Ashley River Road · SC-61

Charleston's oak tunnel, one way: from West Ashley the route follows SC-61, the Ashley River Road, past Drayton Hall, Magnolia and Middleton Place under live oaks hung with Spanish moss, then takes SC-165 to Summerville. It's 22 miles. The three plantations charge admission. The first stretch in West Ashley has four lanes and city traffic, and from June to September expect heat and mosquitoes.

SC-61, the Ashley River Road, is probably the oldest road still in use in South Carolina: it was authorized around 1690 to link Charleston with the plantations upriver. It became a state scenic byway in 1998 and a National Scenic Byway in 2000. After a busy four-lane start in West Ashley, the road narrows to two lanes under a tunnel of live oaks hung with Spanish moss.

Along the way it passes three historic plantations one after another: Drayton Hall, an 18th-century house; Magnolia Plantation and Gardens; and Middleton Place, home to the oldest landscaped gardens in the United States. All three charge admission. Past Middleton the route takes SC-165 to Summerville, where Azalea Park has parking a block off the road. The access road to Givhans Ferry State Park is sandy dirt and isn't part of the route, and from June to September expect heat and mosquitoes.