Swan Lake

The kids wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday last month. I told them I wanted to go to see Swan Lake. Before you think I was going to drag my kids to yet another ballet, I really meant Swan Lake and Iris Gardens in Sumter, SC. I wanted a family outing and to make memories instead of accumulating more "stuff" .

The iris garden actually started as an accident. In the late 1920's a Sumter businessman was landscaping his home with Japanese irises. After the flowers failed to thrive, he ordered his gardener to dig them up and throw them in the swamp. The following year the irises bloomed! This same businessman began importing the swans. The lake now boasts as having every variety of swan in the world.

Once a year Sumter's Swan Lake and Iris Garden hosts an Iris Festival with a flower show, arts and crafts, food tasting and children's activities. The festival was held over Memorial Weekend. We were pretty busy with Aden's birthday party, so we missed the event. We went two weeks later instead.

Though it was mid-June, the irises were still gorgeous. Spring in the south is a sight to behold with blooming magnolias, hydrangeas, and gardenias. Around the perimeter of the lake were ancient cypress tress with low hanging moss. Cypress knees were bubbling up from the ground near the swamp. From our octogenarian guide, we found out no one actually knows what the usefulness of cypress knees, but it is speculated it is to protect the tree from being washed away in the swamp when the water rises.

We had a beautiful picnic under a shade tree.

Aden collected so many feathers for his "collection", he had his sister carry some for him.

I have been saving bread heels for some time in preparation for the trip. The kids had a good time feeding the swans, ducks and geese. We saw a momma duck with baby ducklings going for a swim. The kids also enjoyed watching the turtles and spent a good while trying to catch tadpoles.






From the pictures you can see why this is a popular site for weddings. What spring bride wouldn't want to get married in a fairy tale garden under a gazebo?