Sweeping down to the Ashley River, 110 acres of terraced lawns and formal 18C English gardens burst into their fullest glory in early spring. Laid out in 1741 by Henry Middleton—who was elected president of the First Continental Congress in 1774—the gardens once formed part of the Middleton rice plantation. The original plantation house was burned during the Civil War; the brick structure that remains, Middleton Place House (visit by guided tour only), was built as a gentlemen's guest wing. After strolling through the gardens, visit the stableyards near the house, where plantation life is re-created.