Swans and Irises and Beer

For Carlos’ birthday we went to Swan Lake … no, not the ballet, though Carlos would have loved that, but an actual Swan Lake fin Sumter, which is also home to the Iris Gardens.

Swan Lake Iris Gardens began in 1927 as a private fishing retreat for Hamilton Carr Bland, a local businessman, who created in out of a local swamp. He was also landscaping the grounds of his home with Japanese iris, but when they failed miserably, he consulted expert horticulturists who told him to dig up the iris bulbs and dump them in the swamp. The following spring, the iris burst into bloom and this accidental garden was born; it has since been developed into one of the finest botanical gardens in the country.

Following Bland's lead, in 1938 Mr. A.T. Heath, Sr., deeded additional acreage on the north side of Liberty Street to the city with the stipulation that Mr. Bland’s gardens be developed further. The two gardens are joined by the McDuffie Overpass crossing Liberty St, so that visitors can wander through the 120-acre gardens.

Swan Lake is dotted with colorful islands and wildlife and is the only public park in the United States to feature all eight swan species. It is also home to some of the nation's most intensive plantings of Japanese iris, which bloom yearly in mid to late May and last until the beginning of June—the Iris festival at the gardens is on Memorial Day weekend. The garden also boasts many other floral attractions, including colorful camellias, azaleas, day lilies, and Japanese magnolias; a Butterfly Garden and Chocolate Garden—which contains edible plants such as Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes, Chocolate Corn and Chocolate Mini Bell Peppers.

It certainly was a beautiful way to spend part of the day, but then it was on to lunch …

One of our favorite restaurants in Sumter is Hamptons, but they’ve recently opened a bourbon bar across the street called Sidebar, and so we opted to give that a try since you can eat outdoors, and it was a humidity-free day in South Carolina.

Sidebar also sits downtown in a restored historic building but this place features hundreds of beers and dozens of bourbons, along with BBQ and pub food and the adult milkshake.

Carlos and I took a table outside and watched as Hamptons set up for a special event; they closed off the street and were having a dinner for over three hundred people down the center of Main Street on one looooong table.

Luckily, we didn’t have to help and just sipped beer and ate, gorged, on pub food and a brownie for Carlos’ birthday.

All in all, a really nice, lovely, peaceful way to spend the day.