Yes - FREE!! Free concerts all summer long.  What a great little town I live in.  Aiken, South Carolina. 

We are so blessed to have this beautiful public garden in town.  Originally part of The Iselin family estate, Hopelands Gardens was given to the City of Aiken, and opened as a public garden in 1959. 

Enter the gardens and you get the feeling that you are in a different world - possibly even stepping back into time. Giant old trees tower over the main entrance path provide shade on a summers day.  Listen to the birds.  Smell the flowers.  Hear the fountains from afar.  Stroll along the path and you will see fields of grass, flowers galore, beautiful magnolias with flowers the size of dinner plates - really - they are some big old trees!.  As you wander through the gardens you will come upon ponds (complete with some ducks and turtles!), fountains,  amphitheaters and brides.  Yes, brides! And entire wedding parties, lol. Many local brides have their wedding photos done in the gardens :)         Actually - so many events are marked with a picture at Hopelands Gardens it seems.    Proms - Graduations - Weddings - Family visiting from out of town...!     (One of my nieces had her wedding at Hopelands Gardens, it was absolutely beautiful)  

There is even a touch-and-feel walkway with braille signs.   

Museums on the property

the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame, the Dollhouse, and the Carriage Museum.

 Hopelands Gardens offers year round beauty, but in the summer you can combine the beauty of the gardens with the sound of music!   A picnic supper, a blanket, family and friends make for a perfect Monday evening during the summer months.  Most of the concerts begin at 7:00 P.M.   And admission is  ALWAYS free.  Bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on, and enjoy!

                                        Here is the 2008 Summer Concert Series Lineup                                                        

Come and enjoy the concerts and the gardens.   You'll be glad you did.

Hopelands Gardens is located at Whiskey Road and Dupree Place, Aiken SC.  Open from 10am till dusk.      We'll talk about the Christmas display later in the year! :)