Edisto Memorial Gardens — Attraction in Orangeburg

I don't really understand the significance of the history here. It goes something like, back in 1865 a bunch of confederates "temporarily" halted the Union Army. How exactly that deserves a memorial I'm not completely sure. I suppose it may have given the lower part of the state time to turn tail and run? I guess when you're on the losing side you celebrate every minor victory you can. Either way, the good news is that they turned this location into one of the most beautiful gardens in the state. The photograph above is of the Angel of Hope, a bronze monument dedicated to children who have lost their lives. The statue is part of a collection in the United States. This one is the 100th and the only one found in South Carolina. The Angel of Hope is a place for grieving parents to heal and remember their lost child. Full of thousands of interesting plants and dozens of roses, Edisto Memorial Garden is one place everyone should see. With the Edisto river running along side, It is quite the picturesque location indeed. I particularly loved the old cypress trees. Something about those ancient trees added a dark mystery to the...

This place is full of beauty!! Edisto Memorial Gardens is an outstanding place for a family outing, romantic picnic, bridal photo shoot, engagement photos, just to name a few. There is a cool grassy path that you and your love ones can walk along holding hands while enjoying the serenity of the garden. You can take a breather and sit on any of the benches around the fountain. The grassy path way leads you to a wooden bridge, a full bridge that literally has all sorts of twist and turns. One word of caution, a tree fell on one section of the bridge and we were unable to explore that area as it is blocked off for safety precautions. There are monuments and statues as well as various fun facts about the garden. Each section of the garden has the name of the flower visible. Just a word of warning as there are numerous caterpillars crawling on and around the bridge. I definitely plan to return mainly to see the plethora of butterflies that will be gracing the area in the upcoming weeks and months. The ducks are friendly and are not afraid of humans. They will literally walk alongside you and approach you so...

I would have given it 5 stars but the trail has diminished, like that was the perfect dating spot. I walked the trail with my now hubby and we even engraved our names in the wood to remember the date. Now it's gone wanted to show my children but couldn't go to far because we would have been walking in the river. When the Rose's are out its beautiful but when they are not the area looks sad. I love the fountain area and gazebo but the other side is sad, the trail walk that is. The playgrounds are beautiful they did update it. I love the new gear but they need to also update the picnic areas. They old benches need to be replaced as well as the grills. But this is really the only public park we have so I will...