Middleton Place Garden Lights

As dusk drapes Charleston in lavender and gold, Middleton Place reawakens under a gentle glow. For the second year in a row, Garden Lights invites visitors to wander pathways brushed with artful strokes of light, where camellias bloom under the stars and America’s Oldest Landscaped Gardens shimmer in color.

Natural inspiration

At the heart of this luminous experience is Dana Hand Evans, Middleton Place Foundation’s president and CEO, who brings museum mastery and imagination to the gardens. Evans spent 14 years at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, where she helped expand the

audience through immersive, family-friendly events. Her inspiration for Charleston’s lighted evenings came naturally. “I was first exposed to this kind of event while working at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. When I interviewed for my position here, I recognized how beautiful the landscape would look when painted in light, highlighting the grand classic style of the gardens,” she says. “I was fascinated by the camellias, which bloom in February—nothing blooms in February where I’m from.”

Home to Arthur Middleton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Middleton Place is joining the nationwide celebrations for the 250th anniversary of America. “During Garden Lights, we’re taking the opportunity to honor that history with a dedicated red, white and blue display in one area of the event,” Evans explains.

Improvements and innovations

What Evans learned from the first year is that it’s tough to sell something when no one has ever seen it before. “People couldn’t even imagine it or fathom it,” she says. Then, when it did come to life, “it was more beautiful than I thought it would be. It was stunning.” Once visitors experienced the gardens illuminated in unexpected, artful ways, they were completely captivated.

This year, Garden Lights returns with refinements learned from the first season. Expanded, environmentally sensitive parking and well-lit, permeable pathways make the gardens easier to navigate. New interactive touches invite discovery—such as a button that makes the lights dance. “It’s not a race,” Evans adds. “It is supposed to be a leisurely, enjoyable walk.”

Creating the display itself is a feat of invisible artistry. “Because these are historic gardens, there are washes of lights—no string lights,” Evans explains. Each fixture is tucked carefully between borders and paths, adjusted in real time for just the right shade of blue, purple or green. The effect feels like a painter’s hand sweeping across the landscape—one that reveals, rather than disguises, its natural and historic beauty.

Deep respect for the history of the land

Evans’ deep respect for the land guides every choice. “We only work with vendors that can appreciate the historic site,” she says. “We want them to respect the land.” That respect extends into Middleton’s broader mission of inclusion and truth-telling. Through the Middleton Scholars Education Fund, proceeds from events like Garden Lights support the African American descendant community whose ancestors helped create and care for these gardens. “We can’t change what came before, but we can’t hide from it either,” Evans says. “Our job as a historic site is to bridge that gap—to invite people to the site, to understand its history and to make a better future.”

Twelve scholarships are awarded annually, with hopes to expand opportunities for students and underserved school groups. “I’d love to get to the point where we have enough support that kids from the region, 12 and under, can always attend the gardens for free,” Evans adds.

That philosophy—making history accessible and human—runs through all her programming decisions. “I think education can bridge all gaps,” she says. “If everybody can experience things, it allows people to see others as individuals and be more tolerant in the world.”

At Garden Lights, that bridge shines brightest. As camellias bloom in winter’s hush, the garden becomes a living conversation between past and present—a place where light doesn’t erase history but illuminates it.

Garden Lights runs on select nights from January 29–February 16. Tickets and details are available at middletonplace.org.