Botany Bay Plantation

I have heard there are a lot of rattlesnakes along that area and the beach is more like muck or super saturated clay. the view is not worth the effort.

Rob,

All due respect, you could not be more wrong about Botany Bay. It is more than worth effort. I would say the drive down the Eddingsville Beach Road approaching BB is worth the trip alone. Once inside, the place is absolutely magical in its raw beauty! I jog over there from our place on Jeremy Cay (across a couple of inlets) and love the beach as well.

Just ask the Producers of "The Patriot" and other films why they chose BB as the set of their movie! I can tell you a whole bunch more if you like ... landerwood@gmail.com.

I was impressed with what I saw at Botany Bay. It's a little less than a 2 hour drive for me, but it was well worth it. I will definitely go back.

I respect Rob's opinion, however, it just goes to show that we don't all see things with the same perspective.

I would bet any money that Rob was just trying to keep people from finding out about Botany Bay, by mentioning rattlesnakes and muck.

Ok I know it is public land but you don't need a lot of people going there to screw it up.

http://www.preserveedisto.org/BotanybayWMA.ht...

The Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society and the Edisto Island Preservation Alliance will host an island wide meeting on August 7th at the Allen AME church, 8060 Botany Bay Rd. Our guest will be Mr. John Frampton, Director of SC DNR. Purpose of the meeting is to hear directly from Mr. Frampton SCDNR's vision of the future of Botany Bay and to allow the community to ask questions and make comments. We anticipate working together to create a volunteer organization to assist SCDNR at Botany Bay in the future. While primarily intended for Island residents and property owners the public is invited.

I just returned from a couple of visits to Botany Bay last week and I'm sorry but I feel like some of the "Preserve Edisto" rhetoric is nothing but propoganda to keep people from going there. The fire station that runs EMS calls is not far down the road and not once did I have any problems with cell service while in the park...I made and received calls while there. I saw the guy from DNR 3 times, once when he came to check on people at the landing and talked to me about kayaking and then had not problem finding him within 5 minutes after a tree fell and blocked the main road...he was back and removing it before I made it back there. That said, I understand the want and desire to keep such a beautiful place as pristine and unchanged as possible but what's the point if no one will ever be there to see it. It should be open to the enjoyment of nature lovers and naturalist..not just a select few. Have some faith in the system to do the right thing, if you run everyone off from there, people will never see it and won't be willing to donate or help keep it up and then it will fall to shambles.

The Edisto Island Preservation alliance is not trying to keep people away from Edisto, we depend upon visitors for our island's economy. We also know that we must preserve what brings them here our beautiful, unspoiled, non commercial setting. That is our purpose not to scare people or propagandize. I wrote the copy on the web site. I felt like it was pretty reasonable. I don't want Botany closed, I want to go there myself. It is a piece of heaven. But I also don't want the second most active loggerhead turtle nesting area in SC ruined. I don't want the threatened birds who nest there disturbed. I certainly don't want to watch the historic sites destroyed. I want people who value those things, which you obviously do, to come here and enjoy them safely. I'm glad y our cell phone worked there, different phones react differently. Mine did not. Isn't it reasonable to tell people how to prepare to come and enjoy a wildlife area? I think so.

Strange that for hundreds of years, no one other than the owners have donated anything to keep it from falling into shambles. The shambles come from allowing public access. That said, it's DNR's job to make it available, and it's going to be a big job monitoring how Edisto's priceless gem is used or abused. Go Edisto Island Preservation Alliance, I'm signing up as a member!

Congratulations on wanting to be a member...we need more people like you to help.

My family and I went to Botany Bay last week while
vacationing at Edisto Beach. We loved it. The beach was fantastic not to mention all the wonderful sea shells my grandchildren found. The tour through the plantation was also great. Thanks so much for opening it up to the public. We will definitely be back again.

Our Girl Scout Troop from Roanoke, Virginia traveled to Edisto in June. We were the first "public" group to be allowed on the property even before it was open to the public. We did a trash pick up on Shell Island and I must say that it was absolutely beautiful and we didn't get to see near as much as we would have liked to. Some of the land going onto the island is swamp-like the the beaches are beautiful and the people are wonderful. It was Ms. Pepper's wish to have her property be open to be a teaching resourse. The DNR folks are only trying to preserve it so that our children and their children will be able to learn about the way things were and about the wildlife. Most towns these days are building new buildings on all the land. As my dad used to say, "they aren't making land anymore!" At some point we have to say enough is enough and preserve some for our grandchildren. I believe that was all Ms. Pepper wanted for Botany Bay.

I hope SKing Columbia SC's grandchildren did not TAKE those shells they found!! We visited Botany Bay on 11/06/08 and were very impressed with the area. Aside from the mosquitoes--which were pretty bad--in the swampy area just before getting to the beach, it was worth the short hike to see such a beach--I've never seen so many shells!! I agree with Christy. It was a wonderful escape.

we just put a few new images- and some very old ones - on http://www.preserveedisto.org/BotanybayWMA.ht...

Take an ecotour with Botany Bay Ecotours www.botanybayplantation.com . Awesome!

botany bay is amazing. lowcountry SC is my future home hopefully, and all this talk about edisto is making me wish i were there now!!

I have been coming to my beach house at Edisto since 1975,and it has always reminded me of what Daytona Beach "looked like" as a child.I went to Botony Bay this past April, and fell in love with it!I felt like I had stepped back in time,when things were all so fresh and new, and I was all by myself on the earth. I felt like it was gift to me,from God.I have a group of Mom's who have lost children,who come to my beach house in September and February,where we spend time sharing;talking;eating;walking on the beach.By honoring our children and doing those things that glorify our Lord, we help in the healing process.This September 25th through the 27th,we plan to walk out to Botony Bay and let its beauty work its wonders on our hearts.Thank you for keeping it so beautiful!

It is a wonderful place, but please be aware that Botany is closed for hunting a good bit during Sept. I think 21-26 and 28-30 are among the dates. You can check on the dnr site or at the webiste of the Edisto Island Preservation Alliance http://www.preserveedisto.org/Botany%20Bay/Bo...

MIke wrote:

Rob,
All due respect, you could not be more wrong about Botany Bay. It is more than worth effort. I would say the drive down the Eddingsville Beach Road approaching BB is worth the trip alone. Once inside, the place is absolutely magical in its raw beauty! I jog over there from our place on Jeremy Cay (across a couple of inlets) and love the beach as well.
Just ask the Producers of "The Patriot" and other films why they chose BB as the set of their movie! I can tell you a whole bunch more if you like ... landerwood@gmail.com.

You are right. Bitten and sweating , the beach isn't worth it.

you are right. Not much to see for the price of being bitten and not much on the so called beach except a reef that shells come upon.