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Summerville: Tastes Like Sweet Tea

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It doesn’t get much more Southern than a glass of iced tea. But what you might not realize is that the very glass of tea you love has its roots right here in the Charleston area – in the town of Summerville, to be precise. Now the town is celebrating its tea history with the Sweet Tea Trail.

Summerville SC - sweet tea

The tea plant (Camellia Sinensis) arrived in Summerville in the late 1700s imported by Andre Michaux, a French explorer and botanist. In 1888, Dr. Charles Shepard was the first to successfully propagate and produce tea for consumption when he acquired 600 acres in Summerville and established the Pinehurst Tea Plantation. Dr. Shepard produced award-winning teas until his death in 1915. His plantation was then closed until 1963 when Lipton paid to have the surviving tea plants at Pinehurst relocated to its experimental tea farm on Wadmalaw summerville - the birthplace of sweet teaIsland.

That experimental tea farm – now owned by Bigelow and run by professional tea maker William Barclay Hall – is now the Charleston Tea Plantation. Every Camellia Sinensis plant growing at the Charleston Tea Plantation is a direct descendant of Shepard’s 1888 crop.

Learn more about tea’s Summerville roots on two trolley tours:

  • Sweet Tea Trolley Tour: Visitors can board a trolley for a 90-minute guided tour through the back roads of Summerville to see historic homes and a glimpse of where tea first started. Guests also tour Historic Linwood Gardens, named one of the Top 10 Garden Inns in the world by BedandBreakfast.com. For tour times and tickets, visit lowcountryloop.com.
  • Good Eats on the Sweet Tea Trail: Summerville resident and nationally known storyteller Tim Lowry takes guests on an entertaining tour of Summerville with stops at restaurants and bakeries for such Southern delicacies sweet tea cupcakes and sweet tea pecan pie. For tour times and tickets, visit lowcountryloop.com.

Tina Zimmerman, coordinator of tourism in Summerville, said she’s trying to give visitors a truly unique experience. She’s established a variety of tours and opportunities for visitors to explore Summerville’s historic and shopping districts as well as a garden district with a self-guided walking tour and a stop at Azalea Park with its original sculptures and early spring blooms.

Visitors headed to Charleston can stop off in Summerville, spend the day exploring the quaint town square, dining in local restaurants and taking a tour of the town’s historic spots before heading down Highway 61 past the plantations and into Charleston.

More Summerville highlights:

Flowertown Festival: Put on by the Summerville YMCA, this annual festival is set for April 4-6 in Summerville’s Azalea Park. Consistently ranked one of the Top 20 events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society, the three-day festival features more than 200 juried artists displaying their works, food from local restaurants, children’s activities and more. Admission and parking are free. Plus, this time of year Azalea Park is awash thanks to the pink azaleas, purple wisteria and white dogwoods. Info: flowertownfestival.org

Sculpture in the South: Founded in 1998, this organization promotes the arts through education and creation of an accessible public sculpture collection. Look for its sculptures all over the town of Summerville and throughout Azalea Park, which hosts an annual weekend event with world-class sculptors, demonstrations, student sculpture displays and more. Info: sculptureinthesouth.info

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Charleston FAQ's

Choosing a hotel and where to stay in Charleston all depends on your budget and goals. Do you want to stay Downtown, at the beach or in the outer areas such as North Charleston where you have to drive to get everywhere? For more help on deciding: https://travelerofcharleston.com/articles/hotels/

Charleston has 3 main public beaches which are: Folly, Isle of Palms and Sullivans. Each beach has it’s own atmosphere. The most common beach that people visit is Folly Beach and then Isle of Palms followed by Sullivans Island. For more info on Charleston’s beaches visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/

Charleston, SC is full of historical things to do. Everything from museums, to public sites and free landmark sites such as Rainbow Row and the Battery can be seen. For more info on Charleston’s top historical sites visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/places-to-learn-about-charleston-sc-history/

There are many things that will keep the kids and family entertained and educated in Charleston. There are historic sites such as Fort Sumter, a Children’s Museum, Aquarium and the USS Yorktown…a WWII era aircraft carrier you can tour. For more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-family-fun-activities/

There’s so many  things you could do in Charleston it can be overwhelming. We recommend that first time visitors, checkout the ultimate first-time visitor guide here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-first-time-visitors-guide/

Spring in Charleston, SC is an amazing time of year to visit. The flowers are blooming and the weather is mild and sunny. For more info, check-out our spring guide to Charleston here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-springtime-in-charleston/

Summer in Charleston is a great time to visit. There’s plenty of things to keep you busy and visiting the beach will probably….or should be on your short-list. Also water-based activities and tours are popular. Checkout this summer guide to Charleston for more info: 

Our 10 Favorite Summer Activities in Charleston

Fall is one of the best times to visit. The weather cools down a bit and the skies are typically blue and clear. In addition there are many great events, festivals and the large crowds of summer have gone back to school or work. For more info on visiting in the fall, checkout this article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-12-things-to-do-fall/

There are so many great things to do that it’s difficult to narrow the list down. This article does a great job with figuring out the must do things to do in Charleston

7 Can’t Miss Reasons to Visit Charleston, SC Now

The consensus is a minimum of 3-days is needed to settle in and experience Charleston. For instance, many people take 2 days exploring downtown and another day visiting sites outside of downtown such as the plantations, Angel Oak Tree or beaches. Checkout this page for a list of tours and attractions: 

Charleston’s Top Tours & Attractions | Things to do

Downtown Charleston was made for walking and for sure one of the best way to soak up and experience the history first-hand. This article goes over getting around Charleston with and without a car as well: 

Getting Around Charleston, SC

We’re of course partial to Charleston, but here’s the truth. There are many similarities however there are some differences in our opinion: 

  • Both cities are historic and beautiful. 
  • Both cities are extremely walkable. Savannah, with it’s park-like squares maybe more walkable than Charleston. 
  • Charleston has a more established and food scene with many more options. 
  • Charleston has better hotels and shopping.
  • Both cities have equally good tours.
  • Charleston has better beach options. Savannah has Tybee which is great, however it’s 1 beach vibe versus Charleston which has 3 beaches with different vibes. Checkout this Charleston beach guide article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/
  • In Savannah you can walk with alcoholic beverages on the street. This is not allowed in Charleston. This can be good or bad depending on your stance. 
  • Savannah is more affordable.
  • TourPass offers all-inclusive passes in both cities: https://tourpass.com

There are always great and world-class events happening in Charleston. For a calendar of events and things to do in Charleston, checkout our online calendar of events: https://travelerofcharleston.com/events/

Of course there are free money-saving coupons that you can use. Visit the coupons page for a bunch of ways to save: https://travelerofcharleston.com/coupon/

Charleston has some fantastic can’t miss tours such as Fort Sumter, carriage, ghost, harbor, historic and culinary tours. For a full list with more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/attractions/

Checkout the Charleston Relocation Guide page which will guide you during your move: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-sc-relocation-guide/

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