ACS Convention February 19-22, 2026

 

2026 American Camellia Society
National Convention

February 19-22, 2026

Charleston, SC

The Coastal Carolina Camellia Society is excited to host the 2026
National Convention in Charleston, SC!  Sign up for a fun-filled
itinerary of historic gardens that are the epi-center of
Camellias in America -
 

Welcome to the 2026 American Camelia Society National Convention

Early Bird Rate: $375
Due by December 15, 2024
Regular Rate: $410
Due by December 24, 2024
Day rates are available - see form below
All four hotel Breakfasts, all three lunches, two banquet style dinners and four open-bar cocktail hours included in the full registration fee!!!

Hotel breakfasts may be purchased for non-staying guests - $25

Click here to register for the 2025 ACS Convention
(online registrations only - check or credit card accepted)
Both Out-of State and Local Residents should register online

 
  The Inn at Middleton Place
4290 Ashley River Rd
Charleston, SC 29414

Early Bird Daily Room Rates - taxes and fees excluded

ACS Group rate will apply if you want to arrive earlier or stay longer than the convention dates. However, You MUST call (843)556-0500 to make reservations in that case AND you must immediately state you are with the American Camellia Society room block

Please book your room now!  Registration cost above is only guaranteed for guests staying at the Inn at Middleton Place. Admission fees and other costs may be additional if you stay at another hotel. Thank you for understanding!

Ashley River Room: $415
Grand King: $330
Grand King w Mobility Access: $330
Grand Queen: $310
Courtyard King: $230
Courtyard King w/Soaker Tub: $230
Classic Queen: $190
Classic Queen w/ Mobility Access: $190
Classic Queen w/ Soaker Tub: $190
 

                          Last Day to Book: January 20, 2026

Hotel Contact:
Lacey Pannell - Group Sales Manager
(843)556-0500
Lacey@TheInnAtMiddletonPlace.com
  Click Here for Reservation -- The Inn at Middleton Place

ACS Convention Schedule of Events/Programs

Click here to download the 2026 ACS Convention Schedule 

Highlight of Places You'll See

 

Thursday, February 19, 2026
Welcome Reception
Middleton Place Lodge

Cocktails and snacks in the Presidential Suite with Host and ACS President, Jim Fitzpatrick


Friday, February 20, 2026
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens
  In the late 17th century, Stephen Fox acquired a 400-acre plantation along the banks of the Ashley River. Fox passed the land to his son-in-law, Thomas Drayton, thus establishing the Drayton family name upon the Ashley’s shores. The Draytons expanded their land holdings over the next two centuries, reaching nearly 1,700 acres by the dawn of the Civil War. This land made up what became known as Magnolia-on-the-Ashley and later Magnolia Plantation & Gardens.
In the 1840s, the Rev. John Grimké Drayton planted the elaborate Romantic gardens to help his new wife, Juliana Ewing, a Philadelphia socialite, adjust to Lowcountry life. The Rev. Drayton hoped the gardens would not only add beauty to their property but would also showcase his amazing collection of azaleas and camellias. In fact, Drayton’s stunning plants—long kept in the greenhouses of New York and Pennsylvania—were among the first of their kind to be planted outside in South Carolina’s subtropical climate. While Drayton possessed the vision, it was the enslaved who carried it out and labored to bring the Romantic garden dream to life.
Following the Civil War, Rev. Drayton found himself in dire need of revenue. Drayton sold a great deal of his holdings for phosphate mining—like many other large landholders across the Lowcountry—but Drayton held another unique card in his hand. In 1871, Magnolia opened its gardens to the public, becoming one of Charleston’s first tourist attractions. During the magnificent blooming of camellias and azaleas, visitors arrived via steamship on the Ashley River and received guided tours from those who had formerly been enslaved. People have been admiring the gardens ever since.
   
Friday, February 20, 2026
The White Bridge at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens
Spectacular river vistas, colorful plant displays, ancient camellias and massive live oaks draped in Spanish moss make up Magnolia's centuries old horticultural legacy. The oldest section of the gardens still exists at Flowerdale, a tiny section of the original formal plantings adjacent to the first Magnolia house.
In the early 1840s, the Rev. John Grimké Drayton began to design an informal, “picturesque style” garden to showcase his azalea and camellia collections. These gardens were opened to the public shortly after the Civil War. Today, visitors can wander their original paths, marveling at the magnificence that has inspired poets, painters, and authors for over two centuries.
Magnolia is now open year-round, showcasing seasonal blooms. Our world-renowned camellia collection begins to bloom in early winter; by spring, our magnificent azaleas create an unparalleled display. Daffodils, roses, hydrangea, magnolia, and gardenia bloom during the summer. Fall brings the turning of the trees, when Japanese Maple, Sweetgum, Bald Cypress, and Black Tupelo brighten the year's end with a fiery finish.
   
Saturday, February 21, 2026
Middleton Place on the Ashley River
Guest Speaker 
 Middleton Place is America’s Oldest Landscaped Gardens and home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Located along the Ashley River in Charleston, Middleton Place is a National Historic Landmark, historic home, research center, and historic plantation and stableyards. The Middleton Place Foundation not-for-profit educational trust that connects to the very fabric of our nation’s complex history. We focus on the contributions of the Middleton family as well as the enslaved Africans and African Americans who lived and worked here. The stories are a microcosm of United States history.
The Gardens, which Henry Middleton envisioned and began to create in 1741, reflect the grand classic style that remained in vogue in Europe and England into the early part of the 18th century. The principles of André Le Nôtre, the master of classical garden design who laid out the gardens at Vaux-le-Vicomte and the Palace of Versailles were followed. Rational order, geometry and balance; vistas, focal points and surprises were all part of the garden design.
Henry Middleton's original gardens contained walkways or allées, which were planted with trees and shrubs, trimmed to appear as green walls that partitioned off small galleries, green arbors and bowling greens. Sculpture was placed at the end of long vistas and ornamental canals designed with mathematical precision. Changes in elevation and new surprises were created at every turn.  

 


 
Saturday, February 21, 2026  
The South Flanker, today's House Museum
at Middleton Place was built in 1755
 
The Gardens evolved as subsequent generations made contributions over time. Arthur Middleton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, befriended French botanist, André Michaux, who is thought to have brought the first camellias in America to Middleton Place. Governor Henry Middleton, Arthur’s son, planted many more camellias and introduced additional plant material, including tea olives and crepe myrtles. Williams Middleton expanded the Gardens, incorporating romantic garden influences, and brought azaleas to the plantation – now over 100,000 in number. In the early 20th century, Heningham Lyons Ellett Smith, wife of Middleton descendant J.J. Pringle Smith, restored the landscape that had been largely neglected for nearly six decades following the Civil War. Her efforts led the Garden Club of America to describe Middleton Place in 1940 as the “most important and interesting garden in America.” It remains so to this day.

Related Files

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magnolia white bridge.jpeg
magnolia plantation residence.jpeg
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middleton hydrangea statuary.jpg