Darryl and Cindy Cunningham: HOPELAND GARDENS

Sunday, January 19, 2014

HOPELAND GARDENS

On the Saturday after Christmas Skye and Reagan to us to Hopeland Gardens in Aiken, SC. I took a ton of pictures as it was a beautiful day to look around the park. I forgot to take photos of the stables where the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame for South Carolina is located (silly me) but we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. After touring the grounds we drove into the downtown Aiken area where we walked around and ate at a wonderful Tea and Sandwich shop and Darryl explored a few of the Antique stores. We want to go back this spring when the flowers are blooming, I am sure it is a glorious site (and I need to get pictures of Aiken's horses and of the stables).
Enjoy!

(Before Reagan starts us on our tour I would like to say that she has the best grandma in the world! NO, not me. I am talking about her Nonna, Ryan's Mom, Donna. She is a wizard when it comes to sewing and crafting. She made Reagan this beautiful coat along with several other coats and suits! Amazing! I called Reagan my little Canary or Daffodil all day because of this adorable coat!. Thanks Donna!)

GOOD MORNING! My name is Reagan and I will be your tour guide this morning!

Follow me as we head down the beautiful path shaded by ancient live oak trees planted 100s of years ago, about the time Grandpa Darryl and Grandma Cindy were born.

How about if you carry me and I just tell you the directions?

On my left are the stables where they used to house their thoroughbred race horses and living quarters for the trainers, grooms and jockeys. Now it houses a wonderful thoroughbred racing museum.

This is not a thoroughbred race horse. If you wait just a minute, I need to pet it and give it some lovin'.

This big tree might possibly be older than grandpa. On your left is a garden with benches if you need to rest.

Okay.... this is one of my favorite places. It is the playhouse for the daughter of the original owners of Hopeland Gardens. On your right, separated from the main house is her School room. The center part of the house is actually pre-fab, ordered from a catalog in the early 1900s. On the right is the Kitchen area that was added to the structure. Their daughter would spend all day out here with tutors and nanny/nurse.

Below is the School room.....

This is the kitchen, all decorated for the Christmas Holiday....

and below is the main section of the house. It was pre-fab and could be bolted together.
There is no insulation in the ceiling or walls.

If you needed to move, you could unbolt the sections,

...take it apart, move it to the new area and put it back together.

The manufacturers label above the front door.

The rest of the kitchen.

Grandma thought the ceiling in the kitchen was cool. She is so odd.

On our way to the Rye patch...

One of the ponds on the property.

This is a nice bridge... I like the.... wait... did you see that fish jump in the pond?

This is the original buggy house and garage.

Now I have something very important to tell you. You must always stay on the path!

Do not go wandering off the path into the ivy covered yards because...

You could trip and fall....

And might have difficulty getting back up.

Do not try this at home. Leave to the professional like me to do. Thank you.

There are cypress trees over by the Rye Patch house.

Now Grandpa, these lights are not normally here. If you had come earlier in the week we could have come at night when it was all lit up. But I think I like this better when there aren't many people here and it's just us.