Traveling in Charleston, South Carolina: Cypress Gardens

Cypress Gardens continues to show the beauty of the Charleston area that you do not want to pass up. Cypress Gardens is located in Monks Corner, SC approximately 30 minutes from downtown Charleston. The gardens provide the visitor beautiful flowered paths, a Butterfly House, Aquarium, Reptile Center, Crocodile Isle and Aviary. The unique attraction to Cypress Gardens is that visitors can either have a guided canoe tour of the swamp or take the canoe out themselves. But be careful, there are alligators!

When you enter the visitor's center to purchase your tickets for the gardens you are also standing in the gift shop. They have many nature themed merchandise such as books, wind chimes, t-shirts, pencils, stuffed animals, and other gift store type of products. Tickets to the Cypress Gardens are reasonably priced at $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and $5 for children over 5 years of age. They offer military discounts of one dollar off each ticket, you will need to ask for it and have your ID on hand.

You can either start with the canoe ride or go right into the gardens itself. You will find the Butterfly House right away as you start walking down the path. Inside you will find hundreds of butterflies flying around freely. They do not land on people but they will land very close so you can get some great pictures or get a closer look. You can either walk right through the Butterfly House or take a seat on some of the benches they have available.

The Reptile Center and Aquarium is in one room and isn't very large. It's like walking into a miniature version of a standard Aquarium you find in the city. The Crocodile Isle is something to marvel over since you can get right up to the crocodiles and see them in action, that is, the action of sleeping. Although they are sleeping, it is amazing to see such wild creatures up close and personal. The Aviary section is small but does include some African Grey parrots as well as other exotic birds. The section also includes some large size turtles which is fascinating to many children.

The canoe ride is absolutely the best thing to do while you are visiting the Cypress Gardens. Paddling through the swamp is such a peaceful experience and so much fun. It does take some muscle power if you decide to take the boat out yourself. If you would rather sit back and let someone else do the work, the guides are more than happy to give you a ride. There is also a walking trail around the swamp. The plants, trees and flowers around the swamp make it the perfect place to take a relaxing and leisurely walk.

The Cypress Gardens are somewhat hidden from the major attractions of Charleston tourism but it will definitely add pleasure to your site seeing during your stay. Visit Cypress Gardens website at http://cypressgardens.info/index.html for more information as well as directions. Enjoy your trip to Charleston, SC.