Exploring the Largest Tea Garden in the U.S.

In 2022, Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, feels like a step back in time, where friendly drivers wave to each other on the quaint two-lane Maybank Highway—though the term ‘highway’ is quite generous. The route is lined with AME and Baptist churches and sprawling oak trees, connecting the island's 10 miles of tranquil corridors. Much of Wadmalaw is protected by a conservation easement, limiting development, so you won’t encounter much new construction or the sterile apartments typical of downtown Charleston, much to the locals’ delight.

The air is anything but dull as you approach the Charleston Tea Garden, home to North America's largest tea plants. Even if your destination isn’t the garden, the fragrance shifts from freshly cut grass to a delightful floral and earthy aroma that dances on the breeze.

Tea's origins can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, but it made its way to the United States in the late 1700s. Today, tea ranks as the world’s second-most consumed beverage after water. The concept of tea time is deeply rooted in the United Kingdom, while sweet tea has become a staple in the U.S. South. From childhood tea parties to the age-old remedy of tea and honey for sore throats, tea is intertwined with cultural traditions. Historically, tea also carries political weight—colonialists famously dumped British tea into Boston Harbor in protest of taxes, inspiring the modern Tea Party Movement.

While Americans don’t top the global tea consumption charts (that honor goes to Ireland), iced tea—especially sweet tea—holds a cherished place in the U.S. Roughly 75 to 80 percent of tea consumed here is iced, according to the Tea Association of the U.S.A. This refreshing beverage isn't a recent phenomenon; 19th-century cookbooks featured iced tea recipes, one from the late 1800s calling for ‘two teaspoonfuls of granulated sugar’ and a ‘squeeze of lemon.’

While tea is regarded as a sacred ritual in South Carolina and throughout the South, North America has a limited number of tea producers, primarily due to the region's growing conditions, climate, elevation, and air quality. A small yet passionate community of tea farmers exists in the U.S., united under the U.S. League of Tea Growers, but the majority of tea production occurs in China. Native to East Asia, Chinese tea accounted for nearly 50 percent of global production in 2020, according to a study by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. Notably, the Charleston Tea Garden is the smallest of its kind at just 127 acres, compared to Asia’s largest, the Monabarie Tea Estate, which spans 2,870 acres in India's Assam region.

Outdoor Tea Time Near Charleston

Located just 35 minutes from downtown Charleston, the garden advises guests to steer clear of rideshare services like Uber or Lyft due to long wait times. This remote location enhances the overall experience. A charming white building serves as the welcome center and gift shop, situated closer to the gardens than the road. Even in this tranquil setting, it feels as if you’ve stepped into another world. The creaky steps leading up to the wooden porch, reminiscent of homes found throughout Wadmalaw Island, are the only sounds you’ll hear aside from the gentle rustling of leaves. A sign notes that the next nearest tea gardens are 7,320 miles away in China and 7,816 miles away in Kenya. Inside the gift shop, visitors can find a variety of products, including body care items and tea-infused Popsicles.

The centerpiece of the visit is undeniably the garden itself, which stands apart from traditional botanical or meticulously arranged gardens. Instead, it presents an unmistakable and vibrant green landscape. On a bright, clear October day, the vivid blue sky seemed almost out of place against the lush green grass, trees, and fields that shimmered with an almost surreal quality.

Entry to the tea garden is complimentary, with a guided 45-minute tour available for $15. At 11:30, a cheerful red trolley arrived at the main building, signaling the start of my tour. Guests were seen savoring steaming mugs filled with tea harvested from the garden, featuring blends such as Charleston Breakfast, robust and flavorful, and Peachy Peach Tea. Among the neatly arranged tea plants, workers were busy tending to the crops.

The Charleston Tea Garden was originally established as a potato farm in 1963, when tea enthusiasts relocated plants from nearby Summerville, South Carolina. In 1987, William Barclay "Bill" Hall, a trained tea taster from London, acquired the property and transitioned it into a commercial enterprise. The gardens were later purchased by the Bigelow Tea Company in 2003.

Paul, our cheerful tour guide—sporting the only pair of shorts on a chilly morning—shared that the garden flourishes in Charleston largely due to the abundant rainfall, with an average of 48 inches of rain each year. This climate is perfect for cultivating the Camellia sinensis tea plant, which yields both black and green teas.

While there’s a focus on the garden’s history, it is also undergoing a change similar to what’s occurring nationwide. Formerly known as the Charleston Tea Plantation, the name was updated in June 2020, with the company acknowledging that the term plantation “holds significant pain for many in this country and around the world.” Nevertheless, remnants of its past still linger. A video playing in the factory welcomes guests with the message “welcome to the Charleston Tea Plantation.” Throughout the tour, Hall’s voice provides additional context, and he too refers to the area as a “plantation.”

Currently, over 300 varieties of tea plants flourish on the grounds, taking five to seven years from cutting to become mature enough for harvesting the nine types of tea produced here, according to Rhonda Mott, the business operations coordinator. When I inquire about the garden’s enduring success, she emphasizes that it requires patience—after all, the plants need time to grow.

"It requires a great deal of love and dedication," she explains.