Musgrove in St. Simons Island, GA. The Boat House, a small four-bedroom house at the end of the long Musgrove driveway, also includes a country-style screened-in porch overlooking the beautiful marshes and excellent fishing from the dock right outside. The house, along with most of the property, still looks much as it did when this image was taken in the 1980s.

Nestled among thousands of oak trees with wisteria clinging to fences and Spanish moss cascading from everywhere, Musgrove represents all that we love about natural Southern splendor. That’s why this historic family estate made the perfect sight for our Spring photo shoot.

The formal gardens, featuring symmetrical plantings of azaleas, lilies, and other shrubs surround a beautifully trimmed maze. The immaculate hedges made for picture-perfect photos.

Here, five things to know about this 1,200-acre treasure.

1. The late Nancy Susan Reynolds, philanthropist and daughter of tobacco magnate R.J. Reynolds, and her then-husband, Henry Bagley, built Musgrove in 1938. They intended it as a family compound and meeting place for the family’s numerous foundations—and it still serves the same purpose today.

2. Six pristinely preserved low-country style residences made of tabby (oyster shells and cement) and cypress trees lend the grounds a feeling of rustic sophistication.

3. The estate is named in honor of Mary Musgrove. Known as the Pocahontas of the South, this 18th century civic leader acted as the liaison for British General James Oglethorpe as he worked to unite the Native American community and the Colonial Georgians.

4. President Jimmy Carter’s first preinaugural Cabinet meeting took place on the property and to this day, no other complete Cabinet meeting has ever been convened outside of Washington, DC.

5. An exquisite sanctuary, the property boasts a 10-acre pecan orchard, a large lake and creek for kayaking and canoeing, and forest trails fit for invigorating horse rides.