11 Spots for Dreamy Live Oak Trees in Charleston

A big part of Charleston’s charming aesthetic is its enormous live oaks trees with Spanish moss swaying gently in the breeze.

You may have even heard of the Angel Oak already. While we love the Angel Oak, we’re also locals that can tell you there are PLENTY of other spots to see moss-draped live oaks in Charleston.

The Angel Oak is a bit off by itself, not particularly close to any other sightseeing spots. It’s worth a visit, don’t get us wrong, but if you only have a couple of days in town and no car, the Angel Oak shouldn’t be on your itinerary.

Here are 11 other free and paid spots with amazing live oaks for your Instagram feed or scrapbook.

Free Places to See Live Oak Trees in Charleston

All of the following are free entry spots where you can find Charleston’s signature live oaks with Spanish moss.

Several of these are also on our ‘iconic photo spots in Charleston’ list. If you’re a shutterbug, you’ll love these locations!

A word on photoshoots: Angel Oak requires paid permits for photo shoots, but the rest of the public spots do not.

The Battery & White Point Gardens

The tip of the peninsula in downtown Charleston is called The Battery because once upon a time cannons lined the spot to defend the harbor. Today, it’s an elevated sea wall and White Point Gardens, a free public park.

The green space is a couple of city blocks long and is lined with enormous live oaks, all with the perfect amount of Spanish moss waving in the wind. Enjoy a picnic in the shade after a stroll along the sea wall.

In the spring, the azaleas steal the show from the trees and make for some awesome photos.

This spot is within walking distance of the historic center. You can always drive by if you’d rather, and most downtown tours pass by as well.

Waterfront Park

Another easy option for live oak trees in Charleston without leaving downtown: Waterfront Park. The live oaks drape over the pathway in typical Southern charm fashion, providing shade for the benches beneath them.

Depending on the time of day and year, this is a busy spot. The popular Pineapple Fountain is also in this park, the dock has swinging benches, and the fountain by the dock is basically a splash pad for kids and pets in the summer.

We think the trees at The Battery are more impressive, but that doesn’t mean these are bad trees. They’re a much shorter walk from the Charleston City Market, too.

Angel Oak

You may think from our intro that we don’t like Angel Oak, but that’s not the case! It’s worth a visit if you have the time and a way to get out here, other than a rideshare.

The Angel Oak claims to be the oldest live oak tree east of the Mississippi River, and if you visit, you’ll probably have no trouble believing it! The Angel Oak is enormous.

Because of its fame, though, it has quite a bit of protection for a tree. It’s inside a Charleston County-maintained park with free entry but operating hours. The area is surrounded by a tall security fence, complete with razorwire on top, so vandals can’t get in and damage the fragile tree. Read our Angel Oak guide for all the details.

They also have a very strict photo policy here. If you’re just taking photos on your phone or with a handheld camera, you’ll be fine.

But be aware that they require paid permits for photo shoots, so no clothes changes, props, or tripods while you take photos.

Hampton Park

A local favorite, Hampton Park is a free, public park with flowers in every season, a small lake with bridge and fountain, and, of course, several awesome live oak trees.

This park is right next to The Citadel’s campus, Charleston’s military college, so you’ll often find runners circling the park. But it’s also a great picnic spot for families and photo spot for nature photographers.

The large live oak trees here have branches similar to Angel Oak’s where they roller coaster up and down and have supports in some spots to help stabilize them.

If you’re walking the gravel path around the small lake, you’ll probably have to duck around limbs in the one corner. But there are plenty of trees to explore while you’re here.

The Mall in Mount Pleasant

This might seem silly, but sometimes you’re staying in the suburbs because you need to be near fast food chicken nuggets just in case your toddler decides to eat something besides goldfish crackers.

Search for the Barnes and Noble in Mount Pleasant at the outdoor mall, and the parking lot right next to it has a chill relaxation area by a large live oak tree.

They’ve added lights and Adirondack chairs on a turf grass area so you can sit and sip your drink or enjoy a snack under the shade of a live oak.

Driving Down the Road

That’s quite vague, we know, but there are several places where just driving down the road is a visual treat.

There are no places to stop and take a picture, though. Either be the passenger prepared to take photos through the windshield or set up your phone, dash cam, or GoPro to take a video while you drive.

Ashley River Road is a gorgeous drive. As you get away from neighborhoods and closer to the historic plantations, the roadside vegetation turns back into its wild nature but is still lined by live oaks that drape over the roadway. It creates a tree tunnel as you drive out to the historic sites.

The roadway really needs to be widened to help alleviate local traffic, but the measure keeps getting voted down because it would mean cutting down many of those beloved trees.

Driving out to Kiawah and Seabrook Islands is another beautiful drive. It’s not quite the same tree tunnel as Ashley River Road, but it’s a close second.

These trees are less orderly and actually encroach on the road in some spots, marked by giant yellow caution signs so you’ll see them. But it’s still a pretty drive!

Good to Know: Kiawah and Seabrook are gated communities. You can’t enter either one unless you’re staying there or have another reservation, like a restaurant or a golf tee time.

The one exception is Kiawah Beachwalker Park. It’s a paid-entry county park that provides public access to Kiawah’s beach.

Charleston Tea Garden

We’ve included this in the free section because there’s no admission fee to enter the property, so you could see their live oak trees without paying a dime.

But if you’re going to drive all the way out here, we highly recommend you make time for the (paid) trolley tour!

This is the only tea farm in North America, and if you get lucky on timing, you might visit on a harvesting day and see the processing plant in action. They harvest periodically throughout the summer, so you never know.

The trolley tour only takes about 45 minutes and starts under the beautiful live oak trees in front of the gift shop. Snap some photos while you wait for your tour to start!

Pro Tip: The bushes underneath the live oaks are azaleas. Come in the spring and they’ll be in bloom, too!

Regardless if you choose to take the tour, free tea tastings are always available inside the shop, both hot and cold varieties. Discover a new tea blend, find a new favorite tea accessory, or pick up a pack of the tea candies!

Paid Entry Spots with Gorgeous Live Oaks

Some of the more popular sightseeing spots have their own gorgeous live oak allées and record-breaking trees.

If you already have one or two of these spots on your list, then you don’t need to seek out other live oak trees in Charleston. You’ll be set at each of these places.

Good to Know: All of the historic plantations have many large live oak trees on their premises. We’ve mentioned the two that are most unique, but you can’t really go wrong visiting any of the Charleston area plantations.

The Middleton Oak at Middleton Place Plantation

Middleton Place is one of the historic Ashley River Plantations. The Middletons were highly influential citizens as far back as the Carolina colony goes. One of them even signed the Declaration of Independence!

One son cleared the space and set up their home here during colonial America, and part of that was installing proper English-style gardens. Lots of straight lines and neatly trimmed plantings here.

The Middleton Oak was one of the biggest and oldest live oaks in the area until it was struck by storms. The majority of the tree is still here, but it’s not quite what it once was.

Note: it’s an interesting tree, but we wouldn’t come here just for the tree.

Middleton Place has beautiful English-style gardens to explore, the remains of the home with Middleton family possessions inside, and a stable yard with adorable animals.

Boone Hall Plantation’s Oak Allée

Another popular historic plantation, this time in Mount Pleasant, Boone Hall impresses before you even get out of your car.

You’ll pay for entry at the gate, but then you drive down the middle of an incredibly impressive live oak allée on your way to the parking lot by the main house.

These gorgeous, towering live oaks line both sides and shade the driveway, still the same packed dirt path originally built to lead visitors to the front of the plantation house.

The trees here are one of the two main draws for visiting. The other is the Gullah culture presentations. Don’t skip those! They’re very well done.

Cypress Gardens

Another spot that’s a bit far out for the average visitor, Cypress Gardens is a paid attraction that offers perhaps a more realistic idea of what the Lowcountry looks like naturally.

This was a cultivated garden, hence all the flowers, but the cypress trees and alligators are all South Carolina. You’ll find live oaks mixed in with all the cypress trees and flowers.

Part of your entry fee includes a complimentary rowboat rental, so you can get out on the water for some unique angles on the trees. Most of the trees that overhang the water are cypresses, but it’s still a unique photo opportunity.

This is also out by itself, so you’d need a car to visit.

Safe travels, adventurer!

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