Charleston Tea Plantation
Updated: May 28, 2025
Greetings, everyone and happy spring! It's finally *almost* here! The daffodils are blooming, the sun is making more appearances. We are just about out of the very long winter in the UK and I could not be more excited!
In honor of it almost being spring, today I thought I'd share a little slice of our adventure to the Charleston Tea Plantation a few years back. My husband took me here for my birthday, and it was the perfect celebratory day trip!
I have a slight obsession with tea. So as you can imagine, I was over the moon excited to be visiting a plantation where it is grown and try it steeped to perfection! Without further adieu, Let me show you around the plantation!
The Charleston Tea Plantation is located on the beautiful Wadmalaw Island in South Carolina, just a short drive from Downtown Charleston. It is the home of American Classic Tea owned by the Bigelow family, and the only tea to be 100% grown and produced in the United States!
Our visit to the plantation started with a trolley ride around the plantation. Our first stop was the greenhouse. We learned all about the propagation of the tea plants, and their journey from the greenhouse to the field.
The tea plants bloom the cutest little white and yellow flowers!
Next, we continued around the plantation and drove through the tea fields. Did you know that the plants themselves are considered an evergreen shrub and can live for 100+ years?
The day we visited the weather was absolutely gorgeous! A sunny 70 degrees and a few clouds. The ideal place for tea plants to flourish! READ NEXT: 48 HOURS IN DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON
Did you also know the first tea plants, or Camellia Sinensis, came to the United States from China? It took 150 years to successfully propagate tea, and it all started in Summerville South Carolina. The plantation was called Pinehurst Tea Plantation, and the founder, Dr. Charles Shephard produced award winning teas until his death in 1915. After his death. the tea plants grew in the wild for 45 years before being transplanted and brought to Wadmalaw Island for experimentation.
With a further 24 years of experimentation, and in 1987, the Charleston Tea Plantation was born! Learn more about Charleston Tea Plantation at
The last stop on our visit was the factory. It was great to walk through and see how tea is made first hand! After, we tasted a few of the American Classic teas, and my favorites were Plantation Peach and the Green Tea. Shop for the American Classic Teas at: https://www.bigelowtea.com/CharlestonTeaPlantation
So my fellow tea lovers, if you can't afford a trip overseas to visit the vast tea fields in China, Kenya or South East Asia, hop on a plane to Charleston and take the short drive out to the tea plantation! You won't regret it!
Have you been to Charleston Tea Plantation or any other tea plantations around the world? Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts! As always, thank you for reading and have a wonderful spring full of warm weather wherever you are!
Visitor Information: Trolley Tour $12 per adult, $6 for children under the age of 12. Tours every 45 minutes to an hour. Factory Tours free to all visitors, tour begins every 15 minutes. Drive time from Downtown Charleston to Charleston Tea Plantation approximately 45 minutes by car.
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