My husband always takes me on a trip towards the Christmas holiday. This year he had a couple trips planned for me. One trip was just a quick weekend trip to Sumter, SC, while our big trip will be documented in another post. He took me to Swan Lake Iris Gardens to see the wonderful Christmas light display (Fantasy of Lights). There wasn’t a long car line, and it took about 10 minutes to drive through the light display.
Each year they open their annual Swan Lake Fantasy of Lights on December 1st, and it runs through the whole month of December. There are more than one million lights that make up all the displays within their light exhibits. The best part is that admission is free! If you are looking for something to do with your family, no matter the age, then you will want to work this into your Christmas schedule.
The next day we went to the other side of the Swan Lake Iris Gardens. This is a black water lake with lots of wildlife and the only public park in the US to feature all eight swan species. Visitors can bring bread and crackers to feed the swans; however, one needs to be cautious during mating season as the swans can be more aggressive.
Even though this park happened by accident, it is one of the finest botanical gardens in the US. In 1927, Hamilton Carr Bland had his home landscaped with Japanese Iris. During this same time, he was working to develop 30 acres of swamp. The Japanese Iris bulbs did not bloom at his home, so Hamilton had all the Japanese Iris bulbs dug up and dumped at the swamp he was developing. The next spring the bulbs bloomed!
When you visit this park, give yourself a good hour to walk around the lake, watch the wildlife and also to take the time to read the educational boards and view the various statues along the way.
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