South Carolina is home to a number of gorgeous must-see gardens. There's a topiary garden, a swamp garden, several botanical gardens, and many more. But there's only one garden where you'll find all seven species of swans: Swan Lake Iris Gardens. In fact, it's the only garden in the entire country where this is true.

You'll find this incredible swan park in S.C. in Sumter, featuring a picturesque black water lake.

Begun as a private fishing retreat for a local businessman in 1927, what eventually became Swan Lake Iris Gardens was populated by thousands of iris plants by accident. Anyone who's planted irises before knows the plants grow from a bulb.

Well, the local businessman was landscaping his home in the late 1920s, which was near to some swamp land (now the gardens), when he had thousands of iris bulbs planted in his yard.

Come spring, the iris bulbs didn't bloom. So he had the landscapers dig up the bulbs and throw them in the swamp. The next spring, the bulbs bloomed in full glory (in the swamp land). And the rest is history. To this day, each May, Swan Lake Iris Gardens has thousands of iris blooms that last until early June.

But Swan Lake Iris Gardens is known for more than just the annual iris bloom. It's also home to a ballet of swans. Seven different species, in fact.

The spectacle of seeing them all in one place attracts thousands of visitors to the garden each year. There's just something about the dainty feathered creatures that inspires peaceful notions in people.

Photographers love capturing award-worthy shots of individuals and pairs of the swans.

The gardens encompass 120 acres in the heart of Sumter.

The Swan Lake Gardens Loop Trail is a wonderful way to experience a well-traveled pathway around the gardens. It follows the perimeter of the lake and doles out striking views of the gardens, the lake, the annual iris blooms, and of course...

The seven beautiful species of swans that live here.

Be sure to bring a camera device at full power. You'll be surprised at how many Swan Lake Iris Gardens photos you'll take as well as how tame they are.

Another gorgeous sight along the trail is the "Recovery" sculpture created by world-renowned wildlife artist Grainger McKoy. Representing the wing of a pintail duck in flight, this position is considered the weakest in bird flight, but, as McKoy explains, "in the artist’s eye is the position with the most beauty and grace. All of us are in recovery somewhere in our lives, as is our environment, of which Swan Lake is a unique part.”

In 2020, Trip Advisor awarded Swan Lake Iris Gardens the annual Traveler's Choice Award. The gardens maintain a consistent 4.5 stars among Trip Advisor review ratings and currently rank at 4.7 stars among Google user reviews.

The gardens are open year-round from 7:30 a.m. until dusk. Admission is free. There are several annual events held within the gardens, including Earth Day, an Easter Egg Hunt, Iris Festival at Swan Lake Iris Gardens, Taste at the Gardens (which is the opening ceremony for the Iris Festival, and the Fantasy of Lights at Christmas. I personally have visited the gardens during the Iris Festival one year, which was a lot of fun, as well as to see the lights at Christmas. It's a really nice drive-through display and the largest free Christmas lights display in the state.

Learn more about Swan Lake Iris Gardens at its page on the Sumter, S.C. website.

Editor's note: There seems to be a dispute over how many species of swan still remain in the world. The City of Sumter website reports it at eight. However, various Internet sources report six and seven.