About Us
The Charleston Tea Garden is located on historic Wadmalaw Island in the heart of the Lowcountry of South Carolina. We're just a few miles south of the historic city of Charleston. The history of the Island dates back to mid-June of 1666 when it is believed that Captain Robert Sanford and the crew of the Berkeley Bay landed on the shores of what is now known as Rockville, South Carolina. On June 23, 1666, he and his crew claimed the land for England and the Lords Proprietors. Today, Wadmalaw is considered to be one of Charleston's most unspoiled islands. It is approximately 10 miles long and 6 miles wide. The Island's only connection to the mainland is a bridge that crosses over Church Creek.
Entrance to the Gift Shop and Factory Tour
Home to The Charleston Tea Garden, Wadmalaw provides the perfect environment for propagating tea. With its sandy soils, sub-tropical climate and average rainfall of 52 inches per year, Wadmalaw possesses idyllic conditions for the Camellia Sinensis tea plant. This plant is currently used to produce both black and green teas and exists in over 320 varieties on the 127 acre grounds of the Charleston Tea Garden.
This is the home of Charleston Tea Garden teas - nine very special flavors of tea, including our original American Classic Tea. This is the only brand of tea in the world that is made exclusively with 100% tea grown in America. The Garden sits right off Maybank Highway. Driving down Maybank is like taking a step back in time. Wadmalaw has not and cannot be commercially developed, therefore much of the land remains untouched. The Island is also home to other unique and historic attractions such as Deep Water Vineyard, the only domestic winery in Charleston, South Carolina as well as the Angel Oak, a Live Oak tree that is believed to be over 1,500 years old.
The Charleston Tea Garden was purchased by family-owned Bigelow Tea Company in 2003, when it became the dream of Eunice and David Bigelow and local partner Bill Hall to combine talents and share their love of tea as a vibrant piece of Americana for all to enjoy. Today, the beautiful 127-acre Charleston Tea Garden has become the standard bearer for the long and illustrious American tea story.
Mr. and Mrs. Bigelow with William Barclay Hall
David Bigelow, William Barclay Hall and Eunice Bigelow
Open 7 days a week, with the exception of a few holidays, the Charleston Tea Garden is the perfect place to take a day trip. Bring the family, pack a lunch and enjoy it at our picnic tables under the century old oaks. The experience is not only educational but more importantly one-of-a-kind. You will learn first-hand how tea is made during an informative Factory Tour. You can also take an enjoyable Trolley Ride through the tea fields, which makes a stop at our state of the art greenhouse. Last but not least you might want to shop our Gift Shop, home of a wide variety of tea related gifts.