On our way to Sumter, we stop at JAARS, a facility that trains and equips people to spread the Gospel. Here we visit the Museum of the Alphabet. At Swan Lake and the Iris Gardens during the Iris Festival. The beautiful black waters of Swan Lake form the setting for the spectacular Iris Gardens. The lake is dotted with colorful islands and wildlife is abundant. Swan Lake-Iris Gardens is home to some of the nation’s most intensive plantings of Japanese Iris, which bloom yearly in mid to late May. The magnificent swans are gathered from all over the world.