Brookgreen Gardens

How Brookgreen Began

Archer Huntington and his wife, celebrated sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, purchased property on the South Carolina coast in 1930. The original plan was to create a winter retreat where Anna could recover her strength after being diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Within eighteen months, their private refuge had become something much larger. Brookgreen Gardens was incorporated in 1931 as a nonprofit dedicated to the flora and fauna of the Southeast and to the collection and preservation of American figurative sculpture.

Art in the Open Air

Brookgreen became America’s first public sculpture garden. Anna’s work helped establish its artistic identity, but the collection quickly expanded to represent leading American sculptors from the nineteenth century through today. Bronze, stone, water, live oaks, and changing light make the landscape part of the experience.

Nature, Wildlife, and Lowcountry History

The gardens are only one part of Brookgreen. The property also protects native plants and animals, includes the Lowcountry Zoo, and interprets the people and cultures connected to this land. General admission includes the gardens and galleries, the zoo, and exhibits in the Lowcountry History Center.

Across U.S. 17: Huntington Beach & Atalaya Castle

Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park face one another across U.S. 17 and share the Huntington legacy. Widely regarded as one of South Carolina’s premier coastal parks, Huntington Beach frequently reaches capacity during busy weekends and holidays. Atalaya Castle—Spanish for “watchtower”—is the Moorish-style National Historic Landmark that served as Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington’s winter home and Anna’s working sculpture studio. Its 40-foot central watchtower, courtyards, and indoor and outdoor studios were part of the 30-room, 40,000-square-foot home.

South Carolina State Parks records that Huntington Beach State Park was leased from Brookgreen Trustees in 1960. Ron and Michelle volunteer there as park hosts, making this connected Lowcountry landscape part of their own R&M story.

Why It Belongs on an R&M Adventure Card

Brookgreen is the kind of place that refuses to fit into one category. It is a garden, museum, wildlife experience, historic landscape, and peaceful walking destination all at once. Ron and Michelle’s album covers three days of exploring in November 2020—proof that this is not a place to rush.