What locals are saying
Cypress Gardens earns near-universal praise as one of the Charleston area's best-value outdoor stops — $10 adult admission covers a blackwater swamp boat ride (self-guided free, guided tours +$5), butterfly house, swamparium packed with reptiles and fish, and roaming peacocks, which locals and Yelp regulars consistently call well worth the 30-minute drive from the city. The Notebook filming location status drives heavy romantic-pilgrimage traffic supercharged by TikTok, but longtime visitors are quick to note the natural beauty — cypress trees, moss, lily pads, diverse wildlife — stands entirely on its own merits beyond the movie association. The one recurring local gripe is peak-season boat wait times that can stretch several hours, making an early arrival strongly recommended.
