Without the constraints of formal gardens, 18th-century plants would have run amok, encasing a screaming Ben Franklin in sinewy vine. Keep foliage under control with today's Groupon: for $10, you get one general-admission ticket to Middleton Place, located on Ashley River Road (up to a $25 value). This Groupon is valid for the month of February only.

A National Historic Landmark since 1972, the former plantation at Middleton Place boasts one of America's oldest landscaped gardens, designed with mathematical precision by sentient colonial protractors, as well as living history re-creations and a house museum. Buzz between formal rows of bee-tempting blooms laid out in 1741, or act out Swamp Thing scenarios at Cypress Lake, a romantic later addition to the grounds, as you inspect the acclaimed 65-acre garden. Stop by the plantation’s stable yards, where costumed artisans re-create crafts once performed by slaves. Complimentary tours of both the gardens and stable yards are available, and tours of the house museum, crammed with porcelain and Middleton-family heirlooms, are available for an extra fee.

Reviews

Frommer's and USA Today reviewed Middleton Place. TripAdvisors give the attraction an average of four owl eyes, and Yelpers give it an average of four stars.

• We delighted in the scenic vistas that changed around every turn, the farm animals, and spotting alligators, turtles, and wild birds …The setting was utterly idyllic. – pamela s., Yelp
• The house museum contains not just "period pieces" but the actual art, silver, and china of the Middleton family. Our Civil War and slavery days are treated with historical accuracy and candor. – Texastraveller71, TripAdvisor