and harvesting of tea. The harvesting and production runs from May to October, so we missed the actual production.The product they make at the plantation was of good quality. We could taste them all for free. Don't go there in the heat of the summer, but for a cool off season day it is a great destination trip.

I am a big tea drinker so was thrilled to be able to visit the only tea plantation in North America. The factory tour was so-so since tea was not currently in production. The trolley tour, with Bob as our guide was well worth the $10. I loved hearing about the history of the plantation and how tea is actually made. I also liked the tea samples we had inside. Although it would have been fun to do an actual tea tasting like you do at wineries to explain the different notes you could taste in each tea. Just a suggestion. A tea party or tea room would be nice too. I could totally see sipping some tea and eating cucumber sandwiches on the porch while gazing out on the tea fields. It was a fun activity if you are really into tea or farming. My husband gallantly accompanied me but wasn't nearly as enthralled as I was.

Yes, even just the drive to it is worth it, and then when you get there, you can sample their teas, hot and iced, and see the only tea plantation in North America! Take the bus tour, walk around, and do the "factory," or processing room tour.

See and tour the ONLY tea production in the US. The green trolley and commentary by the driver was fun and informative. The factory tour interesting. The tea gift shop has tea "things" of interest to everyone plus a free Tea Bar.

We got there right when they opened one morning and took the tour around the grounds. Bought alot of tea to bring home as gifts. All around this is well worth the visit if you are in the area, Don't miss it!

We saw a brochure for the plantation in our hotel and decided to take a short trip (17miles) south. What a pleasant surprise ! My wife is the tea drinker in the family but I enjoyed learning about how the plantation is the only commercial tea plantation in North America. Take the tour and browse the gift shop and enjoy sampling the many flavors they offer.

My husband happened to pick up a brochure for the Tea Plantation while we were looking at things to do during our visit to Charleston. I am very much a tea drinker so thought it would be fun. I am so glad we decided to take the drive from Charleston to Wadmalaw Island and visit the Plantation. We took the trolley tour which was highlighted by information from our driver as well as recorded information from the owner of the plantation. We also did the factory tour and tasted several of the different teas they had available at the free tea bar for you to enjoy. They have all the flavors in the store available for you to purchase as well. Left with a bag full of teas to enjoy!

Wadmalaw Island is easy to get to from Charleston, Kiawah or Seabrook areas. Only 45 minutes from Kiawah and a pleasant little drive. The Bigelow Tea family owns this working tea plantation - the only one in America. Hourly shuttles take you on a tour of the fields if you so choose, but the video assisted self guided tour along the perimeter of the factory explains and shows the entire interesting process. Only about a 15-20 minute walking tour. There is a cute little store that sells local and Other Bigelow teas for less than you find most other places, including bottled and flavored teas. Free samples.Tea and household items and a helpful staff.Free parking. Bathrooms.Also - if you drive all the way out there - don't miss the Firefly Distillery and their winery. About 10 minutes away. The nice people at the Tea Plantation will give you a card with diving directions to Firefly.

It is a bit of a drive (and a lovely drive among the Spanish Moss live oaks), but it is worth visiting the facility to understand how tea is grown and processed for use. The "tour" of the factory involves three short video productions within the glass enclosed factory. While that tour is free, the trolly tour that costs $10 makes the experience more meaningful, with stops to the greenhouse, irrigation ponds, etc. Our guide (John) was excellent. The gift store provides several types of hot and iced teas for your enjoyment gratis. It had a lot of tea making and tea-themed items--a bit pricey but nice quality. Surprisingly there isn't much packaged tea to purchase outside of the American grown varieties.

A literal adult lifetime has been devoted to development, nurturing and successful operation of Americas ONLY tea plantation. I've been a tea drinker most of my adult years but until today didn't have a full appreciation for the depth of work entailed. We took the tour bus out through the acres with a very interesting and informative guide. Well worth the fee ( plus we got a senior and vet discount). Back at the lovely gift shop we took in the production facility which was free. Free tea tasting too! Made in America took on a whole new and tasty meaning. Best audience geared for pre teens through senior folks.