The 400-Year-Old Angel Oak Tree & the Charleston Tea Garden on Wadmalaw Island

Twenty minutes south-west of the Charleston peninsula, across the Stono River from James Island, lie two rural Sea Islands shaded by centuries-old live-oak tunnels where suburban sprawl is restricted by law: Johns Island and Wadmalaw Island. Combining their two signature attractions makes an ideal half-day excursion in the Lowcountry.

1. The Angel Oak Tree (3688 Angel Oak Rd, Johns Island, Free Admission)

Tucked down a short unpaved lane off Bohicket Road on Johns Island stands one of the oldest living organisms in North America: the Angel Oak (named after Justus and Martha Waight Tucker Angel, who owned the surrounding estate in the early 1800s; local African American families later owned and protected the land before the City of Charleston acquired the park in 1991):

• Dimensions of the Tree: estimated by botanists to be 300 to 500 years old, this Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) stands 20 metres tall with a central trunk measuring 8.5 metres in circumference. Its corkscrewing limbs dive into the earth and rise back up supported by wooden props, reaching 57 metres from tip to tip and casting 1,580 square metres of continuous shade.
• Visiting Guidelines: the gated park is open daily from morning until late afternoon (opening in the early afternoon on Sundays; check the official City of Charleston park page for seasonal hours). Arrive early in the morning before tour buses arrive. To protect the delicate surface roots, climbing on the branches and bringing tripods inside the fence are prohibited.

2. Continue 15 Minutes Down Maybank Highway: 'The Charleston Tea Garden' & 'Deep Water Vineyard'

1. The Charleston Tea Garden (6617 Maybank Hwy, Wadmalaw Island): propagated from Camellia sinensis tea plants brought from China and India in 1888 by Dr. Charles Shepard and rescued in 1987 by tea taster William Barclay Hall, this 127-acre farm produces American Classic Tea. Entry, the indoor Factory Tour, and hot and iced green, black and peach tea at the tasting bar are free, and you can book a ticket for the 40-minute narrated Plantation Trolley Tour through the tea fields.
2. Deep Water Vineyard & Firefly Distillery: five minutes back on Wadmalaw sits Deep Water Vineyard (Charleston's domestic winery under mossy oaks), while Firefly Distillery operates a waterfront tasting lawn in North Charleston.