If you’ve come to the Lowcountry before, you may already know about the Angel Oak. It’s one of the most beloved and iconic places around.
Angel Oak is a majestic example of nature’s stunning beauty, a giant symbol of resilience, an important part of the area’s history, and a spiritual spot of meaning and reflection.
One of the Most Beautiful Places in the United States
Anyone visiting it in person, gets an immediate sense of its specialness. In fact, most people just sort of stand there, in silent awe of its beauty.
As I’ve blogged about before, the Angel Oak has even been named as one of the Top 15 Most Beautiful Places in the entire country. This is according to the Discoverer Blog, which placed it among the ranks of Yosemite, the Grand Tetons, Sequoia National Park and the Na Pali Coast on Hawaii’s island of Kauai.
It’s pretty amazing when you think about the fact that it’s ”just” a single tree.
Some mind-blowing stats about this tree:
- Angel Oak is approximately 66.5 feet tall.
- Measuring across the branch tips, it’s 187 feet wide.
- The trunk is 28 feet in circumference.
- The tree provides 17,200 square feet of shade.
- Almost half a million people visit it each year, with up to 3,000 people coming in a single day.
- Experts believe it’s one of the oldest living things in the country.
- They estimate it may be twice as old as the United States of America.
This is what Discoverer had to say about Angel Oak: “The South wouldn't be complete without its stunning oaks, and this one takes the prize. The 500-year-old tree can be found just outside Charleston. Its knobby arms draped with moss make it a wonder to behold, and you'll feel like you just stepped out of a southern romance novel.”
A Prestigious New Designation…
In exciting news, the Angel Oak has officially been added to the National Register of Historic Places. This honor is given to landmarks deemed significant to American history and worthy of preservation.
The National Register is an important program under the National Park Service. Virginia Harness, the National Register’s co-coordinator with the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office and an architectural historian, had this to say about it: “The National Register of Historic Places recognizes places that help tell the story of our nation. The Angel Oak’s listing acknowledges the generations of people connected to this site and highlights its importance as a centerpiece of local culture and history. This recognition helps raise awareness of the site’s significance and encourages continued stewardship for future generations.”
The Angel Oak and its surrounding area have seen notable moments in history and countless generations of overlapping cultures – like indigenous Native American communities, enslaved Africans brought to Angel Plantation, farming families of Gullah Geechee heritage, leaders in the Civil Rights movement including Esau Jenkins and Septima P. Clark, community gatherings of people of all backgrounds and races when that was not the societal norm, and significant art and musical performances. It’s a place where anyone and everyone can come, free of charge, to relax and experience the power of nature.
An exciting new chapter: Angel Oak Preserve
As I covered before, Angel Oak was threatened by a massive 500-apartment development planned just yards from the tree and its root system. Thankfully, due to a public outcry and a massive community effort by the Coastal Conservation League, City and County of Charleston, Greenbelt Program, the Lowcountry Land Trust and thousands of school kids and concerned citizens, money was raised to purchase and secure the surrounding land for posterity.
Work is underway to create a state-of-the-art 44-acre “living museum” and park around the tree, called Angel Oak Preserve. The designs are fantastic. They’re breaking ground this year, with an aggressive construction timeline thanks to a major gift from Boeing. They hope to open much of it in 2027.
This latest designation to the National Register of Historic Places is a huge boost for the project.
To visit…
If you’re here staying in one of our Isle of Palms vacation rentals, Angel Oak is a delightful outing. It’s only about an hour’s drive, and a lovely one at that. You get to pass over the scenic Ravenel Bridge, across the historic Charleston peninsula, the Ashley River, Wappoo Creek and Stono River on your way there.
Angel Oak is located at 3688 Angel Oak Road on Johns Island. It’s wonderful to visit any time of year and is perfect for all ages staying in your Charleston beach house.
And be sure to reach out to us at EP, to book the perfect luxury house on Isle of Palms as your home away from home.
All best,
Lowcountry Lisa
your Isle of Palms vacation blogger