A visit to the Charleston Tea Garden is not complete without witnessing one of South Carolina’s most breathtaking landmarks—the Angel Oak Tree. Located on Johns Island, the 10 mile drive from the tea plantation to the tree is an easy one along SC-700E followed by a right turn onto Angel Oak Road. Note that parking is along the road and is somewhat limited. Although the tree is surrounded by a chain link fence to protect it, admission to the park is free.

And, of course, as with any tourist attraction, there is a gift shop to help you part with your hard earned cash to purchase a few Angel Tree souvenirs!

Oh, my! What a majestic sight!  Standing over 65 feet tall with a trunk circumference of 28 feet and a canopy stretching nearly 90 feet wide, the Angel Oak provides shade covering 17,000 square feet. The longest branch span is 187 feet! Yikes!

Unfortunately it’s hard to use ring counts on such old oaks (and core sampling has limitations) so precise dating is tricky but it is estimated that it is between 400 and 500 years old. Oh, if it could only talk – what it could tell us!

Some of the larger limbs of the tree get so massive that they dip toward or even touch the ground; supports (wires or anchors) have been used in some cases to help preserve large limbs.

The name “Angel Oak” comes not from angels, but from the Angel family (via Martha Waight Tucker and Justus Angel) who were historically associated with the land.

Because of it’s strong root system allowing it to withstand strong winds, it has survived numerous hurricanes – Hurricane Hugo (1989), Hurricane Florence (2018), Hurricane Dorian (2019), and Hurricane Helene (2024).

Besides hurricanes, there is another ongoing threat to the tree – development. But thankfully the Lowcountry Land Trust is a steward of the Angel Oak Preserve initiative, a 10 year community effort to unify the existing 9 acre city park with the surrounding 35 acres once threatened by development. Hopefully Angel Oak will survive many more centuries!