places to travel south carolina

40 Best Things To Do & Places To Visit In South Carolina

By: Author Jerric Chong

Posted on Published: April 24, 2021  - Last updated: October 16, 2023

South Carolina is a state steeped in history.

It was once the state with the most slave trade activity, was the first to secede from the Union, and was the eighth in ratifying the U.S. Constitution.

Today, many of the famous places from its history remain, from plantations to jailhouses and from sites-turned-museums to ruins and forts.

Many of its built-up cities are immensely popular with guests, especially Charleston , Greenville , Columbia , and Florence.

South Carolina is also well-known as a vacation spot for tourists.

It has gorgeous coastlines, verdant wooded areas and parks, golf courses and recreation spots, museums, and many historic points of interest along the way.

Though it’s one of America’s smaller states, it’s still packed with options for exploration and enjoyment.

To help you decide where to visit and where to go, here are our picks for the 40 best things to do and places to visit in South Carolina.

Table of Contents

1. South Carolina State Museum

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The South Carolina State Museum sits in what was once the Columbia Mills Building of downtown Columbia, the world’s first electric mill for textiles.

It is a state-of-the-art location packed with showcases and displays on natural history, art, science, culture, history, modern lifestyle, and technology of the region.

Opened in 1988, it’s also the state’s biggest museum, a fitting title given its name, and retains much of its original textile mill features.

This museum is home to four exhibit floors that showcase both permanent and temporary displays.

There are four categories of displays – cultural history, natural history, art, and science and technology – that allow you to view replicas, artifacts, and local art in turn.

Some of the most fun and popular exhibits are the megalodon shark sculpture and a life-sized replica of the Best Friend of Charleston, or the first entirely American-built locomotive.

Temporary exhibits are similarly state-themed, with exhibits and pop culture showcases of all varieties.

Modern exhibit styles mean that many displays come with multimedia or interactive information.

There is also a 4D theater fitted with air blasts, vibrating seats, and even leg ticklers.

An observatory, bookstore, digital dome planetarium, and a gift shop add to the many other ways to enjoy one of the main South Carolina attractions!

Address: 301 Gervais St, Columbia, SC 29201, United States

2. Charleston Historic District

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If you’re looking for vacation spots in South Carolina, a great place to start is in Charleston Historic District .

It is so named for being one of the city’s earliest established districts – and yet it remains one of its busiest today!

More than 1400 different buildings, including churches and “single house” homes, that date back to the 18th and 19th centuries make up the area.

The atmosphere is delightfully relaxed and there’s something charming about the antebellum-era whimsy that remains.

As a National Historic Landmark, the neighborhood is teeming with attractions that make up many of the key places to visit in South Carolina.

A carriage ride can bring you around and clue you in to the most tourist-worthy spots while teaching you a little about the district’s history.

Walking streets make sightseeing easy, which is good since there’s so much to do that it’ll take up all your time this weekend!

Among the historic structures to tour in Charleston’s Historic District are the 1808 Nathaniel Russell House, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, the Charleston County Courthouse, the Old Exchange Building, and the Aiken-Rhett House.

You can also simply wander Meeting Street, Broad Street, and King Street to enjoy a merging of history with modern but quaint shops and eateries.

3. Fort Sumter National Monument

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The Fort Sumter National Monument is one of the best tourist attractions in South Carolina for history buffs and war academics alike.

It is made up of two locations: the fort itself and a special Visitor Education Center where you can learn more about the historic monument.

It is located on an island and requires a half-hour ride on a boat to get to.

Arranging for a ride a day in advance is required, or you can use a personal vessel and anchor it on the fort’s western side.

Fort Sumter in Charleston is the location where the very first shot was fired in the Civil War, in the year 1861.

The National Monument, as it is now preserved, allows you to take a walking tour and relive this significant point in the fight for civil rights in America.

Many parts of the monument are only accessible via stairs, but they’re rewarding to climb to.

Caverns still hold cannons from the Civil War era and the Visitor Center provides detailed information about the fort’s importance as well as a number of artifacts.

Address: Charleston, Columbia, SC 29412, United States

4. Huntington Beach State Park

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If you’re looking for fun things to do in South Carolina that involve nature and the great outdoors, look no further than Huntington Beach State Park .

It is a stunning coastal natural preserve that is most famous as a birding and bird-watching location.

It covers 3 miles of a land stretch and hosts many nature programs.

More than 300 different bird species can be seen at Huntington Beach State Park.

There is also a freshwater lake where you can spot alligators, programs where you can get up-close with endangered species like loggerhead turtles, and a Nature Center that showcases live animals and historical information.

You can even head out on the trails to look at the rare local flora!

If nature-focused attractions aren’t your thing, you can still enjoy a unique part of South Carolina’s history by checking out the Atalaya Castle, which is where the Huntingtons themselves lived.

The Atalaya Visitor Center hosts interesting exhibits and the “castle” home is available to tour and relive.

And, of course, the beach area is perfect for rest and relaxation!

Finally, in September, you can go up to the Atalaya Castle to attend to Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival.

Address: 16148 Ocean Hwy, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576, United States

5. Middleton Place

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Middleton Place is the site of the oldest landscaped gardens in the United States, so it’s no wonder that this is one of the top 10 sites in South Carolina.

A former plantation, it began operations in 1755 and is an authentic glimpse into the 18th and 19th-century life on these 65 acres of beautiful gardens.

Middleton Place is also a National Historic Landmark, though only one of the original mansion’s buildings remains standing.

That portion is packed with many of its initial, genuine furniture and is a museum of sorts that you can tour.

Portraits, porcelain, and other rarities make for interesting finds.

The gardens are in a traditional French style and filled with camellias, magnolias, azaleas, and other stunning flowers.

Carriage tours are available to bring you around the gorgeous grounds.

You can also check out the Plantation Stableyards, which house heritage-bred animals, and the Middle Place Restaurant, which serves delicious meals.

Address: 4300 Ashley River Rd, Charleston, SC 29414, United States

6. Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

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Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is one of the most fascinating things to do in SC, especially if you love history, the army and its components, and water vessels of all sorts.

Located in Charleston Harbor of South Carolina, it is home to an impressive three different museum ships that you can tour, with two of them being the USS Clamagore and the USS Laffey.

The most famous of the ships at the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is the USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier of Essex class that was completed in 1943.

It was the US Navy’s tenth aircraft carrier and, in World War II, earned 11 battle stars before earning five more in the Vietnam War.

It is also the starring set of The Fighting Lady, a documentary from 1944.

In 1968, the USS Yorktown aided in the retrieval of astronauts from the Apollo 8 mission.

In 1975, it was retired to the museum where it now rests.

The USS Yorktown is now the site of 25 displayed aircraft and a Medal of Honor museum, among other exhibits.

Meanwhile, the USS Clamagore is a soon-to-be artificial reef and is actually a submarine.

The USS Laffey continues further the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum’s theme of showcasing decommissioned naval ships and maritime history.

All three ships can be walked through and explored in fun self-guided or docent-led tours.

The Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum also has exhibits onshore.

This includes a Civil War cannon, two helicopters, and interactive displays of Vietnam War and World War II artifacts.

You can also eat at the snack shack or cafe and stop by the gift shop for souvenirs before you leave!

Address: 40 Patriots Point Rd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464, United States

7. Brookgreen Gardens

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As far as things to see go, the Brookgreen Gardens are certainly one of the places of interest in South Carolina that you shouldn’t miss.

The name “gardens” may evoke the idea of a small area, but it’s actually a mass of land stretching across 9,100 acres with many interesting places to check out within.

The Brookgreen Gardens are award-winning and famous for housing more than 2,000 figurative sculptures, making it the most comprehensive and biggest collection of its kind in America.

More than 430 different artists have their works displayed here, which is no surprise considering that Anna Hyatt Huntington, a notable sculptor, was one of the founders of the gardens in 1932.

It was also the country’s first public garden of sculptures.

Interestingly, the grounds of the Brookgreen Gardens were once four different rice plantations.

Sculptures are arranged throughout a number of different themed areas, including the Palmetto Garden, Kitchen Garden, a terrace garden, and even a children’s garden.

If you’re here at the right time, you may be able to catch the Nights of a Thousand Candles event, which happens once a year and involves the garden’s full decoration with candles and lights.

Address: 1931 Brookgreen Garden Dr, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576, United States

8. Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

The Magnolia Plantation & Gardens are a must-see for any fun-loving nature enthusiast.

Found in Ashley River, Charleston County, South Carolina, the plantation was established in the 1670s by the rich and renowned Drayton Family.

In 1870, it opened to the public and became America’s first public garden.

Despite its age, it has been tended to by the same family, which also owns it, for the last three centuries and beyond!

With its age, a lot of the Magnolia Plantation & Gardens predate even the Civil War, providing an interesting glimpse into the common flora of that time – magnolias especially!

The romantic atmosphere is further aided by the fact that the blooms remain all through the year, with camellias in winter and azaleas in spring.

Tours are varied with different themes, with the most popular one being “From Slavery to Freedom: The Magnolia Cabin Project Tour”.

If you’d like, you can also tour the house of the Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, which, while less ornate than common plantation homes, is spectacularly beautiful nonetheless.

Still, few can deny that the true draw is the gardens themselves.

Wildlife is teeming about, with the Audubon Swamp Garden boasting turtles, otters, and even gators, and the waterfowl refuge being packed with local birds.

A horticultural maze, multiple trails, and a nature center also provide fantastic insights into the gardens.

Address: 3550 Ashley River Rd, Charleston, SC 29414, United States

9. Caesars Head State Park

Caesars Head State Park is one of the best places to go and one of the best things to do in South Carolina for sightseeing and natural atmospheres.

It is situated in Cleveland, South Carolina, and spans 13,000 acres of gorgeous, lush green land with views that encompass the Carolinas and Georgia .

It’s also packed with photo ops, largely thanks to its Blue Ridge Escarpment portions within.

At Caesars Head State Park, you’ll find mountain landscapes and an elevation of more than 3,200 feet.

Wildlife, such as black bears, falcons, and hawks, are commonplace.

Among the things you can enjoy here are swimming at the swimming holes of the Jones Gap Trail, hiking to the state’s tallest waterfall known as the Raven Cliff Falls, and the Overlook viewpoint that provides majestic panoramas of Table Rock.

You’ll also find fishing rivers, geocaches for treasure hunting, and the Foothills Trail that covers 77 miles into the next state park!

While you’re here, don’t forget to check out Devils Kitchen.

It is made up of a gneiss rock formation and earned its name due to a legend stating that the devil himself carved the unique geological feature.

The stairs of Devil’s Kitchen descend into the very small gap in the rocks that was made due to water freezing and expanding on the mountain thousands of years prior.

Address: 8155 Geer Hwy, Cleveland, SC 29635, United States

10. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden

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The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is a fantastic and fun option for what to do with kids or family in South Carolina.

Covering 170 acres of land, it is home to an impressive number of over 2,000 different animals across 8 uniquely designed habitats that mirror natural spaces.

More than 350 animal species are presented here, as well as 4,200 species of plants in a sectionally divided, 70-acre botanical garden!

Among the animals you can see here are koalas, kangaroos, elephants, meerkats, gorillas, giraffes, zebras, baboons, ostriches, African lions, lorikeets, California sea lions, grizzly bears, Komodo dragons, Siberian tigers, and more.

Habitats encompass the African Plains exhibit of two acres, a Ndoki Forest for Asian species, and more.

Some of the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden’s activities are ziplines, animal-feeding, a carousel, a vertical rope course, a climbing wall, and even a play area that spans 3 acres.

In other words, it’s more than just a zoo – and it’s even one of America’s greatest, at that! – and it’s well worth a visit!

Address: 500 Wildlife Pkwy, Columbia, SC 29210, United States

11. DuPont Planetarium

DuPont Planetarium

The DuPont Planetarium is a part of the University of South Carolina Aiken and is one of the best South Carolina attractions for those intrigued about space and the heavenly bodies.

The educational space prides itself on a mission of inspiration, aiming to showcase the wonders of the sky and beyond to visitors of all ages.

The theater is relatively small, seating only 45 people and measuring a mere 30 feet in diameter.

However, what it lacks in size it makes up for in information and entertainment.

It renders a beautiful projection of the night sky for the audience.

Regular public shows are held on Saturday nights, making for the perfect way to spend time this weekend, focusing on topics such as astronomy, biology, and the weather.

There are also themed seasonal shows, such as the Seven Wonders of the Earth.

On the first floor, you’ll find an observatory, a camera obscura, a pair of sundials, and even a walk-in kaleidoscope.

The public telescope at the observatory may give you the opportunity to see planets, star formations, and more.

Address: 427 Scholar Loop, Aiken, SC 29801, United States

12. Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens

The Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens are yet another South Carolina plantation.

The plantation itself was founded in 1681, beginning as a site for the growth of pecans and cotton.

It has not ceased operations since its start over three centuries ago and has now widened its scope to incorporate vegetables and fruits that it sells at its market.

In 1983, the Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens were registered on the American National Register of Historic Places.

With 738 acres to its name, it’s one of the most fun places to visit in South Carolina for a mix of exploration, history, and nature.

Gorgeous oak trees, a lovely rose garden, and a stunning butterfly pavilion make it ideal for sightseeing.

You can also head to the mansion itself to explore the house’s antiques and take a step into the past.

Address: 1235 Long Point Rd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464, United States

13. McLeod Plantation Historic Site

McLeod Plantation Historic Site

The McLeod Plantation Historic Site is a crucial part of the history of America and the Gullah, which has earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

It was created in 1851 and covers 37 acres of land, with a specific 9.2-acre area perfectly preserved for tours and education.

It’s one of the best places to see in the state of South Carolina for those seeking insight into the region’s history.

Tours of the McLeod Plantation Historic Site last 45 minutes and bring you through a number of well-kept buildings that retain much of their original features.

The main plantation home, a riverside pavilion outside, a cotton-processing shed equipped with machinery of the era, and even 6 slave cabins made of clapboard are included in the tour.

Address: 325 Country Club Dr, Charleston, SC 29412, United States

14. Greenville Zoo

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Seeking fun things to do in South Carolina – one of the most beautiful states in the US?

The Greenville Zoo  is a great option!

It opened in 1960 and covers 14 acres of land.

Founded with the intention of providing community education and fostering appreciation of wildlife and nature, it has since become a key attraction in South Carolina.

Different habitats at the Greenville Zoo provide showcase spaces for all sorts of different animals.

You’ll see monkeys, giant anteaters, African lions, snakes, turtles, toucans, lizards, giraffes, frogs, Amur leopards, domestic animals, and farm animals alike.

There is also the incredible Quarters for Conservation research program that helps fund endangered species protection.

A range of bike and walking paths gives you an easy way to explore the Greenville Zoo.

You can even stop for activities like sports at the volleyball and tennis courts, snacks at the picnic sites and concession stand and play at the playgrounds.

Don’t forget to stop by the gift shop or check out the programs and events!

Address: 150 Cleveland Park Dr, Greenville, SC 29601, United States

15. Drayton Hall

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Drayton Hall is largely considered one of the best places to go in the state for a mix of history and authentic Georgian Palladian architecture.

It was built for John Drayton over the span of four years, with construction completed in 1742 with a mixture of free and slave labor.

The house, which sits on land measuring 630 acres, remained within the family until 1974.

In that time, disasters in the late 19th century destroyed two of the outbuildings, but since then more than 260 years of preservation have allowed it to remain the same.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation received the building in 1974, 14 years after its National Historic Landmark designation.

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History considers it one of America’s finest remaining plantation houses.

It was also the only one in the area that survived both the Civil War and the prior American Revolution and earned its National Trust recognition for its full wood paneling, elaborate entrance hall ceiling, and breathtaking double stairs.

Professionally guided tours of the house and self-guided tours of the gardens give you tremendous glimpses into the culture and times of the building’s most active years.

The main house, built from red brick, has barely changed from its initial structure.

The African American Cemetery, Ashley River and marsh, and Gates Gallery all provide more ways to learn about the history of the location, and the National Trust’s many programs supplement that well.

Address: 3380 Ashley River Rd, Charleston, SC 29414, United States

16. Charleston City Market

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The Charleston City Market has a sobering history that, while not fun to learn much of, makes it a crucial place among South Carolina destinations for those who want the full, unfiltered truth of the state’s history.

It was built in 1859 and earned the nickname of the “Old Slave Mart” for obvious reasons.

As slavery laws tightened, the Charleston City Market of South Carolina was seen as a means to provide space for private auctions.

Congress has banned any international slave trade participation beginning 1808, but it wasn’t until 1865 that it declared the domestic slave trade outlawed.

This meant that this actually caused the peak of the slave trade of America, and up to 40% of all enslaved African people were brought through Charleston and sold to one of the South’s many plantations.

When public auctions were outlawed by the city in 1856, the Charleston City Market was created.

The Charleston City Market’s dark history has seen it auction enslaved individuals, farmland, and livestock.

When the Union Army put a stop to much of the industry’s existence upon its occupation of the city, auction houses were slowly destroyed until none but the Charleston City Market remained.

The building saw new lives as a tenement, then a museum, then a car dealership, and today an actual market with a museum on site.

You can purchase leather goods, toys, souvenirs, and clothes here, as well as the works of the “basket ladies”, who are of West African descent.

Address: 188 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29401, United States

17. Congaree National Park

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The Congaree National Park is relatively new in the span of South Carolina’s length history, having only been designated a national park in 2003, but it’s one of the best things to see and is a pride of the state.

Swampy and wide-reaching with 20,000 acres of verdant wilderness, it contains one of America’s biggest old-growth forest tracts.

You can explore the stunning Congaree National Park by walking on the boardwalk, or you can try taking a canoe or kayak out.

Boardwalk Loop is an easy way to explore on foot while Cedar Creek offers water vessel excursions that get the adrenaline pumping.

Birds, snakes, synchronous fireflies, bobcats, and more call the park their home and may be spotted along the way.

Congaree National Park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is made up of floodplains from the titular Congaree River.

It has the country’s highest deciduous tree canopy and some of the tallest trees in general on this side of the Mississippi.

More than 100,000 visitors come by annually to check out the flora and fauna.

Address: 100 National Park Rd, Hopkins, SC 29061, United States

18. The Angel Oak

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The Angel Oak looks like it came right out of a fairytale.

It’s one of the oldest oak trees still living on this side of the Mississippi River and can be found in Johns Island, South Carolina.

It’s a bit of a hidden gem but it’s a fun must-do that’ll take your breath away.

With a 17,000 square-foot shaded area around it, a 28-foot circumference, and a 65-foot or 6-story height, the Angel Oak is impressive, magnificent, and a sight to behold.

Its biggest branch spans a whopping 187 feet!

The Angel Oak is believed to be between 400 and 500 years old and is a Southern live oak, which is a kind of flora native to the coastal Carolinas’ lowland country area.

It has seen a lot of disasters in its time, from earthquakes to hurricanes to floods.

It even suffered damage in 1989’s Hurricane Hugo but recovered very well and proceeded to grow on.

The name comes from the Angel Estate, and it’s rumored that former slaves appear as ghosts in its vicinity.

It has since become Charleston City’s property and the local Coastal Conservation League has fought long and hard to protect it from potential damage from development activities.

Address: 3688 Angel Oak Rd, Johns Island, SC 29455, United States

19. The Peace Center

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The Peace Center is situated in the heart of Greenville’s downtown area and is largely considered the upstate’s cultural hub.

The multipurpose venue is capable of seating 2,100 people in its concert hall, 1,400 people in its amphitheater, and 400 people in its theater.

It has event spaces, rehearsal spaces, different stages, and more, making it incredibly versatile for acts of all kinds.

300 or so events are held at the Peace Center on an annual basis, with genres suiting many different tastes.

Jazz, Broadway, musical concerts, comedy, political events, and celebrity acts all arrive here to take the stage.

There’s also the South Carolina Children’s Theater and the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, which call the Peace Center their home.

With all its variety, there’s no surprise that watching a show here is one of the top things to do in South Carolina!

Address: 300 S Main St, Greenville, SC 29601, United States

20. Hilton Head Island

Not sure what to do in South Carolina that’s laid-back and down-to-earth?

Head to Hilton Head Island this weekend, one of the points of interest perfectly suitable for thinner crowds and low-country activities.

It is one of South Carolina’s many beach towns but boasts entertainment that will keep things cool and chilled out during your stay.

Sandy beaches, cycling trails with informational signs and lovely views, dolphins at low tide, golf courses, eateries, and shopping opportunities make Hilton Head Island a sheer delight.

It’s a glorious island retreat without the stress of an overly packed tourism hotspot and is one of the state’s most beautiful places.

Planning a trip to Charleston? Known for its robust tourism industry, Charleston is home to famous historical landmarks and sites! If you do plan the trip, here’s what to do in Charleston, SC ! 

21. Charleston Tea Garden

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The Charleston Tea Garden is North America’s only tea plantation, which means it’s extremely one-of-a-kind and definitely among the greatest South Carolina attractions.

Owned by Bigelow Tea Company, the plantation has an interesting start to life.

In the late 1700s, French botanist Andre Michaux brought the Camellia sinensis plant, central to all tea, to North America.

In 1888, Dr. Charles Shepherd successfully produced plants capable of growing tea in the climates of America and set up a highly successful farm in Summerville, South Carolina, known as the Pinehurst Tea Plantation.

When he died in 1915, his plantation was abandoned.

The Thomas J. Lipton Company purchased the dying plantation in 1960 and moved the remaining tea plants to Wadmalaw Island near Charleston, placing them in a research facility.

17 years of hard work and experimentation led to the creation of over 300 tea varieties, but Lipton didn’t think tea would be successfully grown in America due to climate and labor costs.

Finally, in 1987, a man named Bill Hall – the son and grandson of tea tasters – purchased the research site.

He reviewed old research and developed eight tea varieties onsite in what would become the Charleston Tea Garden.

Bigelow Tea Company finally bought it in 2003 and took Hall’s tea and distributed it nationwide.

The rest, as they say, is history!

The plantation now offers guided trolley tours of its grounds and a gift shop with many tea varieties and souvenirs.

Address: 6617 Maybank Hwy, Wadmalaw Island, SC 29487, United States

22. Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is one of the key places to visit in South Carolina and is one of its most fun vacation spots, especially in the summer.

It welcomes 13 million annual visitors and a ton of beach excitement, with many activities to enjoy and try out.

Aside from relaxing on the shore, you can explore this South Carolina getaway by visiting some of its key attractions.

Broadway at the Beach offers numerous entertainment and shopping opportunities separated into charming themed areas.

The Ripley’s attractions bring the bizarre and unique to light in museums, aquariums, and other enjoyable outlets.

Finally, the 187-foot Myrtle Beach SkyWheel gives you a 10-minute ride in a lovely gondola to view the stunning panorama of the world outside.

23. The Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden

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The Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden is one of South Carolina’s free things to do, and better yet, it’s also one of the state’s tourist attractions.

Its tale begins in 1981 when the titular Pearl Fryar and his wife got a hold of their very first yard area with their new home.

After facing racial discrimination and fears of their white neighbors over their supposed inability to maintain a yard, Fryar became determined to win the local Gardener’s Club Yard of the Month award – and be the first Black man in Bishopville to do so in the process.

To do so, he started to rescue plants thrown into nursery compost piles.

Fryar had no knowledge of horticulture but taught himself what he could, and his plants grew under his careful hands.

He ignored advice to use fertilizer and pesticide and even didn’t water them almost at all, and yet they grew and grew!

He then started making his plants into abstract shapes with an electric hand saw, slowly working through all three acres of his land until it boasted 300 topiaries.

Pearl Fryar continues to tend to his yard every single day till now, further decorating his land with homemade “junk-art”.

You’ll see fantasy forms in the plants, or fish skeletons, or even letters, and you can tell that Fryar puts a lot of love into every single detail.

The Garden Conservancy and the Friends of Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden partnered in 2006 with the aim of preserving the garden for a long, long time to come.

You’re welcome to visit and explore!

Address: 145 Broad Acres Rd, Bishopville, SC 29010, United States

24. Alligator Adventure

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Alligator Adventure isn’t just the biggest reptile zoo in South Carolina; it’s also one of the world’s largest!

Spanning 15 acres, it aims to let visitors learn more about these deadly reptiles safely but up-close.

You get to watch alligators get fed and even touch one in a controlled environment.

Aside from alligators, Alligator Adventure surprisingly holds over 200 animal species, ranging from birds to mammals, from other reptiles to amphibians, and even an array of exotic creatures.

The alligators still take the cake, though!

Regardless of what you’re here to see, a trip to Alligator Adventure is one of the most fun things to do in South Carolina.

Address: 4604 Hwy 17 S, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582, United States

25. UFO Welcome Center

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The UFO Welcome Center is one of the most unique places to go in the state of South Carolina.

It is entirely homemade by local resident Jody Pendarvis and is made out of random junk materials, metal, and scrap wood.

The design is meant to look like a pair of silver UFOs balanced on top of each other behind a fence of metal scraps.

The lower UFO structure is fitted with a television, toilet, shower, bed, sofa, and even air conditioning, designed to be a good home to an interstellar traveler who needs a place to rest.

Pendarvis himself even stays in it when it gets too hot, as the structure boasts better air conditioning than his own trailer!

The UFO Welcome Center was completed in 1994 and measures 42 feet in width.

The entry fee increases relatively regularly, so it’s a bit of a novelty and may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it rests in Pendarvis’ backyard and proclaims its name loudly, spray-painted with the words “UFO Welcome Center” on the scrap fence.

Address: 4004 Homestead Rd, Bowman, SC 29018, United States

26. Falls Park on the Reedy

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Falls Park on the Reedy is situated in Greenville, South Carolina, and is a stunning urban space packed with lush green – a fun city park that should be on your list of things to do in SC!

It is home to the annual Upstate Shakespeare Festival and provides amenities for picnics, trails for cycling, and even a man-made waterfall.

Falls Park on the Reedy was finished in 1967 and spans 32 acres.

It is decorated with public sculptures and art, charming stonework, and the rather architecturally interesting Liberty Bridge.

There’s even a trail that leads into Cleveland Park called the Swamp Rabbit Trail that you can hike!

Address: 601 S Main St, Greenville, SC 29601, United States

Planning a trip to Columbia? Affectionately known as the “Soda City” Columbia was named after Christopher Columbus! If you do plan the trip, here are some of the best things to do in Columbia, SC !

27. White Point Garden

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Since 1837, White Point Garden has been one of South Carolina’s things to see.

It is a public park spanning 5.7 acres that can be found in Charleston, right on the peninsular tip.

It’s a great space for photography and relaxation, and the views of Fort Sumter and the Charleston Harbor from here are wonderful.

One of the main draws of White Point Garden is the fact that it was used as a Civil War fortification.

This means that cannons, mortars, and other military relics still remain scattered about the area.

You can find them as you walk on the pathways beneath the oak tree shade, and there is also a gazebo and some benches to relax in when you need a break.

Address: 2 Murray Blvd, Charleston, SC 29401, United States

28. Poe’s Tavern

Poe’s Tavern

You may not know this, but Edgar Allen Poe spent some army time on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, from 1827 to 1828, under the name Edgar A. Perry.

Some locals of Charleston believe that his story, The Gold Bug, written in 1843, is set on Sullivan’s Island.

This would eventually lead to poets and writers telling tales of Poe’s so-called southern roots, even going to the lengths of saying that Poe’s ghost remains wandering the beaches of the state.

There are even some who think Annabel Lee is about a local woman Poe met here!

Truthfully, much of Poe’s connection to South Carolina has shrunk into myth material more than fact.

But that doesn’t mean that Poe’s Tavern isn’t a must-see near the shore of the Atlantic!

The fun little eatery and pub is quirky, colorful, and full of quotes by Poe and portraits of the late great author.

It’s a cool place to grab a snack and chat with some locals while experiencing some of the legendary legacy of Poe!

Address: 2210 Middle St, Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482, United States

29. Fort Moultrie National Monument

Another Sullivan’s Island spot, the Fort Moultrie National Monument earned its monument status in 1948 thanks to its 171-year protection of Charleston from the Revolutionary War to World War II.

It was built in 1776 and retains much of its original appearance thanks to restorative efforts.

Guided tours of the Fort Moultrie National Monument are among the best things to do in South Carolina, offered twice daily and earning you a special and fun look into the past.

Interpretive signs and informational plaques also allow for self-guided tours.

Address: 1214 Middle St, Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482, United States

30. Old Sheldon Church Ruins

Denton Rumsey / Shutterstock

The Old Sheldon Church Ruins may be one of the most haunting places to visit in South Carolina.

They date back to the mid-1700s and boast gothic architecture.

Details surrounding its creation are fuzzy, but it is believed that it was once a part of a worship house known as a Parish Church of Prince William.

When the Revolutionary War came about, it was nearly destroyed by British forces, then lay abandoned.

In 1826, attempts to rebuild began, but then the Civil War broke out and General Sherman’s troops burned it down when they entered South Carolina.

The Old Sheldon Church Ruins have remained in that state ever since, creating an oddly beautiful and melancholy experience for visitors.

With tall oaks and old graves, it’s commonly used for photoshoots and photography, and it is also one of the free things to do in the state.

Address: Old Sheldon Church Rd, Yemassee, SC 29945, United States

31. Old Charleston Jail

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The Old Charleston Jail was erected in 1802 and served as the South Carolina city’s jailhouse until 1939.

The front interior of the jail is all that remains from its initial design, as rebuilding in 1855 provided a more threatening appearance with towers, an octagon, and an arched facade.

Each floor was designed to hold a different kind of inmate – ground floor for “gentlemen”, second floor for minor criminals, and third floor for hardened criminals.

Most of the prisoners who were locked up in the Old Charleston Jail were petty criminals, though the worst offenders were hanged in the yard.

Many who weren’t hanged passed away from disease or natural causes.

When the Civil War came around, hundreds of Union soldiers were kept here, with total numbers being so large that some POWs had to stay in tents in the jail yard.

An earthquake in Charleston in 1886 destroyed parts of the jail and some parts were demolished or reduced significantly.

In 1911, the last hanging occurred here, then the jail declined in the 1930s as apartment buildings were set to be constructed opposite its grounds.

In 1939, it was decommissioned and used for storage until the 1970s, when it was turned into a museum.

Finally, today, it is one of the most unique South Carolina attractions and is owned by the American College of the Building Arts, which is restoring and renovating it.

Address: 21 Magazine St, Charleston, SC 29401, United States

32. The Button Museum

Holly / flickr

The Button Museum is one of the many fun things to do in South Carolina.

It was created by Dalton Stevens, who experienced severe insomnia that reached its height in 1983.

Desperate for something to do, he started sewing buttons into a suit repeatedly.

In two years, 16,000 buttons had been glued or sewn onto it, and Stevens moved onto button-ing his guitar shoes, and even more.

Though this didn’t exactly help his insomnia, this gained Stevens quite a bit of fame.

This hobby gave him more stuff to do, and he became “Button King” by his own proclamation and started adding buttons to the most exotic and eccentric things he could find.

He would then rent out a space close to his home to house all these items in, and this would become the Button Museum.

Stevens passed away in 2016 in South Carolina’s Bishopville, but the Button Museum lives on.

You can find all sorts of things covered in buttons here, such as caskets, an outhouse, hearses, and more.

Address: 53 Joe Dority Rd, Bishopville, SC 29010, United States

Planning a trip to Greenville? Considered as the cultural and entertainment center for the upstate, Greenville is known for its recreational centers and delicious food! If you do plan the trip, here are some of the top things to do in Greenville, SC !

33. South Carolina Aquarium

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The South Carolina Aquarium opened in 2000 and is a whopping 93,000-square-foot facility packed with exciting ways to spend your time.

It’s one of the top places to go for families and is an excellent location for fans of marine life of all kinds.

At the South Carolina Aquarium, you’ll find aquariums, touch tanks, salt marsh aviaries, and more.

Horseshoe crabs can be held, stingrays can be fed, sharks can be touched, and animals like reptiles, lemurs, and songbirds also wait to be seen.

Address: 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston, SC 29401, United States

34. Tiny Town of Easley

Tiny Town of Easley

The Tiny Town of Easley was once a traditional holiday site in South Carolina, one of the key southern points of interest for generations of locals.

In 1974, Perry and Ollie Jennings kickstarted it all when Perry built a tiny log cabin for Ollie just like one she’d always wished to live in but knew she was unlikely to be able to.

Ollie was so thrilled with the little cabin that the couple decided to keep building.

By 1977, they had a whole tiny miniature version of the town they lived in, and they added Christmas lights as small buildings popped in more and more.

Children loved the small town and it was one of the staple things to see for them.

The Jennings passed away by 2009, and this left the Tiny Town of Easley with 80 structures.

Sadly, only 25 remain, and some of those have been changed to be more kid-friendly.

Despite that, thousands of people visit this corner of South Carolina to view the town every year, a testament to the vernacular handicraft that was once a staple of the region.

There is no entrance fee, making it one of the state’s free things to do, too.

Address: 555 Latham Rd, Easley, SC 29640, United States

35. Deep Sea Fishing

project1photography / Shutterstock

Anyone visiting South Carolina should be aware that deep sea fishing is a must-do – that is, if you like to fish, to begin with, of course!

Anywhere from April to November is ripe for anglers, with giant blue marlin, amberjack, barracuda, sailfish, cobia, and more game fish making up the deep waters.

This is especially true because of the many artificial reefs of South Carolina.

3,000 miles of tidal shoreline and various fish species make all these pretty places perfect for fishing!

Hilton Head Island, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Beaufort are prime South Carolina destinations for this activity, and you can rent private boats, jump on fishing charters, or use your own vessel.

36. Oyotunji African Village

Oyotunji African Village

One of the best things to do in South Carolina is to visit the authentic Yoruba village known as the Oyotunji African Village .

It was founded by Oba Oseijeman Adefunmi I in the 1970s in Sheldon, South Carolina, as his followers arrived from places like Indiana , New York , and Chicago .

The Oyotunji African Village is North America’s oldest authentic village of its kind.

Once upon a time, 200 residents live here, but that number has dwindled to now about 50.

It only measures about 10 acres in size and, while it uses basic amenities like plumbing and electricity, the residents live very simply.

Courtyards, open-air shrines, a bazaar selling jewelry, art, clothing, and herbs, and a royal palace.

It’s a great way to entrench yourself into a culture you don’t find often in America.

Address: 56 Bryant Ln, Seabrook, SC 29940, United States

37. Poinsett Bridge

Arcade Photo / Shutterstock

Poinsett Bridge is a humble little spot with gothic design and a shrouded history.

It’s known for being South Carolina’s oldest bridge and is even the reason for the name of the forest reserve it’s in.

But somehow, no one knows who built it!

The bridge earned its name from local resident Joel Roberts Poinsett, a renowned individual at the time, and it was made in 1820 as a means of connecting North Carolin a and Tennessee .

The road spans 130 feet and the bridge is made of simple stonework arranged in a medieval-style archway.

It’s widely considered one of the area’s most beautiful places to see and is a much-loved local landmark worthy of a trip.

Address: 580 Callahan Mountain Rd, Landrum, SC 29356, United States

38. Yogi Bear Honey Fried Chicken

Yogi Bear Honey Fried Chicken

A little unusual among South Carolina attractions, the Yogi Bear Honey Fried Chicken at Hartsville is the last outlet of the honey-flavored-chicken franchise created in the 1960s when celebrity restaurants were at the height of popularity.

Locals of South Carolina very much enjoy dining at this unique remnant of the past, which screeched to a halt when Hardees Foods Inc. lost interest in expanding the chain.

Locations closed down one by one, and Hartsville’s branch has been the only one since the late 1990s.

It’s a fascinating slice of fast-food history.

Address: 514 S 5th St, Hartsville, SC 29550, United States

Planning a trip to Myrtle Beach? Known for its breathtaking beaches, golf links, and tantalizing seafood restaurants, Myrtle Beach is a major tourist destination for all the right reasons! If you do plan the trip, here are some of the cool things to do in Myrtle Beach !

39. Mars Bluff Crater

Kelly Michals / flickr

If you want more unique places to visit in South Carolina, the Mars Bluff Crater is a fascinating option.

During the Cold War, the military had difficulty keeping nuclear bombs airborne as they were being transported, and some were completely lost.

Twice, though, the bombs were dropped onto American land – and once, one such bomb landed on the home of Walter Gregg in Horry County, South Carolina.

Luckily, the bomb hadn’t been armed and it didn’t detonate, and the place it fell wasn’t densely populated.

But the fact that it dropped at all was an act of carelessness due to an accidentally pushed emergency release pin.

When the 8,500-pound weapon fell 15,000 feet to the ground, Gregg and his family were thankfully unharmed when it landed and created the Mars Bluff Crater, destroying his house and many homes nearby in the process.

This marked the beginning of higher safety precautions when transporting these weapons and Gregg was paid $54,000 to quietly start his life anew.

Eventually, he even befriended the crew that caused the fall and remained pen pals with many, even after he moved away.

You can come to visit the partially obscured crater now and marvel at the tragedy very narrowly avoided.

It’s one of the state’s free things to do, naturally!

Address: Crater Rd., Mars Bluff, Florence, SC 29506, United States

40. God’s Acre Healing Springs

God’s Acre Healing Springs

God’s Acre Healing Springs is another one of the free things to do in the state, and it’s one of many remarkable unique tourist attractions.

It is so named because the land is owned by God himself and the natural spring water is rumored to be able to heal the sick.

The tale goes that fatally wounded soldiers from British forces were waiting to die in the woods when Native Americans brought them to the spring to heal up.

Six months later, the soldiers returned to their camps, completely healed.

From then on, God’s Acre Healing Springs transferred ownership many times before finally being deeded to “God” by its final owner in 1944.

Given the immortal nature of God, as we know him, the natural springs flow freely and presumably will continue to do so for years to come!

Address: Springs Ct, Blackville, SC 29817, United States

Start Planning Your Trip To South Carolina

There are many places to visit in South Carolina, and they cover all sorts of genres and subjects that are interesting to people of all ages and from all walks of life.

With any luck, this list has helped you decide what to do on your trip to South Carolina, the Palmetto State!

Happy travels.

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16 Top Things to Do in South Carolina

From beaches to golf and historic sites to natural wonders, explore the Palmetto State's top attractions.

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Riding the Ferris wheel at Myrtle Beach, hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains and dining on honey fried chicken are just some of the things to do in South Carolina.

The Palmetto State contains many surprises. It's the first state to open a library (1698), and its state fruit is the peach – it produces even more than Georgia. But beyond what you may not know about this coastal state, South Carolina has plenty of what you would expect, from historic estates and cultural tours to gorgeous shorelines and its ever-present oak trees. It's a state that blends old and new, land and sea.

For everything you plan to do in South Carolina, whether it's golf, a stroll through manicured gardens or a day at the beach , seek out something new; maybe it'll be a trolley ride through a tea plantation or a kazoo factory tour. Take some time away from the city – Charleston or Columbia – to tour an African village or spend a day learning about Gullah culture. You can also set off from the mainland to visit one of South Carolina's many islands, where a centuries-old oak or the brief home of a famous author may await you.

With hundreds of years of history and postcard-perfect landscapes, South Carolina has something surprising in store for any traveler.

(Note: Some of the following activities, attractions and locations may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. New policies may be in place, including capacity restrictions, reservation requirements or mask mandates. Check with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of State and local tourism boards before traveling.)

Charleston's Historic District

Many of the sites and landmarks pivotal to South Carolina's story are clustered together in the historic district of Charleston. The Heyward-Washington House at 87 Church St. is notable because it was built in 1772 as the Georgian-style town house of Thomas Heyward Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The "Washington" part of the name comes into play because none other than President George Washington used the home for a weeklong stay in Charleston in 1791.

Meanwhile, the Aiken-Rhett House was built in 1820, and remains one of the best-preserved town house complexes in the country. In addition to its architecture, the attraction is also notable because it was home to a number of enslaved people. Visitors today can gain a better understanding of the conditions that enslaved workers lived in; original paint, floors and fixtures remain from the 1850s. Recent patrons of the Aiken-Rhett House praise its emphasis on the slave experience, saying that having the full context made the visit more meaningful.

Even the hotels here are historic. In 1852, a wholesale grocery business at 181 Church St. became the largest of its kind in the South, and its founder brought in his first store clerks as partners. That location is present-day Hotel Emeline, which features its own archive on display spanning collections from 1920 through World War II, as well as a coffee shop named Clerks.

Don't miss a stroll through the White Point Garden in the heart of historic downtown. Views of Fort Sumter and the harbor can be seen among the park's old oaks and Civil War cannons and monuments.

To see the best of Charleston, consider one of the city's guided tours. Charleston tour options include everything from harbor cruises to ghost hunts.

[See more of Charleston: Things to Do | Hotels | When to Visit | Photos ]

Congaree National Park

Congaree National Park is home to the oldest bottomland hardwood forest in North America, and that means its biodiversity is astonishing, from its endangered indigo snakes and red-cockaded woodpeckers to its massive loblolly pines. Across its 20,000 acres, there are more than 25 miles of hiking trails, including 2.4 miles of boardwalk that wind over the Congaree floodplain. A marked canoe trail invites visitors to kayak or canoe their way through the park along Cedar Creek. More adventurous and experienced paddlers can take on the Congaree River Blue Trail, a designated 50-mile recreational paddling trail that stretches from Columbia to Congaree Park. The park's physical address is in Hopkins and it's free to enjoy.

Drayton Hall

There are many historic homes across the Palmetto State, but Drayton Hall has the distinction of being the oldest unrestored plantation home in America, dating back to 1738. The structure, which homed seven generations, has been stabilized rather than restored to its period decor. Founder John Drayton's wealth largely came from his 100 plantations and the enslaved people who worked them, estimated to have numbered in the thousands and included Native Americans. Visitors have noted that despite ongoing preservation-related construction, the archaeologists who work excavation sites at Drayton are fascinating to talk to.

Drayton Hall takes advance reservations for the main house tour − a self-guided audio tour that requires you to bring your own earbuds, or they can be purchased on the grounds for a fee. For an additional charge, hourlong interpreter-led house tours are available each operating day; online reservations are required.

Address: 3380 Ashley River Road, Charleston, SC 29414

Tour an African village

Covering 27 acres in Seabrook, the Oyotunji African Village is populated by families representing the Yoruba and Dahomey cultures of Nigeria and West Africa. The village, located in the woods, was founded in 1970 by "King" Ofuntola Oseijeman Adelabu Adefunmi I (born Walter Eugene King). Referred to as Oba Waja, he was initiated into the Orisa-Vodun priesthood in Cuba in the 1950s. At this unique community, which seeks to celebrate and educate visitors on the cultural practices and societal contributions of these African tribes, you'll find monthly festivals, historical documents, original art and more. You can schedule village tours, which last up to an hour, through the OAV website, for an additional fee, with discounts for kids and groups of 10 or more.

Address: 56 Bryant Lane, Seabrook, SC 29940

Touch an ancient oak tree

John's Island is the largest island in South Carolina, and most of it lies within the jurisdiction of Charleston County. On the island there is a must-see oak tree that predates the Declaration of Independence. The Angel Oak is a Southern live oak tree that is believed to be at 300 to 400 years old. That means it's estimated to have been around since at least 1620. It stands nearly 67 feet tall with its longest branch extending about 187 feet and is known as "A Lowcountry Treasure." No trip to South Carolina is complete without a picture of the state's grand oak trees, and the Angel Oak is one of a kind.

Address: 3688 Angel Oak Road, Charleston, SC 29402

Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is known nationwide as a soft-sanded, family-friendly beach vacation that's home to 60 miles of coastline. It's also known for its golf and is often considered a contender for the title of "Golf Capital of the World." Myrtle Beach offers approximately 90 golf courses to choose from, with consensus from top golf publications that the courses are convenient and affordable. Dunes Golf and Beach Club has stunning ocean views and is consistently rated one of the top golf courses in the country.

Huntington Beach State Park is a gorgeous place in Myrtle Beach to take a walk or bird-watch – it's considered one of the best birding locations in the state. Among the park's waters and wildlife lies an unexpected estate: Atalaya Castle was the winter home of the Huntington family who lived on the grounds in the '30s. The Friends of Huntington Beach State Park host tours of the estate March through May.

[See more of Myrtle Beach: Things to Do | Hotels | When to Visit | Photos ]

Channel Edgar Allan Poe on Sullivan's Island

People often associate horror writer Edgar Allan Poe with the New England settings of many of his stories, but you may not know Poe was a college dropout who joined the military and briefly found himself on Sullivan's Island , South Carolina, in 1827. He only lived on the island for 11 months, but both the place and the man left a lasting impression on each another. In Poe's story "The Gold-Bug," he says Sullivan's Island "consists of little else than the sea sand and is about three miles long." Today, Sullivan's Island remembers the author with his namesake Poe's Tavern. Open daily, the tavern serves sandwiches with names like "Raven" and "Pit & Pendulum." Stop in, have a drink and soak in a tiny slice of little-known literary history.

Wander the oldest landscaped gardens in the country

Courtesy of Middleton Place

First landscaped in 1741, the gardens at Middleton Place are still lovely to walk, but the grounds now provide a framework for the 280 years of history since. This National Historic Landmark in Charleston consists of a house museum; the slaves' quarters, called Eliza's House; working stable yards; and of course, 65 acres of gardens, which were inspired by Versailles . The three components of the house at Middleton Place were burned two months before the end of the Civil War, but have been restored and were opened as a house museum in 1975. In the years since, the curators have worked to incorporate the history of those who lived and worked on the grounds, in addition to the Middleton family. A 10-year research project commissioned by the Middleton Foundation recovered the names and stories of more than 2,800 enslaved people owned by the family over the course of 127 years.

There is a fee to access the gardens, with discounts available for students and children. If you stay at The Inn at Middleton Place, admission to the grounds is free.

Address: 4300 Ashley River Road, Charleston, SC 29414

Try honey fried chicken from Yogi Bear

Yogi might have been "smarter than the average bear," but his once-thriving fried chicken chain is down to just one location, and it can be found in Hartsville, South Carolina. In 1962, Gene Broome was the largest independent restaurant owner in the state, starting four national franchises, which later included Yogi Bear's, based around Broome's own recipe for honey-flavored fried chicken. But Hardee's interest in the chain eventually led Broome to sell it, and reports claim that once Hardee's had its honey additive, expansion of Yogi Bear's halted and the other franchises fell into disrepair.

Anyone craving that honey chicken today can still purchase a "Picnic Basket" of chicken or an individual "Boo Boo Basket." Adventurous diners can order fried liver and gizzards, as well.

Address: 14 S. Fifth St., Hartsville, SC 29550

Learn about Gullah culture on Hilton Head Island

There's more to Hilton Head Island than golf courses and beaches. This small island is home to a community of Gullah people, who are the descendants of enslaved West Africans brought to South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida and Georgia to work on plantations. Their culture – including their Creole language and traditions – is still being preserved today. Descendants remain scattered across the Southeast coast, including South Carolina's low country islands. The area between Pender County, North Carolina, and St. Johns County, Florida, is referred to as the "Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor" and it encompasses a variety of places significant to the Gullah Geechee people. Gullah Heritage Trail Tours, which begin and end at Hilton Head's Coastal Discovery Museum , provide an authentic look into the modern-day Gullah way of life, as well as exposure to the language and customs of this South Carolinian community. Beyond Hilton Head, Charleston's McLeod Plantation Historic Site , once a cotton plantation, is one of many estates strongly associated with the emergence of Gullah culture in the low country.

While you're touring local homes, be on the lookout for "haint blue," a color painted on the ceiling of porches and believed by the Gullah to ward off evil spirits – it's particularly abundant throughout Beaufort. And if you're visiting Hilton Head in February, consider attending the annual Gullah Celebration festival.

[See more of Hilton Head: Things to Do | Hotels | When to Visit | Photos ]

Fort Sumter National Monument

The Civil War began with shots fired on the garrison of Fort Sumter in South Carolina's Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861. Today, visitors can learn about what led to the war with a tour of the National Historical Park; the site is a must-visit for history buffs, according to recent travelers. But first, you'll have to board a boat to get to Sullivan's Island, where Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie are located. Fort Sumter Tours is the authorized concessioner of the National Park Service and operates ferry rides to the grounds, which include free ranger-led tours and a ride around the harbor on the return. Boats depart daily from Charleston or Mount Pleasant, and there are discounts for seniors, military members and children.

Address: 1214 Middle St., Sullivan's Island, SC 29482

[Read: The Best Tourist Attraction in Every U.S. State .]

Learn the history of the kazoo and make your own

When you think of things associated with South Carolina, kazoos are probably not the first thing to come to mind. However, in Beaufort, visitors will find one of the largest public collections of the buzzing musical instrument on the grounds of The Kazoobie Kazoo Factory. America's only plastic kazoo factory is proud of its product, with the museum, tours, a gift shop and a chance to make your own kazoo. Kazoobie was founded by Rick Hubbard in 1997 – Hubbard was a musician and gave away nearly a million kazoos during his lifetime at his traveling shows and became known as "The King of Kazoo."

Recent visitors to the factory say it's a great experience for the young and young at heart. Tours are offered for a fee and last up to an hour; visits to the museum and gift shop are free.

Address: 12 John Galt Road, Beaufort, SC 29906

South Carolina State Museum

Courtesy of South Carolina State Museum

In Columbia – the state's capital – visitors will find an homage to all things South Carolina at this museum. Exhibits, along with a show in the planetarium, highlight the Apollo 16 lunar mission. South Carolinian astronaut Charles Duke is still the youngest person who has ever walked on the moon when he did so in 1972 at 36 as part of the Apollo 16 mission. Other state-centric exhibits include rotating displays on South Carolina history and a variety of topics. What's more, the permanent exhibits span prehistoric fossils, the Civil War, the Black experience throughout history and more. A trip to the on-site 4D interactive theater is one of the many features at the museum that will maintain kids' interest.

The South Carolina State Museum has general admission tickets and combination tickets can be purchased to include the planetarium and 4D theater. The South Carolina State Museum is just one of many things to do in Columbia, South Carolina .

Address: 301 Gervais St., Columbia, SC 29201

Visit one of the only tea plantations in North America

The majority of the world's tea comes from the delicate plants of China and India; North American tea is rare. One of the very few places it does grow is in South Carolina. Visit the Charleston Tea Garden, one of the only tea plantations on the continent, located on Wadmalaw Island just a few miles south of Charleston. The small island dates back to 1666, when it was claimed for the English. Today, 127 acres of the island are dedicated to growing 320 varieties of black and green tea. The property was purchased by the Bigelow Tea Company in 2003 and visitors today can take a free tour, ride a trolley through the fields or have a picnic under ancient oaks – accompanied by some tea, of course. Recent visitors said they found the tea-making process surprisingly interesting and insist on not skipping the trolley tour.

Tea lovers visiting the Charleston area might also enjoy Summerville, which is located about 25 miles north of Charleston and is the self-proclaimed birthplace of the South's famous sweet tea. Summerville takes its sweet iced tea seriously, with a trail that passes murals and Mason, the world's largest sweet tea that can hold more than 2,500 gallons. Sweet tea cocktail bar crawls are held throughout the year, and the annual Sweet Tea Festival takes place each September.

Address: 6617 Maybank Highway, Wadmalaw Island, SC 29487

Explore the state parks and waterfalls of the Blue Ridge Mountains

The Blue Ridge Mountains run through South Carolina, with the state's highest point at 3,560 feet on Sassafras Mountain. Located about 25 miles northwest of Greenville on the border of North Carolina, the mountain gets its name from the sassafras trees that grow on its lower slopes. South Carolina is home to eight stunning state parks that feature the natural beauty of this iconic mountain range across 17,000 protected acres and seen along 100 miles of the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway, also known as Highway 11. These parks include Lake Hartwell State Park in Fair Play and Table Rock State Park in Pickens. Hiking trails at most of these parks not only feature lakes and mountain views, but also waterfalls. Carrick Creek Falls can be found at Table Rock, and Rainbow Falls is located in Jones Gap State Park in Marietta. Fishing and camping are common pursuits year-round at the parks along the Blue Ridge Mountains. For peak fall colors, consider visiting in October.

Catch a game at the Fenway-inspired Fluor Field

Head downtown to catch a Greenville Drive game, a High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. This minor league baseball team takes its affiliation seriously, and even the ballpark, known as Fluor Field, is designed to resemble Boston 's historic Fenway Park . Complete with its own Green Monster and Pesky's Pole – iconic structural features of Fenway – Fluor Field welcomes fans to enjoy the nation's pastime from April through September. At least one week of home games is scheduled every month in Greenville.

Address: 945 S. Main St., Greenville, SC 29601

You might also be interested in:

• The Best Beaches in North Carolina
• The Best Places to Visit in the Carolinas
• The Top Things to Do in North Carolina
• The Top Vacations in the North Carolina Mountains
• The Top Bachelor Party Destinations
• The Top Weekend Getaways From Atlanta
• The Top Hikes in Asheville
• The Top Things to Do in Georgia
• The Top Things to Do in Augusta, Georgia
• The Top Things to Do in Tennessee

Tags: Travel , South Carolina Vacations , US Vacations

World's Best Places To Visit

• # 1 South Island, New Zealand
• # 4 Bora Bora

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Discover the best that Southern USA has to offer! Hidden gems, vibrant cities and more!

17 Best Places to Visit in South Carolina (+Unique Vacation Spots)

December 30, 2021 //  by  Southern Trippers

If you’re planning a trip and looking for the best places to visit in South Carolina, then look no further! We have 17 of the best places to visit, as well as some very unique vacation spots to check out while you’re there. South Carolina is a very unique state with a rich history, gorgeous cities, and lots of unique and fun options when it comes to vacationing here.

Our list has some stunning cities that we love, nature you don’t want to miss, and some of the most instagrammable places you’ll need to snap pics of while visiting. South Carolina is full of history and amazing scenic views, and this list is too! Some of these vacation spots will teach you the rich history of The Palmetto State, and others have some of the most beautiful, breathtaking views.

We hope you’re going to find your new favorite South Carolina vacation spot on this list!

Cypress Gardens

This 170-acre preserve and garden in Mancks Corner is a great vacation spot if you’re looking to escape and enjoy nature. Cypress Gardens has to be one of the prettiest places to visit in South Carolina, and you can’t miss the 80-acre tupelo swamp and bald cypress trees.

There are boats to rent and foot trails to just enjoy the peacefulness here. If you’re a fan of romantic movies, you may recognize the swamp from a scene in “The Notebook.” Rent a boat and take a ride through the swamp, and we think you’ll love Cypress Gardens and know why it’s one of the best places to visit in South Carolina.

Where to Stay: Lakefront Home

Rainbow Row in Charleston

Rainbow Row is an iconic spot in Charleston, and these 13 colorful, historic homes are something you have to see! These colorful houses have all been renovated and restored, and make for beautiful photos, and are, of course, totally instagrammable! They were all first built around 1740, and since they were renovated and repainted in the 1930s, they have been a very popular tourist destination.

The 13 houses that makeup Rainbow Row are located on East Bay Street, north of Tradd Street and south of Elliott Street. If you’re visiting Charleston, you can’t miss these houses, and this is one of the most beautiful places in South Carolina. Rainbow Row is on our list of unique things to do in Charleston , and we think you’re going to love visiting these stunning little houses.

Where to Stay: Emeline

If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you’ve stepped right into a “Lord of the Rings” movie, then you need to visit the Angel Oak. This live Southern Oak is located in Angel Oak Park on Johns Island and is believed to be between 400 and 500 years old.

The Angel Oak has survived many natural disasters, including several hurricanes, and is an amazing sight to behold. The tree is 66.5 feet tall, and 28 feet in circumference. The largest branch is almost 200 feet long and this tree alone offers about 17,000 square feet of shade.

Angel Oak Park is also rumored to be haunted by ghosts, and others have spotted angels around the tree. Not only is this one of the best places to visit in South Carolina, but also one of the most unique places to visit too.

Where to Stay: The Sleepy Shack

Fred W. Symmes Chapel

Fred W. Symmes Chapel is one of the buildings at the YMCA Camp Greenville in Cleveland, South Carolina. While this main seem like a weird place for us to recommend for you to go, just one trip here will tell you why the chapel is more commonly referred to as the “Pretty Place.”

This chapel sits upon a mountaintop and offers the most unbelievable views. You can see out across the valley and other mountains and catching golden hour here is magnificent. Even though getting up to the mountain is quite the drive, everyone who visits says it’s absolutely worth it.

Where to Stay: Kanuga Inn & Lodging

Table Rock State Park

If you love leaf-peeping and fall foliage, then you have to visit Table Rock State Park in the fall. This 3083-acre park is located at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains and has the most epic fall foliage for viewing the seasonal color changes. It’s on our list of the best places to catch fall foliage in South Carolina .

There are two trails here to walk on and enjoy nature and see the leaves, Foothills Trail Park and Pinnacle Mountain Trail. Table Rock State Park is also home to the tallest mountain in South Carolina, Pinnacle Mountain. If you plan on visiting Pickens County or will be near it, you need to make time to visit Table Rock State Park. This is one of the best places to visit in South Carolina, and it’s definitely a beautiful choice for sightseeing in South Carolina.

Where to Stay: Gorgeous Peaceful Cabin

Isle of Palms

Isle of Palms is a city in Charleston County, and is a small, quaint town that you need to visit while in South Carolina. It’s a barrier island on the coast of South Carolina and offers 7 miles of sandy beach with 57 public beach access paths. Don’t forget to check out our list of the best Islands In South Carolina if you want to explore more!

This little town has less than 5000 people as permanent residents and is definitely more of a vacation town. There are lots of vacation homes, resorts, and plenty of beach activities to do while on vacation here. We think you’ll love Isle of Palms, and it’s a great beach vacation spot in South Carolina. This is truly one of the best beach towns in South Carolina!

Where to Stay: The Palms Oceanfront Hotel

Sullivan’s Island

Sullivan’s Island is another section of Charleston County and is a small town and island. It’s located at the entrance to the Charleston Harbor and is even smaller than its neighbor Isle of Palms. A bridge connects Sullivan’s Island to Isle of Palms as well. This is truly one of the Best Weekend Getaways In South Carolina!

There are less than 2000 people as residents here, and it’s a very affluent island. It’s a great choice for a beach getaway, especially since it’s so quaint. Sullivan’s Island also has a very rich history that’s worth exploring while here, and that’s why it’s one of the best places to visit in South Carolina and one of our favorite vacation spots in South Carolina as well.

Where to Stay: Beautiful Sullivan’s Island Home

Camellias Champagne Bar

If you’re looking for a unique place to visit in South Carolina, then you need to go to Camellia’s Ladies Bar. This is the first and only bar that’s been inspired by the concept of the Charlestonian woman. This is a gorgeous, instagrammable pink-themed champagne bar located in the Hotel Bennett in Charleston.

The champagne lounge offers champagne-inspired cocktails, desserts, and afternoon tea. They are most famous for their signature Camellia’s Cake – a light lemon and strawberry cream dessert. Camellia’s is perfect for a ladies night, special occasion, bachelorette weekend. Do note, there is a dress code here, as well as reservations are required for tea services and brunch.

This beautiful, plush champagne bar is certainly one of the most beautiful places in South Carolina and one of the best places to visit in South Carolina, and it’s also on our list of the best places to visit in Charleston .

Where to Stay: Stunning House in Prime

Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area

If you’re looking for one of the most beautiful places to see in South Carolina, you need to visit Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. Here there’s over 11,000 acres of wildlife, forest, streams, and waterfalls. It’s home to one of the most beautiful waterfalls, and during fall this area has some of the best autumnal viewing.

“Mountain Bridge” is actually a piece of land that connects two of the state parks, Table Rock State Park and Poinsett Park. This park and the wilderness area is great for nature lovers and lovers of outdoor activities – the park is perfect for hiking, leaf-peeping, camping, and fishing.

Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area is located in Cleveland, and since it’s in between two state parks, we think it’s one of the most beautiful places to see in South Carolina.

Where to Stay: Spectacular Views

Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway

South Carolina has no shortage of scenic views and beautiful nature. And the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway is no exception. It’s a 130-mile scenic byway that runs parallel to the North Carolina border.

From the byway, you have access to over 120 different waterfalls and mountains, as well as some of the most stunning views in the state. It only takes three hours to drive the entire byway, and it follows Route 11 through 5 different counties. You don’t want to miss the byway and the gorgeous nature all around it, and we think you’ll agree that this is one of the best places to visit in South Carolina.

Where to Stay: River Front Cottage

Greenville is the 6th largest city in South Carolina, and is located halfway between Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina. Greenville is located along Interstate 85 and is one of the best South Carolina vacation spots.

Greenville regularly hosts theater groups, major concerts, and lots of popular annual festivals. The city is full of museums, the arts, and historic sites. When visiting Greenville, you don’t want to miss Falls Park on the Reedy, the Greenville Zoo, and the Greenville County Museum of Art.

Because of all the history and art here, Greenville is one of the best places to go in South Carolina. You’ll be able to visit the Blue Ridge Mountains and the floating symposium bridge as well here, and the number of things to do in Greenville makes it one of the best places to visit in South Carolina.

While visiting, be sure to check out the best restaurants in Greenville !

Where to Stay: The Westin Poinsett Greenville

Issaqueena Falls

One hour west of Greenville is Issaqueena Falls. It’s located near Walhalla, and is a unique type of South Carolina tourist attraction.

Issaqueena Falls is a 100-foot cascade waterfall that you can’t miss. It’s just $5 cash to get in, and you want to park at Stumphouse Tunnel Park and walk the 15 minutes to the falls. The falls are surrounded by history – there are lots of railroad tunnels leftover from the Civil War, as well as lots of Native American history to learn while visiting the park.

This is one of the best places to visit in South Carolina if you’re looking to learn a little bit more about the history, and to catch a beautiful waterfall. Issaqueena Falls is on our list of the most beautiful waterfalls in South Carolina too!

Where to Stay: Lofts over Main

Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island is one of the most famous places to visit and is a popular vacation destination in South Carolina. This is a resort town located on the barrier island in Beaufort County. It’s also conveniently located just 20 miles from Savannah, Georgia, making it a great choice for day trips.

There are so many amazing places to see, make sure to check out our Favorite Beaches In Hilton Head!

Hilton Head offers 12 miles of Atlantic Ocean beachfront, and there are many parks and public access beaches to enjoy. This resort town is very popular for golf and vacationing. There are over 20 resorts and hotels here to stay at, including Disney’s Hilton Head Resort. If you’re looking for a great beach vacation getaway, this is one of the most fun places to go in South Carolina.

While visiting Hilton Head, check out some of our favorite places to grab a bite to eat !

Where to Stay: Mariott’s Barony Beach Club

Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is a coastal city in South Carolina, with a 60-mile stretch of beach known as the “Grand Strand.” This is a traditional beach town, with lots of restaurants, hotels, vacation homes, and shopping. It’s a great place for family locations and is very touristy.

You will also want to check out our list of the Best Beaches In Myrtle Beach!

You can just lounge on the beach and get in the ocean here, but you can also take advantage of all the other tourist attractions here as well. There are waterparks, the Sky Wheel, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Wonderworks, and a Hollywood Wax Museum. Don’t forget to check out some of the best things to do in Myrtle Beach during your visit!

You don’t want to miss out on Myrtle Beach if you’re looking for the quintessential beach vacation, and it’s definitely one of the best places to visit in South Carolina. And you don’t want to miss the best restaurants here ; you don’t want to get stuck eating awful tourist food!

Where to Stay: Ocean Dream Vacation

Folly Beach

Folly Beach is a city on Folly Island, located in Charleston. It’s called the “Edge of America” by locals and is a charming small town. The island is rich with history, and a great place to visit for Southern food and those looking for a little more of an eclectic and less touristy beach town.

Folly Beach is known for its surfing, and the surf spot The Washout – which is also known as “Hollywood.” 10 Street and the Folly Beach Pier are also popular for visiting and for surfing.

This is a cute little beach town, popular for vacationing. It’s very different from the other beach towns, and that makes it one of the best places to visit in South Carolina.

Where to Stay: Dog-Friendly Beach Home

St Helena Island

St Helena Island is part of the Beaufort Sea Islands, and this is the place to visit to learn the rich history of the lowcountry life and the Gullah Geechee people. St Helena Island offers a glimpse of what lowcountry life used to look like, as well as what it’s like today.

The island is home to the Penn Center – which was one of the first schools for children of freed slaves. The Penn Center is one of the most important African American historical and cultural institutions in America and is a can’t miss when visiting St Helena Island.

The island is full of great restaurants, and since shrimping and fishing are part of everyday life here, you’re sure to find some of the freshest seafood around. The island has beautiful parks and trails to visit, as well as Gullah Tours and Gullah/lowcountry events throughout the year. The uniqueness of this island makes it one of the best places to visit in South Carolina, and we think you’ll learn a lot while visiting here.

Where to Stay: Modern, Waterfront Home

Huntington Beach State Park

Located on Murrells Inlet, Huntington Beach State Park has over 2500 acres of park for visitors to enjoy. There’s 3 miles of beach for swimming, sunning, fishing, and relaxing as well as almost 200 campsites.

But what truly makes Huntington Beach State Park one of the best places to visit in South Carolina is that it’s THE park for bird watching! Over 300 species of birds have been spotted here, and that’s thanks to the unique makeup of this park. There is a salt marsh, tidal waters, forest, freshwaters, marshes, and the beach all in one place. Mullet Pond is one of the best areas here to spot birds from.

What makes this such a unique place to visit in South Carolina is that we don’t recommend you visit here during warmer months like almost every other place on this list – you want to visit this park in the winter! That’s the best time to bird watch and see the wildlife here. During winter you’ll be able to see many different types of waterfowl, including several species of ducks, herons, and even eagles.

Where to Stay: Marshfront Million Dollar View

We hope that you found some places to visit in South Carolina on this list, and that your next trip will include one or more of these unique places in South Carolina. Whether you’re interested in the beach, history, or natural beauty, this state has a lot to offer and there’s something for everyone.

Are you planning a trip to one of the best places to visit in South Carolina now? Or is one of your favorites already on our list? Let us know in the comments!

Reader Interactions

[…] There’s so much to do it’s pretty hard to narrow down the best, but that’s what we’ve done here for you, with our careful selection of fun things to do in Greenville. In fact, we love Greenville so much it made our list of best places to visit in South Carolina! […]

• Destinations

25 Best Places to Visit in South Carolina

Last Updated By VacationIdea on February 1, 2024 in South Carolina

Pawleys Island, South Carolina

Pawleys Island is located around twenty-five miles from Myrtle Beach and seventy miles from Charleston. The island off the coast of South Carolina is one of the East Coast’s oldest summer resorts. Visitors with a love for historical building can find twelve residences dating back to late 1700’s through the mid-1800’s in the island’s historic district. Pawleys Island is known for having a laid-back, carefree, shoeless lifestyle that includes rope hammocks, ghost stories, fishing, and crabbing, as well as delightful, casual, unspoiled wide beaches and sand dunes. A leisurely existence of local residents has developed the island’s charm that continues today.

Charleston, South Carolina

The town has a thriving arts scene that you can explore by visiting the historic Charleston Music Hall and the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, to name but a few. Charleston prides itself on showcasing Southern cuisine, and foodies can discover the vibrant flavors of the South on a Charleston Culinary Tour or a Charleston Brews Cruise to sample local craft beers. Next read: Romantic Getaways in Charleston and Romantic Restaurants in Charleston

Greenville, South Carolina

Families can spend hours of educational fun at the Roper Mountain Science Center and the Children’s Museum of the Upstate or get some exercise in the Caesars Head State Park where you can go hiking, fishing, and wildlife watching. The free Greenville Trolley is a great way for weekenders to get around town.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Good to know: Best Time to Visit Myrtle Beach

Spartanburg

Car enthusiasts should not miss touring BMW Zentrum, the German car maker’s only museum and manufacturing plant in America. Nature lovers can explore hiking, biking, and walking trails or take a stroll through some of Spartanburg’s arboretums and nature preserves. Things to Do in Spartanburg

Aiken is a city in the western part of South Carolina in the Central Savannah River Valley, best known for its equestrian culture and the large number of thoroughbred champions it has produced. Of course, there is more to Aiken than beautiful horses, fox hunts, and polo matches – it is also home to the largest urban forest in the country. Its downtown is a delight, with elegant streets shaded by ancient oaks and lined by a number of art galleries that showcase the city’s rich art scene. Citizens Park has several ball fields, hiking trails, a playground, and a splash pad. The Aiken County Historical Museum is great place to learn about the city’s past, while Richardson’s Lake Waterpark is an inviting family spot with a nice sandy beach and waterslides.

Kiawah Island

You can explore the many waterways on the island by joining a kayak or stand-up paddle boat tour or hire a bike and explore on two wheels. If you fancy fishing you can organize a fishing charter or admire the coastline by motorboat. The island also offers tennis (and lessons), four spas, and many great dining options. Next read: South Carolina beaches and South Carolina resorts

Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Beaufort

The park lies between downtown Beaufort and the Beaufort River/Intracoastal waterway and is made up of several different areas, including scenic riverfront walkways, a children’s playground, swings, picnic areas, and a small pavilion, all with easy access to the National Historic Landmark District. You can come for a peaceful picnic, watch the constant nautical activities, or attend one of the annual events such as the Taste of Beaufort, the Shrimp Festival, or the Water Festival.

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Another option is to set off by boat to explore the coastline with one of several outfitters. You can go hiking and nature-watching in the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, or take the children to the Sandbox Interactive Children’s Museum. End you day with a feast of fresh seafood at one of the island’s 250 restaurants.

Located in an old agricultural and textile region in what is known as “upstate” South Carolina, Mauldin is a modern town overlooking the Appalachian Mountains with charming, beautifully preserved historic downtown. Mauldin has a rich and vibrant cultural scene with a renowned symphony, theatre, and ballet that offer yearly programs at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts. With the Blue Ridge Mountains to the north of town and Conestee Lake and the park to the west, there is plenty of green space for outdoor enthusiasts, with miles of paved hiking and biking trails. Frankie’s Fun Park offers indoor and outdoor fun with go-carts, arcades, and other family games. Pelham Mill Park is a popular riverside park with remains of an old historic textile mill and post office.

More ideas: Myrtle Beach Beaches

Rock Hill, South Carolina

Daredevils can have fun at Camp Canaan, which offers zip-lines, climbing, and other fun activities. On rainy days, you can head to cultural and heritage sites such as historic Brattonsville, the Museum of York County, and the Children’s Museum in Old Town Rock Hill.

North Charleston

You can take the kids to the North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Education Center where they can see both vintage and new fire engines. Art lovers can spend some time at the North Charleston City Gallery or watch a concert at the North Charleston Coliseum.

Huntington Beach State Park

You can go hiking and bird watching along various trials (for all fitness levels) to wildlife observation points, enjoy sunbathing and walking along the pristine beach, and learn all about marine life at the Nature Center. The surf fishing is rumored to be the finest in the state, but you can also fish off a jetty or launch a boat at Oyster Landing.

Caesars Head State Park

The 2-mile Raven Falls Trail takes you to the suspension bridge overlooking the 420-foot Raven Falls and is one of the most popular. Bird watching, particularly the fall Hawk migration, is a popular activity, and you can also cast a line to catch some trout.

Congaree State Park, South Carolina

There are two ways to explore this amazing habitat, which supports a large variety of wildlife – you can take to the waters along the marked 15-mile Cedar Creek Canoe Trail in a canoe or kayak (you need to bring your own craft), or you can hike an assortment of hiking trails. You can pitch your tent at one of two campsites, try your hand at fishing, or enroll in a ranger-led program.

Falls Park on the Reedy

You can bring a picnic and relax on the expansive lawns or have a meal at one of two on-site restaurants. Hikers and cyclists can use Falls Park as their springboard to the 20-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail, while art lovers can have fun uncovering several public sculptures dotted around the park.

Hunting Island State Park

For a great overview of the island, you can climb to the top of the historic 1859 Hunting Island Lighthouse. Other fun activities include shell collecting and crabbing. You can pitch a tent or park your RV at the campsite, which offers easy access to the beach.

Sea Pines Forest Preserve

If you prefer to explore on horseback, tale advantage of the cleared bridle paths available. You can picnic at Fish Island in the center of the preserve, admire the Wildflower Field at Lake Thomas, and visit Indian Shell Ring, the site of a 4000-year old Indian Village.

Places to Visit in South Carolina: Clemson

You can immerse yourself in the town’s vibrant arts scene by visiting the Blue Ridge Arts Center and attending one of several performing arts venues. Outdoors enthusiasts can enjoy boating and hiking at Lake Hartwell or High Falls Country Park or hike to the Big Bend Falls and Bee Cove Falls.

Angel Oak Tree, Charleston

The Angel Oak is believed to be at least 400 to 500 years old and has managed to stand tall and strong, surviving much adverse coastal weather, including several severe hurricanes. You can have your photo taken alongside the imposing 66.5-foot tall tree, and it is fun to see how many people are needed to form a chain around its 28-foot circumference. More day trips from Myrtle Beach

Litchfield Beach

No visit to Litchfield Beach would be complete without exploring beautiful Brookgreen Gardens, where you will find acres of color, a sculpture garden, a zoo, and a children’s garden.

Families can visit the South Carolina State Museum (which incorporates an observatory, planetarium, and 4D interactive theater) for hours of educational fun or make their way to the EdVenture Children’s Museum or Riverbanks Zoo and Botanic Garden. Art lovers should not miss MAMM (the modern art museum), while foodies should consider joining a Columbia Food Tour.

Hunting Island Lighthouse for Couples

Interestingly, the lighthouse was built with overlapping steel plates rather than bricks, which made it possible for it to be dismantled and moved farther inland in 1889 when it was threatened by beach erosion.

There are five museums you can visit, or you could just stroll along Front Street to admire the quaint shops and galleries or eat ocean-fresh seafood. Boat tours are also very popular.

South Carolina’s Atlantic Coast shoreline is home to a large number of barrier islands, including parts of the Sea Islands chain, which encompasses more than 100 islands located between the St. Johns and Santee Rivers. The state’s Lowcountry region is noted for its former indigo and rice plantations and serves as a rich cultural center for African-American Gullah culture today. While major islands such as Hilton Head Island are internationally-known tourist destinations, lesser-known spots feature lush natural reserves, quaint local communities, and elite resort areas, providing a wide range of opportunities for day trips and overnight getaways. Whether you’re an avid fishing or water sports fan or a cultural enthusiast looking to sample the region’s unique cuisine, these islands offer a variety of family-friendly cultural, historic, and outdoor attractions.

Daufuskie Island

Daufuskie Island was the setting of author Pat Conroy’s 1972 novel The Water Is Wide and feels like a place lost in time, retaining its pre-20th-century character due to its declaration as an island-wide Historic District. The island is accessible via passenger ferry from nearby Hilton Head Island and offers three miles of beachfront along the Atlantic Ocean, Intracoastal Waterway, and Calibogue Sound waterfronts. Historic sites commemorate the island’s Civil War history, while a vibrant art gallery and studio scene celebrates the island’s Gullah culture through art forms such as basket weaving, pottery, and woodworking. Eclectic Lowcountry dishes are served at restaurants such as the Old Daufuskie Crab Company.

Kiawah Island is a resort island located approximately 20 miles off the coast of Charleston, featuring preserved maritime forest and marsh habitats and more than 10 miles of Atlantic coast beachfront. Conde Nast Traveler named the island America’s top island destination for its magnificent coastline and championship golf resort, which hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 PGA Championship. 30 miles of hiking and bike trails are located throughout the island, part of an island-wide emphasis on natural preservation and ecology. Spectacular views of the Kiawah River are offered from Marsh Island Park’s lookout tower, while guided nature walks are presented by the Heron Park Nature Center.

Callawassie Island

Callawassie Island is located along South Carolina southeastern coast within Beaufort County, approximately 30 miles up shore from Savannah, Georgia. Archaeological evidence shows that the island has been inhabited for at least 4,000 years, though it is best known today as the site of the 19th-century Callawassie Sugar Works, the state’s only known sugar mill ruins. Today, the 880-acre island offers lush salt marsh and maritime forest habitats and is designated as a Community Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation, with more than 200 personal residences on the island declared as Backyard Wildlife Habitats. The nature lover’s paradise also features the Sugar Mill, Magnolia, and Sequoia Parks, a colorful blooming Butterfly Garden, and a 27-hole golf course designed by noted architect Tom Fazio.

Capers Island

Capers Island is an undeveloped three-mile barrier island that is only accessible via boat from the mainland, located approximately 15 miles north of Charleston. The island was named after South Carolina citizen Reverend William Theodotus Capers and is preserved as a state-protected refuge today, offering 214 acres of beachfront and stretches of maritime upland, salt marsh, and brackish water land ecosystems. Visitors can explore the island’s famous Boneyard Beach region, which is littered with sun-bleached skeletons and tree stumps, or hike the five-mile McCaskill Trail, which winds through overgrown natural areas. Primitive camping is allowed with a permit for visitors wishing to wake up to the island’s beautiful unspoiled sunrises.

Deveaux Bank

Deveaux Bank is a 215-acre Charleston County island that is home to a noted seabird sanctuary overseen by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Three miles of beachfront are showcased along its three coastal sides, along with a tidal lagoon region that spans its mainland-facing coast. The island is a popular kayaking day trip spot for visitors to the Charleston region, offering opportunities to spot wildlife such as Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, bald eagles, bonnethead sharks, and snowy and great egrets. Visitors should note that tourist access is restricted to certain island areas during seabird nesting season, with seasonal beach closures designated during the summer months.

Dewees Island

Dewees Island is a 1,200-acre barrier island refuge located approximately 11 miles off the coast of Charleston. Though access to the island is restricted to property owners and their guests due to environmental preservation concerns, a number of vacation rentals and summer home sales are available for visitors wishing to travel to the island. Three miles of undeveloped beachfront offer spectacular Atlantic Ocean views and opportunities to observe wildlife such as white-tailed deer, turtles, and shorebirds. Visitors are encouraged to engage in quiet reflective activities such as writing, reading, and photography and are asked to respect the island’s ownership and property codes.

Dreher Island

Dreher Island is one of three islands that encompass the 348-acre Dreher Island State Park, which offers access to nearly 12 miles of Lake Murray’s popular shoreline. The island is connected to mainland South Carolina by causeway and bridge, located approximately 30 miles from the city of Columbia. It serves as a top regional fishing destination for catching striped and largemouth bass and is host to several major annual national fishing tournaments. Five lakeside villas and more than 100 tent and RV hookup campsites are offered for overnight stay, and a wide variety of opportunities are available for outdoor activities, including boat access ramps, hiking trails, and family picnic shelters and playground facilities.

Edisto Island

Edisto Island is one of the United States’ last remaining unspoiled beach communities, located approximately 40 miles from the city of Charleston within the Sea Islands region. The island provides a relaxed, quaint atmosphere for visitors looking for a respite from more developed tourist islands nearby, though a variety of local attractions provide ample opportunity for visitor entertainment. It is home to the 4,630-acre historic Botany Bay Plantation, which features a top regional golf course, and to the Edisto Island Serpentarium, which showcases unique exhibits related to the island’s wildlife populations. Kayak tours, fishing excursions, and history-focused eco tours are available for visitors, along with a variety of bike paths, shops, and restaurants for leisurely day-trip fun. Overnight campsites offer electrical hookups and restrooms with heated showers.

Folly Island

Folly Island is a 12-square-mile barrier island within the Sea Islands that served as an important Union Army site during the American Civil War. It is home to the community of Folly Beach, known as one of America’s last remaining authentic beach towns, showcasing local hospitality and one-of-a-kind attractions. The historic Porgy House, the former home of 20th-century authors Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, is noted as the inspiration for George Gershwin’s famed Porgy and Bess opera. 2,500 feet of beachfront provides opportunities for fishing, kayaking, and wildlife watching, while Folly Beach County Park offers a lifeguard-staffed swimming beach and pelican rookery.

Fripp Island

Fripp Island is a top family and golfing tourist destination near the city of Beaufort, spanning approximately 6.5 square miles off South Carolina’s barrier island coastal region. The island is considered to be one of the region’s leading resort beach areas, featuring 3 ½ miles of unspoiled waterfront terrain. Visitor accommodations are provided at the Fripp Island Golf and Beach Resort, which features the Ocean Point and Ocean Creek championship golf courses, along with tennis courts, kayaking opportunities, and a family water park offering a kiddie pool and animal-themed attractions. During the summer months, the resort’s Camp Fripp structures nature and history-themed activities for children. Several onsite restaurants also serve classic Lowcountry dishes such as she crab soup and lobster pot pie.

Goat Island

Goat Island is one of the South Carolina coast’s smallest islands, located along the Intracoastal Waterway between the Isle of Palms and Mount Pleasant. The island was originally known as Eagle Island, but following World War I, it became a popular secluded refuge following its development by goat herders Henry and Blanche Holloway. Today, it retains its isolated charm, offering sanctuary from nearby urban areas. The island is only accessible via boat, located less than 20 minutes from Charleston Harbor and Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge. Its Marsh Walk boardwalk offers views of local wild goat and peacock populations, located along a stretch of natural marshland ecosystem.

Harbor Island

Harbor Island is a private resort island within the Sea Islands region, located approximately 14 miles from the city of Beaufort. The 1,400-acre island, which formerly contained tidal marsh ecosystems and unincorporated hunting grounds, was developed into a resort community in the 1930s and is known today for its beautiful sand dunes and coastal grass landscape. Three miles of pristine waterfront are available for visitor exploration, offering ample opportunities for seabird, horseshoe crab, and dolphin watching. The island’s resort is available for condominium and vacation home rentals, featuring guest amenities such as three outdoor pools, a putting green, and tennis courts.

Hunting Island

Hunting Island is a 5,000-acre barrier island that is preserved as part of the Ashepoo-Combahee-Edisto Basin National Estuarine Reserve. The island is home to Hunting Island State Park, which was established in 1935 and is South Carolina’s most-visited state park today, welcoming more than one million annual visitors. It showcases the Hunting Island Lighthouse, the state’s only publicly-accessible historic lighthouse, which stands 130 feet over the Atlantic coastline. Five miles of beachfront and a saltwater lagoon area are offered for visitor access, along with a public fishing pier, a nature center offering environmental programming, and more than 100 campsites with electrical hookups and family playgrounds.

Isle of Palms

Isle of Palms is located along the Intracoastal Waterway less than 12 miles from the city of Charleston and has been one of the state’s most popular attractions since the early 20th century. The island is home to an affluent resort community that is known for its bustling business district, offering a variety of shops and gourmet restaurants. Live music and beach volleyball are showcased at The Windjammer, which hosts several annual beach volleyball tournaments. Other island attractions include the Wild Dunes oceanfront resort, which is home to two championship golf courses designed by pro architect Tom Fazio and an award-winning children’s recreation program.

Johns Island

Johns Island is South Carolina’s largest barrier island and is the fourth-largest island on the American East Coast after Long and Mount Desert Islands and Martha’s Vineyard. The island is most noted as the home of the famed Angel Oak, a Southern live oak tree that dates back at least 1,400 years and is believed to be one of the largest of its kind in the world. Johns Island Presbyterian Church, one of the nation’s oldest churches, is preserved on the National Register of Historic Places and is open to the public for guided tours. The island is also home to the Mullet Hall Equestrian Center, which offers 20 miles of riding trails, and an annual Battle of Charleston historic reenactment that showcases the culture of 19th-century America.

Lady's Island

Lady's Island’s tourism has grown exponentially throughout the past several decades, making it a top destination today among South Carolina’s Sea Island while retaining much of its rustic historic character. The island is connected to mainland Beaufort County by two bridges that offer spectacular views of the surrounding waterways and is also accessible via several community boat ramps. Former indigo plantation land has been transformed into private residential areas set on large plots of land, featuring equestrian farms, maritime forest areas, and beautiful beachfront property. Several restaurants are offered on the island, and a number of vacation rentals and cabins are available for overnight and short-term stay.

Morris Island

Morris Island is an uninhabited island located near Charleston Harbor that is incorporated as part of the cities of Charleston and Folly Beach. It is noted for its role in the American Civil War and is home to the remains of five historic forts, including Fort Wagner, which is home to an iconic red-and-white-striped lighthouse constructed in 1876. Morris Island Light is also located on the island’s southern end. A number of boating tour companies provide guided island excursions, including Adventure Harbor Tours, which offers shell-seeking excursions, and Thriller Charleston, which rides adventurous waves aboard a 55-foot power catamaran.

Pinckney Island

Pinckney Island is part of a 4,053-acre National Wildlife Refuge that also spans nearby Big and Little Harry, Buzzard, and Corn Islands, though it is the only part of the refuge that is open to the public for visitor access. The refuge is located near Hilton Head Island and is home to large populations of seabirds within its salt marsh, tidal creek, fallow field, and brushland ecosystems. It is open for exploration seven days a week from dusk to dawn, manned by an unstaffed electric gate, and is a popular site for nature enthusiasts, featuring more than 10 miles of hiking and biking trails. 115 prehistoric and historic archaeological sites are also showcased throughout the island.

Port Royal Island

Port Royal Island is Beaufort County’s most populated island and is a noted historic site that has been inhabited since the 1520s, when the Santa Elena fort was established by early Spanish explorers. The Lowcountry island takes its name from the name of a nearby 1562 French settlement led by Jean Ribault, which is used today to refer to the island and its main incorporated city. The city of Beaufort also features a historic downtown region, which showcases historic antebellum mansions, majestic moss-draped live oaks, and gourmet restaurants. A number of homes are open to the public as living history museums, and the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park offers a public performance stage and children’s playground.

Saint Helena Island

Saint Helena Island is one of South Carolina’s Sea Islands and is noted as the inspiration for the children’s television series Gullah Gullah Island , which showcased African-American Gullah culture. The island is connected to the nearby city of Beaufort by highway and spans an area of 64 square miles, which contains the communities of Frogmore and Lands End. Fort Fremont Historical Park and Beach showcases the remains of a Spanish-American War-era fort, while the Penn Center offers educational exhibits and programming related to the island’s African-American heritage. Other attractions include the historic 18th-century Chapel of Ease and the art galleries of downtown Frogmore’s cultural district.

Spring Island

Spring Island is a 3,000-acre Sea Island that is maintained as a natural refuge and intimate residential community. The island is home to the Colleton and Chechessee Nature Preserves, which protect more than 1,100 acres of unique coastal habitats under the supervision of Spring Island Trust. More than 600 species of native plants are showcased throughout the island’s coastal topography, including majestic live oaks. Residential resort amenities include an award-winning golf course, an equestrian center and sports complex, and a network of more than 300 hiking trails. An annual summer camp is held at the island for children and youth, featuring activities such as an annual shark fishing tournament.

Wadmalaw Island

Wadmalaw Island is connected to mainland South Carolina via bridge and spans an area of 10 by six miles near Church Creek and the North Edisto River. The island is noted for its historic attractions, including the Charleston Tea Plantation, the United States’ only operating team plantation, which produces over 320 types of Camellia sinensis tea and offers free daily visitor tours. The Firefly Distillery is the state’s largest distillery, noted for its production of sweet tea vodka, and is home to a tasting room and an outdoor indie music recording venue. Other attractions include the Ambrose Family Farm, which harvest vegetables year-round and offers a seasonal picking orchard.

Waties Island

Waties Island is an undeveloped coastal barrier island that is used as an educational facility by Coastal Carolina University. The island’s Anne Tilghman Boyce Coastal Reserve spans a portion of the island near its Cherry Grove Beach and conducts graduate, undergraduate, and independent marine research. Field workshops for K-12 students and adult groups are offered periodically at the reserve, led by college faculty educators. Indigenous artifacts are preserved on the island, including ceramics and burial mounds. The island is also accessible via boat for independent visitors and kayaking tour groups showcasing local populations of bottlenose dolphins and loggerhead sea turtles.

• 1. Pawleys Island, South Carolina
• 2. Charleston, South Carolina
• 3. Greenville, South Carolina
• 4. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• 5. Spartanburg
• 7. Kiawah Island
• 8. Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Beaufort
• 9. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
• 10. Mauldin
• 11. Florence
• 12. Rock Hill, South Carolina
• 13. North Charleston
• 14. Huntington Beach State Park
• 15. Caesars Head State Park
• 16. Congaree State Park, South Carolina
• 17. Falls Park on the Reedy
• 18. Hunting Island State Park
• 19. Sea Pines Forest Preserve
• 20. Places to Visit in South Carolina: Clemson
• 21. Angel Oak Tree, Charleston
• 22. Litchfield Beach
• 23. Columbia
• 24. Hunting Island Lighthouse for Couples
• 25. Georgetown

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10 Best Places to Visit in South Carolina

The gorgeous state of South Carolina is bordered by Georgia , North Carolina , Tennessee and the Atlantic Ocean. Within its borders, you will find stunning beaches, national forests, thriving cities, traditional villages and plenty of Southern charm.

Coastal destinations are a top pick for many, but South Carolina is also a nature lover’s dream getaway. As you plan your trip to the Palmetto State, be sure to check out this list of best places to visit in South Carolina:

10. Columbia

Many visitors take time to explore Columbia , the state capital of South Carolina and its largest city. The two biggest draws to the area include the Army base called Fort Jackson and the sprawling campus of the University of South Carolina.

If you’re interested in architecture and history that predates the Civil War, then check out the Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens. Built in 1818, this antebellum structure is beautiful, and you can still tour the interior to see many of the original furnishings. If you’re eager to snag some souvenirs, Five Points is a remarkable shopping destination in Columbia packed with independent shops and boutiques.

9. Caesars Head State Park

One of the most interesting and scenic spots in South Carolina is Caesars Head State Park. The park is situated in the northernmost part of the state, right on the border with North Carolina. Caesars Head itself is a gigantic rock formation that overlooks the entire Piedmont region below.

Hiking is the most popular pastime at Caesars Head State Park, and shorter trails like the Raven Cliff Falls are an easy alternative for those who want a brief introduction to the landscape. Fishing, overnight camping and spotting hawks migrating in the fall are other amazing ways to experience the park.

8. Pawleys Island

In the Grand Strand Region of South Carolina, and right on the coast, is Pawleys Island. This slice of paradise is a retreat where you can unwind, stay active and kick back on beautiful beaches. Long preferred by the wealthy, Pawleys Island is an upscale spot for those in search of a South Carolina getaway.

Litchfield Beach is a big attraction, offering glorious sand dunes and a long stretch of pristine white coastline. Also appealing are the many golf courses, some of which offer unparalleled sea views right from the tees.

7. Congaree National Park

Just outside of the capital city of Columbia is the Congaree National Park. Named for the Congaree Indians that once lived and fished in the area, the national park is an interesting mix of forested area and floodplain swampland. Here, you can find some of the largest cypress trees in the world, which are well worth a visit.

Birdwatching is another popular pastime, with plenty of songbirds and the occasional hawk to be spotted. Most trails are for hiking, but the Cedar Creek Canoe Trail is a unique way to explore the landscape from the water.

6. Mount Pleasant

One of the better known suburbs of Charleston is Mount Pleasant. The Ravenel Bridge, an iconic part of the city, links the two destinations. Mount Pleasant is primarily residential, but it has a lot to offer visitors as well. Notably, Mount Pleasant is home to the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. This museum boasts retired Navy ships, many of which can be toured including the World War II aircraft carrier USS Yorktown.

Mount Pleasant is also a wonderful place to get outdoors, and the walking paths at Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park and Shem Creek Park are scenic places to do exactly that.

5. Greenville

While much of South Carolina has a historic, traditional feel, Greenville is the modern, progressive alternative. The city is often described as the melting pot of the Old South and the New South, and it boasts a growing cultural landscape.

On your visit, you might opt to explore the Greenville County Museum of Art or catch a touring Broadway show at the Peace Center Theater. Don’t leave without taking the time to visit Falls Park on the Reedy, a truly stunning park right in the center of the city that features an enormous waterfall. This park is truly the heart of Greenville and was in fact the birthplace of the city itself.

4. Beaufort

The coastal town of Beaufort is just off the Intra-Coastal Waterway, and it has a history dating back to the Spanish exploration of the early 16th century. Today, Beaufort is known for its historic architecture and Southern charms.

A great place to start is at the Beaufort History Museum, or you can see what an antebellum mansion looked like with a tour of the John Mark Verdier House. Walk through Beaufort’s Historic District to admire more of the town’s architecture, and then stop in at one of the charming cafes for a glass of sweet tea to cool down.

3. Hilton Head Island

Just north of Savannah , Georgia, is the picturesque Hilton Head Island . This barrier island is only 12 miles (19 km) long, but it has earned a reputation as a playground for those who love warm weather, gorgeous beaches and an abundance of golf courses.

While the rich and famous own a lot of the local property, particularly in the upscale neighborhood of Harbour Town, there are still over nine miles of public-access coastline available.

There are also several bike paths, countless golf courses and the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center, which is regarded as one of the best tennis training centers in the world. Don’t forget to add a dolphin watching tour to your itinerary, as dolphins are spotted throughout the year from just off the coast.

2. Myrtle Beach

More than 14 million people a year come to Myrtle Beach, and it is easy to see why. The coastal hotspot boasts incredible beaches, blue waters and bright white sand. Sunrise and sunset offers magnificent views that simply can’t be beat.

What really sets Myrtle Beach apart is that is has a number of big attractions just off of the beach. Mini golf courses, Ripley’s Aquarium and countless dinner theater shows provide fun out of the sun. After dark, the best place to be is Broadway at the Beach, the enormous collection of bars and restaurants where you can always find something fun to do.

1. Charleston

One of the most popular tourist destinations in the South, Charleston is a historic port city packed with antebellum architecture. Its historic downtown is on a peninsula formed by two rivers, the Ashley and the Cooper, flowing into the Atlantic, and protected from the open ocean by surrounding islands.

Fort Sumter, accessible by ferry from Charleston, is an important Civil War landmark. Make your way to the French Quarter to find the Huguenot church and several wonderful art galleries.

If you would like to see some of the most important sites at once, and enjoy a heavy dose of charm at the same time, consider a traditional carriage tour through the city. The Market is another must-see attraction bordered by shops, restaurants and nightlife.

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April 28, 2020 at 2:59 pm

What about Lake Jocassee it’s so gorgeous there.

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17 Top-Rated Attractions & Places to Visit in South Carolina

Written by Becca Blond and Bryan Dearsley Updated Mar 1, 2024

Whether you are helping the kids build sandcastles on Myrtle Beach, dining on delectable Lowcountry cooking in charming Charleston, or playing a round of golf on a championship course in Hilton Head or Kiawah Island, South Carolina has a bevy of vacation-worthy attractions.

Home to 2,876 miles of tidal coastline, including 34 barrier islands, South Carolina has no shortage of water and beach-focused activities, including some of the best deep-sea fishing you'll find in the South.

Most of South Carolina's beachfront is on its barrier islands , which are connected to the mainland by bridges. One exception is Daufuskie Island, which can only be accessed by boat, and offers a serene getaway from the crowds on Hilton Head.

No first-time visit to South Carolina is complete without seeing Charleston, its mesmerizing port city. The Holy City's history dates back to the 1700s, and while parts of it are dark, there is no denying modern Charleston is a charming destination. It is easy to lose track of time wandering its cobblestone streets past graceful old mansions and experiencing its buzzy food scene.

While most travelers to South Carolina stick to its coastline, head inland for natural beauty, quaint small towns, and the state capital, Columbia. The northwest portion of the state, known as the Upstate, boasts scores of cascading waterfalls and major lakes with opportunities for boating, fishing, and water skiing.

Whatever your interests, you'll find plenty of things to do in this list of the top tourist attractions and places to visit in South Carolina.

1. Charleston's Historic District

2. myrtle beach, 3. hilton head island, 4. daufuskie island, 5. fort sumter and charleston harbor, 6. jocassee gorges and devils fork state park, 7. uss yorktown and patriots point, mount pleasant, 8. south carolina plantation gardens, 9. congaree national park, hopkins, 10. watch wildlife at huntington beach state park, murrells inlet, 11. south carolina state museum, columbia, 12. brookgreen gardens, murrells inlet, 13. deep sea fishing, 14. riverbanks zoo and garden, columbia, 15. caesars head state park, 16. columbia museum of art, 17. edventure, columbia.

Immerse yourself in the gracious atmosphere of the antebellum south in Charleston, where more than 1400 historic homes, churches, and other buildings line the streets. A carriage ride will give you an overview and a little history as well, or you can join a walking tour that includes a peek into some of them.

You can also take a guided tour of several historic homes, including the Aiken-Rhett House and the 1808 Nathaniel Russell House . Both hold priceless collections of fine and decorative arts.

Exhibits at the Old Exchange Building and Old Slave Mart Museum reveal more about the city and its long, complicated history. It is also worth paying a visit to the Charleston City Market to watch "basket ladies" weave sweetgrass baskets, a long-cherished tradition here.

• Read More: Top Tourist Attractions & Places to Visit in Charleston, SC

One of the most popular things to do in South Carolina in the summer is to retreat to the miles of pristine sands that line the coast at Myrtle Beach. As appealing as the beaches themselves are the many traditional seaside pleasures to choose from here. The Carolina Opry produces musical shows, and the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel takes visitors on 10-minute rides above the beach and boardwalk.

Broadway at the Beach is the state's largest entertainment and shopping venue, with rides, mini golf, Ripley's Aquarium , movies, specialty shops, dining, and other attractions in a pedestrian-only area around Lake Broadway. Families love the slides, splash rides, and swimming pools at water parks and at major hotels.

Whether you like fishing or not, you'll also want to add Apache Pier to your list of places to visit in Myrtle Beach. Close to 1,200 feet in length, it's the East Coast's longest wooden pier, and is a popular fishing spot. For those just wanting to walk its entirety, grab a fresh fish sandwich from Croakers and soak in the spectacular views back over Myrtle Beach. Live music is provided every night in summer, and there's a fun arcade for the kids to enjoy.

• Read More: Top Attractions & Places to Visit in Myrtle Beach

While Hilton Head Island doesn't have the glamorous stage shows of the Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach, this low-country beach town offers laid-back relaxation and smaller crowds. You'll find plenty of fun things to do here , including great shopping, restaurants, and golf courses, and, of course, the beautiful wide sandy beaches.

One of the best places in South Carolina for bicycling, Hilton Head has miles of flat, well-marked bicycling trails, with great scenery and signage to point out landmarks and interesting facts. At low tide, you can even ride along the beaches, as most bike rental companies now offer bikes with extra wide tires that handle nicely on the firm, packed sand.

In some places, particularly along the shores of the Intracoastal Waterway, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of dolphins playing on the surf not too far from you. Wildlife watchers can also spot rare and common marine and birdlife up close at the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge .

Be sure to also pay a visit to the Sea Pines Resort area on the island's south end. Of particular interest here is Harbour Town, notable for its marina and famous lighthouse. Be sure to pay the modest admission, it's worth it for the superb water views over to Dafuskie Island.

It is worth taking a day trip from Hilton Head to Daufuskie Island. Accessible only by boat and passenger ferry , it looks as if time stopped moving here. To explore the island on your own, rent a golf cart. There are only a few paved roads on the island, but the carts can drive down the tree-canopied dirt roads.

Pay a visit to the Iron Fish Gallery & Studio , which is where acclaimed coastal sculptor Chase Allen displays his creations. The sculptures have become collector's items worldwide and can only be purchased on Daufuskie Island.

There is a 3-mile-long beach that is way less crowded than other area beaches. Even in the middle of the tourist season, you will only find a few hundred people along it (as opposed to thousands in Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head).

Here you will find Tour Daufuskie , which rents kayaks and paddle boards and also runs organized tours on both. Trips either take you into the ocean or down the island's rivers and saltwater creeks. Horseback riding along the beach is a popular activity. The Haig Point Equestrian Center runs excursions.

For more cultural enrichment, pay a visit to the Daufuskie Island Museum , which tells the story of Native American tribes from the region. The Rob Kennedy Historical Trail , with more than 20 landmarks, is also worth a stroll.

The attack on Fort Sumter, the federal fort guarding Charleston Harbor, by Confederate forces on April 12, 1861, began the American Civil War. The excellent National Park Rangers' interpretations bring those events vividly to life and set the stage for a better understanding of Civil War history.

You can visit the island and the well-preserved ruins of the fort by boat from the Visitor Education Center at Liberty Square, or from Patriots Point. Or you can get good views of the fort from a 90-minute tour on a sightseeing boat that takes you along the Cooper River to Fort Sumter National Monument.

The tour is fully narrated to provide historical background for Charleston's role in the Civil War and other eras of its history. It also gives good views of other forts, the Civil War prison at Pinckney Castle, the USS Yorktown , and the Ravenel Bridge.

Official site: www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm

South Carolina's northwest corner, known as Upstate, sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is filled with outdoor attractions. Here you will find the breathtaking Jocassee Gorges, the region's crown natural jewel. It is a series of steep rock walls that send dozens of mountain rivers down waterfalls into the giant 7,5000 Lake Jocassee in Devils Fork State Park.

Surrounded by pines and lush green hardwood forests, Lake Jocassee is a crystal-clear, deep-water reservoir. You can rent canoes, kayaks, and motorboats from one of many outfitters around the lakeshore. Guided pontoon boat tours are also offered and these stop at many of the waterfalls around the lake. If you are an angler, this lake is famed for its trophy-size fish. You'll find many bass and trout species here.

The Jocassee Gorges have the highest number of waterfalls in the eastern U.S. And with more than 75 inches of precipitation annually, this 50,000-acre wilderness area is also the only temperate rainforest east of the Rocky Mountains.

One of the most impressive waterfalls in this area is Whitewater Falls , on the state line with North Carolina. The falls are the tallest cascades east of the Rocky Mountains and begin their 811-foot drop in North Carolina and land in South Carolina.

At Patriots Point, on the other side of the harbor from Charleston's Historic District, you can tour the historic Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Yorktown . Built in 1943, it was the tenth aircraft carrier to serve in the United States Navy, and earned 11 battle stars for service in World War II, later adding five battle stars for service in Vietnam. The USS Yorktown also "starred" in the 1944 documentary film, The Fighting Lady .

More recently, in 1968, the USS Yorktown commanded worldwide attention for recovering the Apollo 8 astronauts. The vessel was retired to Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in 1975, joining submarines and other maritime exhibits that you can tour.

Address: 40 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Official site: www.patriotspoint.org

Many of the state's 2,000-plus plantations are open to visitors, and those around Charleston are noted especially for their outstanding gardens. Magnolia Plantation is in America's oldest publicly accessed gardens, begun in the early 1700s and first opened to visitors in 1870. They are unique as America's last grand Romantic-style garden. Middleton Place sits above America's oldest landscaped gardens; the house is fully furnished in original style.

Boone Hall Plantation in nearby Mt. Pleasant is one of the nation's oldest plantations still operating as a working farm, and is best known for its picturesque, three-quarter-mile Avenue of Oaks. You get a rare glimpse of original 18th-century craftsmanship in the ornamental details of the interior of Drayton Hall , which is the oldest unrestored plantation house in America that's open for tours.

Along with showing how the owners and their families lived, these plantations now include exhibits, tours, and programs on the lives of the enslaved people who made the plantation lifestyle possible during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

Guided tours of Middleton Place include discussions not only about the Middleton family, but also the enslaved people and freedmen who served them. Active archaeological studies at Drayton Hall continue to recover artifacts that provide insight into these undocumented lives.

Magnolia's Cabin Project preserves former slave dwellings that serve as the focal point for a 45-minute program on African-American history, highlighting not only the lives of enslaved people, but their later role in maintaining and preserving the estate's magnificent gardens. Boone Hall features a live presentation of the unique Gullah culture developed by African slaves, where descendants of the Gullah people tell the history of this culture through storytelling and song.

An easy 30-minute drive south of Columbia, Congaree National Park covers more than 26,000 acres and is a popular destination for those who enjoy the great outdoors in South Carolina. Home to the USA's largest concentration of tall bottomland old-growth forest, this incredibly scenic area is also one of the country's prime wilderness areas, with over half the park considered an unspoiled habitat that's home to abundant wildlife.

It's also notable for having been designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve . Little surprise, then, that the park is home to an abundance of ecologically important flora and fauna. Wildlife spotters can expect to see everything from bobcats to deer, as well as armadillos and plenty of amphibians.

There's plenty of other fun to be had here, too. Outdoor adventures include extensive hiking trails, kayaking, and canoeing, and guided interpretive experiences.

Address: 100 National Park Road, Hopkins, South Carolina

Official site: www.nps.gov/cong/index.htm

With more than 300 different species of birds found in the park, Huntington Beach is considered the best birding location in South Carolina.

But birds are not the only attraction for tourists who love wildlife. You can usually spot alligators at the park's freshwater lake, and a wide variety of park programming offers chances to observe loggerhead turtles and other endangered species, as well as introduce some of the rare local plants.

Art lovers enjoy the juried Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival held every September in the former winter residence of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington. The philanthropist and sculptor are also responsible for the neighboring Brookgreen Gardens .

Address: 16148 Ocean Hwy, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

Official site: www.southcarolinaparks.com/huntingtonbeach/introduction.aspx

The South Carolina State Museum is the state's largest such facility. This popular attraction features four floors of exhibits covering South Carolina's natural history, art, culture, science, and technology.

Many of the educational exhibits are hands-on, which makes the museum especially engaging for young visitors. The museum also features a 4-D interactive science theater, a planetarium, and an ever-changing roster of special exhibits.

Address: 301 Gervais Street, Columbia, South Carolina

Official site: http://scmuseum.org

Set on more than 9,000 acres of former rice plantations south of Myrtle Beach, Brookgreen Gardens combines a sculpture garden, the Lowcountry Zoo , and a wildlife preserve featuring multiple ecosystems. The sculpture is displayed throughout an entire series of themed gardens, which include the Kitchen Garden, Palmetto Garden, and a children's garden.

There's also a terrace garden filled with perennials, roses, and flowering shrubs. The Live Oak Allée of 250-year-old trees dates from plantation days in the early 1700s. Throughout the gardens and in three galleries are displayed more than 2,000 works by 430 artists, the country's largest and most comprehensive collection of American figurative sculpture.

The gardens were founded by Archer Huntington and his wife, the noted sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, in 1932 and was the first public sculpture garden in America. Each December, they are transformed into a magical world of colored lights during the Night of a Thousand Candles.

Address: 1931 Brookgreen Drive, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

Official site: www.brookgreen.org

From April through November, South Carolina is a prime destination for deep sea fishing, when avid anglers take to the water in a quest for sailfish, amberjack, cobia, giant blue marlin, barracuda, and other game species.

Unique to the state's waters are the many artificial reefs, more than 40 of which are located off its 3,000 miles of tidal shoreline. Built from scrap metal, including discarded equipment, barges, concrete bridges, and military vehicles, the underwater structures create a habitat for a variety of marine species.

Three coastal areas are especially prime for fishing. The sea near Myrtle Beach has 18 artificial reefs and eight fishing piers, including Apache Pier, the longest wooden fishing pier on the East Coast.

Charleston is the best departure point for the central coast waters, where 13 artificial reefs furnish habitat for several species, including blue marlin. Convenient departure points for the southern coastal waters are Beaufort and Hilton Head Island .

All these regions have plenty of charter companies and equipment rentals, as well as launch sites for private boats; if you plan to use charter services, be sure to book early, as South Carolina's potential for deep sea fishing adventures is no secret.

Read More: Best Places for Deep Sea Fishing in South Carolina

As if kangaroo and koala joeys weren't enough, Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is home to more than 2,000 other animals, representing more than 350 species. The two-acre African Plains exhibit reproduces an African savanna, where you can see giraffes, ostriches, and zebras along with African lions and baboons in their own separate natural habitats.

The Ndoki Forest area is a sanctuary for gorillas, elephants, and meerkats. Siberian tigers and Komodo dragons, among other species, represent Asia, while North American species include grizzly bears and California sea lions. The zoo includes a botanical garden and ziplines.

Address: 500 Wildlife Pkwy, Columbia, South Carolina

Official site: www.riverbanks.org/

Caesars Head State Park in Cleveland encompasses the heights of the Blue Ridge Escarpment and is filled with photo ops. The most impressive is from The Overlook , with its breathtaking view of Table Rock . The Raven Cliff Falls Trail leads to South Carolina's tallest waterfall , and the Jones Gap Trail leads to a series of swimming holes.

The escarpment attracts hawks on their migratory route to South America, and Caesar's Head Hawk Site is a count site along the Atlantic Flyway. There are fishing rivers in the park, and for treasure-hunting enthusiasts, several geocaches are hidden, to be located by GPS.

Address: 8155 Geer Hwy, Cleveland, South Carolina

Official site: www.southcarolinaparks.com/caesarshead/introduction.aspx

Art lovers traveling to South Carolina should be sure to include the Columbia Museum of Art on their travel itinerary. Consisting of over 25 galleries showcasing regional, national, and international artworks, it's a delightful way to spend a few hours.

Highlights include examples from the Baroque and Renaissance periods, along with works by a number of other European Masters. There's also an extensive collection of artworks by American artists, as well as decorative and furniture pieces.

Guided tours are available, as well as a great series of workshops and other programming.

Address: 1515 Main Street, Columbia, South Carolina

Official site: www.columbiamuseum.org

This one's strictly for the kids. The EdVenture Children's Museum is a fun, state-of-the-art attraction that places the emphasis entirely on making learning fun. And the fun here is very much hands-on, from the outdoor activities, including a full-scale airplane, to the magical indoor play areas.

Highlights include an area dedicated to pets, a science and invention lab, plenty of Lego blocks to play with, as well as fun exhibits, including a fire engine and grocery store. A café is also located on-site.

Address: 211 Gervais Street, Columbia, South Carolina

Official site: www.edventure.org

More Related Articles on PlanetWare.com

Where to Go in South Carolina : If you're going to be here in summer, spend some time finding the most beautiful beaches in the state, as well as the best resorts in South Carolina. And don't overlook the many things to do in South Carolina's lovely small towns .

Places to Visit near South Carolina : South of Charleston, traveling through the Low Country leads into Georgia , where you will not want to miss romantic Savannah , with its lovely parks and streets of antebellum homes.

More on South Carolina

Home » Travel Guides » United States » South Carolina (SC) » 17 Most Beautiful Places to Visit in South Carolina

17 Most Beautiful Places to Visit in South Carolina

South Carolina , The Palmetto State, offers some of the most beautiful and spectacular sights and places to visit! Just browse through these awesome pictures and be amazed by it’s beauty.

1. Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island is one of South Carolina’s most beautiful locations, boasting rich historical importance and a wide range of cultural attractions. The island, named after the man who discovered it, Captain William Hilton, has 12 miles of beaches and has developed into a popular holiday destination.

The Hilton Head Choral Society, the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina and many community festivals are among the top-class cultural options on offer on the island today. More than 1,500 domestic and international wines are tasted at the island’s WineFest event, while Hilton Head is a golfer’s paradise with 24 great courses to choose from.

2. Cypress Gardens

A massive blackwater bald cypress/tupelo swamp is the centerpiece of Cypress Gardens, a huge preserve and gardens located at Moncks Corner in South Carolina. Foot paths lead visitors throughout the gardens, while there are also flat-bottom boats available to take trips in the swamp.

Attractions at the gardens also include Butterfly House and an Aviary, as well as a Swamparium with local venomous snakes, native and exotic fish and siren salamanders.

3. Morris Island

Morris Island is another of South Carolina’s important historical sites. While the island is uninhabited, it acted as a vital strategic defense point in the Civil War. Morris Island Lighthouse is one of the few landmarks on Morris Island, standing at the south side of Charleston Harbor .

Over the years land erosion has reduced the size of the island, so time may well be running out to appreciate its rugged unspoiled beauty. The Thriller Charleston high speed boat trip is an exciting journey that travels close to Morris Island.

4. Lee Falls

The stunning Lee Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in the South, standing at 75-feet. The waterfall can be found close to Walhalla in Oconee County, but hikers will have to navigate a natural trail, with the walk likely to take between one and two hours to complete.

The trek is usually accessible between March and October depending on the weather and the trip is well worth it as Lee Falls is definitely one of the most beautiful locations in South Carolina.

5. Rainbow Falls

Even bigger than Lee Falls is Rainbow Falls, an incredible 140-foot drop into Cox Camp Creek. The trail to the falls is around 4.3 miles long and it is difficult, so only experienced hikers should take it on.

The waterfall is technically Camp Greenville property and those wanting to experience it must register at the camp offices before setting off on their trip. Part of the trail involves crossing a creek via a large fallen tree, so this is not for the faint-hearted.

6. Columbia, South Carolina from Finlay Park

• Columbia, South Carolina from Finlay Park

7. Congaree National Park

A designated Wilderness Area, Congaree National Park is one of South Carolina’s most unspoiled and natural sights. Camping is available, but many will head to the Harry Hampton Visitor Center to learn about the rich history of the park.

The Boardwalk Loop is a highlight of the park, taking visitors through Congaree National Park’s swampy environment. Thrillseekers could also enjoy a canoe trip down Cedar Creek during their time inside the park’s grounds.

8. Hilton Head Island

9. Swan Lake

All eight species of swan – Whistlers, Bewick’s and Trumpeters, Royal White Mutes, Black Necks, Australians and Coscorobas – call Swan Lake home. This is the only public place in the United States where all eight species can be seen in their natural habitat. The stunning sunsets at Swan Lake are known throughout South Carolina and beyond.

Swan Lake Iris Gardens also boasts Japanese iris, which are typically in bloom from the middle of May until the start of June. The Iris Festival, which is the oldest festival in South Carolina, is held at Swan Lake.

10. Johns Island

Johns Island is the biggest island in the state, with the incredible Angel Oak Tree one of the most beautiful natural sights in the whole of South Carolina. Some estimates say the tree is 1,500 years old. The island, which has a population of 14,000 people, is a popular spot for dolphin watching, while many horse-related activities take place at Mullet Hall Equestrian Center.

To mark the historical importance of Johns Island, the annual Battle of Charleston reenactment is held. Hundreds of species of birds – including bald eagles, egrets and wild turkeys – live on the island, which is also home to deer, alligators, bobcats and even coyotes.

11. The Battery

Charleston is South Carolina’s oldest city and The Battery is one of its oldest landmarks. The landmark defensive seawall and promenade is so named as it was a coastal defense artillery battery during the Civil War. Today, The Battery provides fantastic views across the coast of South Carolina, from Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse to Fort Sumter and Castle Pinckney.

The Battery is also lined with beautiful antique homes, while nearby White Point Garden is one of Charleston’s most gorgeous places to visit, boasting the 100-year-old Williams Music Pavilion.

12. Isle of Palms

Just 12 miles away from central Charleston is the unparalleled beauty of the Isle of Palms. The barrier island is separated from the mainland of South Carolina by the Intracoastal Waterway.

Isle of Palms is home to a thriving community but visitors will perhaps be most interested by the stunning sunsets that can be enjoyed in this lovely corner of the state. Beach volleyball, golf and tennis are all popular in this sports-minded community too.

13. Caesars Head State Park

Caesars Head State Park is so named due to the eponymous awesome rock formation that dominates the park, but the two-mile Raven Cliff Falls trail is arguably the star attraction. The 420-foot Raven Cliff Falls can be viewed from two publicly accessible overlooks on a suspension bridge, providing superb views.

Trailside camping and hiking are both popular in the park, while aside from the giant Raven Cliff Falls there are five further waterfalls to be enjoyed at this site.

14. Old Sheldon Church

The ruins of Old Sheldon Church are a must-visit for anyone traveling through South Carolina, the stark beauty of the ruined church building providing a sharp contrast to the stunning scenery. Prince William’s Parish Church was one of the first Greek-Revival structures in the United States when it was built, but the pre-Revolutionary church has now lain in ruins for dozens of years.

15. Columbia State House

Dating back over 150 years old, the Columbia State House is one of the most beautiful buildings in the whole of South Carolina. The Greek Revival style building hosts a number of important monuments, including the African-American History Monument and the Confederate Monument, as well as monuments to important American figures such as President George Washington. Due to the significance of the Columbia State House, it has been made a National Historic Landmark.

16. UFO Welcome Center

Possibly the most unusual tourist destination in South Carolina is the UFO Welcome Center in Bowman. The centerpiece of the attraction is a 42-foot-wide flying saucer made out of a mix of materials including plastic, fiberglass and wood. Visitors can even enter the UFO via a powered ramp, with the center without a doubt one of the most unique days out available in the state.

17. Huntington Marsh

Found at Murrells Inlet, Huntington Marsh is one of South Carolina’s most beautiful natural landscapes. Tourists flock to visit the Murrells Inlet Marshwalk, a short boardwalk boasting a number of superb restaurants.

Murrells Inlet is famously known as the Seafood Capital of South Carolina, with the area also home to a series of stunning golf courses too. Atalaya, Richmond Hill and Murrells Inlet Historic District are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

17 Most Beautiful Places to Visit in South Carolina:

• Hilton Head Island
• Cypress Gardens
• Morris Island
• Rainbow Falls
• Congaree National Park
• Johns Island
• The Battery
• Isle of Palms
• Caesars Head State Park
• Old Sheldon Church
• Columbia State House
• UFO Welcome Center
• Huntington Marsh

23 Best Places To Visit in South Carolina

There is a saying in the United States that South Carolina is full of smiling faces and beautiful places.

Indeed it is true and as South Carolina is the most beautiful state in the United States and the warm hospitality that will be extended to you here will make you come back again and again.

The state is worth a visit as it has a bit of everything – sandy beaches, coastal zones, mountain foothills and so on.

If you are planning a visit to South Carolina with your family or just a solo trip, it is imperative that you know beforehand what places and attractions to see and what can be given a miss.

To make this job easier for you, we have compiled a list of the best places to visit in South Carolina.

Historic District, Charleston

The gracious atmosphere of the Historic District in South Charleston will greet you with open hands.

There are more than 1400 historic homes, churches and old building that line both sides of the street.

You can opt for a carriage ride that will help you understand the history of the place or you can sign up for a walking tour that will help you snatch a peek into some of these buildings.

The 1808 Nathaniel Russell House is included in almost every walking tour as the house has priceless collections of both decorative and fine arts.

There are exhibits at the Old Slave Mart Museum that will give you a history of the place.

Caesars Head State Park

This is a huge state park that spans 13000 acres and affords beautiful views of Georgia. if you love hiking or just want to drive your car to the overlook then this place is perfect for you.

It is an ideal place to explore the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and enjoy the greenery of the state park.

If you are of the adventurous type then you can hike the 77 mile Foothills Trail that starts in Table Rock State Park.

You can avail of the shuttle service which will give you a ride to the trailhead.

Check out this park to see amazing natural views, waterfall, hiking trails and more. You can camp here and get wifi at the park office.

The Plantations of South Carolina

There are more than 2000 Southern plantations that was, at one point of time, operated using slave labour.

Today they serve as important cultural and historical landmarks in the state.

Most of these plantations are located near the coast and not very far from cities like Georgetown, Myrtle Beach and Charleston.

Soak up the history of the state and war beautifully landscaped areas as you walk through the plantations of South Carolina.

There will be a lot of walking involved it on a beautiful sunny day there’s nothing better.

Address:  1776 Mansfield Rd, Georgetown, SC 29440, United States

Myrtle Beach

This is easily the most popular place in the state of South Carolina.

The coast of Myrtle Beach is lined with miles and miles of pristine sand that makes the beach more appealing to the tourists as well as the locals.

Once you are here you can hop on the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel that takes the visitors on a 10 min ride over the beach and boardwalk and don’t miss the musical shows at Carolina Opry.

If you are travelling with kids then you must visit Ripley’s Aquarium and or Broadway at the Beach which is the largest shopping and entertainment centre in the State.

Apart from the mini golf and various rides, you would also love the area around Lake Broadway and the swimming pools at the water parks.

McLeod Plantation Historic Site

We admit that there are more beautiful and larger plantations in South Carolina for you to explore but this 19th century plantation deserves a special mention.

The place is not afraid to hide its past and gives you a real insight into the deep and shocking history of the region.

Apart from the plantation house, there is a 600 year old tree and slave cabins.

You can also take a guided tour of the plantation that is definitely not sugar coated and teaches you how life was for the slaves.

Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head is basically a low-country beach town wherein you will never find the glamorous stage shows of the Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach.

The crowd is sparse here and is a perfect place for laid-back relaxation.

There are beautiful bicycling trails at Hilton Head along with options for shopping, dining and the wide sand beaches where you can just lie down and while away the time.

The Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge is a great space for wildlife lovers as you can easily spot some rare and common species from a very close distance.

If you’re not ready for the hustle and bustle of Myrtle Beach you can always check out Hilton Head.

Equally if not more so beautiful and much less crowded.

Greenville Zoo

This relatively large zoo is spread across 14 acres of land and has species like elephants, giraffes and giant tortoises.

The admission rates are not too high and you can get a substantial discount if you are travelling in groups.

This is a good place for the kids to hang around as the specially designed education programs of the zoo are targeted towards them only.

You can come in the early hours and spend a whole day here to have a great time with your family here.

For ticket rates and special offers, you can visit the website of the Greenville Zoo.

Fort Sumter & Charleston Harbor

Fort Sumter was the federal court that guarded Charleston Harbor and was attached by the Confederate forces in April, 1861.

Visiting this area will put you in the same place as the first battle of the American Civil War.

It’s a great place to check out over 4th of July though it is typically crowded during that time.

The National Park Ranger will give you an excellent interpretation of all the events that unfolded here which will make you understand American Civil War much better.

One can visit the ruins of the fort by taking a boat from Visitor Education Center @ Liberty Square.

If you have time in hand, you may opt for the 90 min tour that will take you along the Cooper River right up to the Fort Sumter National Monument.

This tour fully explains the role of Charleston in the American Civil War.

You can also get a great view of the other forts and the Civil War Prison located at Pinckney Castle.

Soda City Market, Columbia

This is a lively market that is full of local produce, crafts and food that are found in the state.

Held in the state capital, Columbia, the Soda City Market is open on every Saturday irrespective of the weather.

The Main Street of the town is filled with lots of people who are eager to shop, eat and even pet a dog!

When you are here do not forget to sample the boiled peanuts which is basically a state snack.

Huntington Beach State Park

The Huntington Beach State Park is easily the best birding place in the state and is home to as many as 300 species.

Alligators can be spotted in the freshwater lake of the park.

If you are an art connoisseur then you should enjoy the Atalaya Arts & Crafts Festival that is held every year in the month of September.

Spartanburg Art Museum

If you want to experience great art and culture without shedding a penny for admission fees then you should come down to the Spartanburg Art Museum.

It is open from Tuesday to Saturday (10 am to 5 pm) and you can just walk in and visit the gallery of exhibits.

South Carolina State Museum, Columbia

It is the largest museum in the state of South Carolina with as many as 4 floors of exhibits that cover the natural history, science, technology, art and cultural scene of the state.

The majority of the educational exhibits are hand-on in nature making it fund and interactive.

There is also a planetarium and a science theatre inside the premises.

The South Carolina State Capital Building

The State House in South Carolina is a must-visit place.

It is interesting to note that this highly resilient building survived the Sherman’s March in the Civil War.

However, you will find bronze statues covering the six spots where artillery shells had put a large hole.

The construction of this building started in 1851 but it took a long time to get completed (1907).

The SC General Assembly and the Office of the Governor is housed inside this building.

Riverbanks Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Columbia

The Riverbanks Zoo & Garden is home to more than 2000 animals including exotic species like koala cubs and kangaroo joeys.

There you will be able to explore more than 170 acres of plants and animals from around the world.

The African Plains Exhibit deserve special mention as an artificial African Savanna has been constructed to keep animals like baboons, African lions, zebras, ostriches in their natural habitat.

You can then move on to the Ndoki Forest Area which is basically a sanctuary for meerkats, gorillas and elephants, Komodo dragons and Siberian tigers.

The North American species that are displayed here include Californian Sea Lions and grizzly bear.

Just to add some more fun element, the zoo also has ziplines and botanical garden.

Greenville Main Street

We know that there are hardly any people in this world who love to see real mice in cities but you will have a lot of fun looking for nine bronze mice that is hidden somewhere in downtown Greenville.

All nine are not located in one place; so you will really need to work hard to find them.

After you have spent a considerable time searching for the rodents, you can browse through the different shops and dine at any one of the 100+ restaurants.

You can end your visit to Greenville by visiting the Falls Park which is a waterfall-filled public space.

Lake Hartwell State Recreation Area

Lake Harwell is all about 962 miles of shoreline.

Located just 3 hours from Columbia, Lake Hartwell is a fun place to be with lots of activities on offer.

The good news is that you can even stay inside the state park.

If you had been looking for a peaceful and tranquil location in South Carolina, then you should come down to Lake Hartwell State recreation Area.

Carowinds Amusement Park

One of the largest and most attractive theme park in South Carolina deserves a special mention in this list as this is one place where you can have a real blast.

If you can get hold of any coupons then you can avoid paying the listed website price.

There are a lot of new thrilling rides including the 232 ft tall roller coaster that runs at a massive speed of 75 mph.

Built across the North Carolina and South Carolina state line, visitors can stand in both states at one time and experience a variety of thrill rides.

South Carolina Aquarium

If you are on a vacation in this state then a great way to round off your visit would be to visit the South Carolina Aquarium.

Located in Charleston, the aquarium is one of the most sought-after family destinations.

You can visit the website of the South Carolina Aquarium to know about special offers on ticket prices.

Check out more than 10 aquatic exhibit with a variety of under the sea animals ranging from sharks.

Dupont Planetarium

Opened in 1995, the Dupont Planetarium is a great learning experience for each and every visitor.

It is located within the University of South Carolina at Aiken and is part of the Ruth Patrick Science Education Centre. It is open to the public every Saturday.

The planetarium houses a huge 30 ft dome wherein projected images are displayed for the viewing pleasure of the audience.

There are public showings at different timings and even special programs for school groups.

T.I.G.E.R.S Preservation Station

If you’re an animal lover he’s going to be in North Myrtle Beach check out the preservation station at Barefoot Landing.

It is a free-living tiger exhibit and serves as a fundraising effort for the rarest Tyga on earth, the golden tabby tiger.

You can see the tigers up close and uncaged for free.

Fort Moultrie National Monument

If you are planning on visiting Sullivan’s Island, check out Fort Moultrie. Edgar Allan Poe was stationed here in the 1800s.

South Carolina State Farmer’s Market

Rudy’s will enjoy a wide selection of fresh produce and and number of sociality food shop.

There’s even a 400 square feet outdoor amphitheater, play area for kids, a restaurant, and a 150 square foot exhibition kitchen.

Congaree National Park

Angry swamp is one of the newest national parks in the United States and offers miles of hiking trails along with unique flora and fauna.

Congaree National Park is the 57th and the newest national park of the United States. It is also the only National Park in the State of Carolina.

The interesting thing about this place is that the park gets its name from the Congaree Swamp that surrounds the park.

The ranger-guided walks are the main attraction of the park and if you are coming here with kids then do check out the Junior Ranger program. It is real fun and the kids will simply love it.

This is a great place to walk, hike, or rollerblade on trails while taking in beautiful scenery.

This sums up our list of the best places to visit in South Carolina.

However, don’t be fooled by the number because there are lots of other places in this State which has just lost out or we may have not mentioned here because we thought that these places are actually worth more as attractions.

South Carolina never fails to impress anyone and we also believe that you will fall in love with the state once you come here.

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Kristina Wyatt has a passion for travel and writing that began in high school, when she freelanced for her local newspaper. Since then, she...

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Top South Carolina Attractions

Things to do in south carolina.

• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 2.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• French Quarter
• Charlestowne
• North Central
• James Island
• Upper Concord Street
• City Hall Area
• Downtown Manhattan (Downtown)
• Civic Center
• Budget-friendly
• Good for Kids
• Good for Couples
• Good for a Rainy Day
• Good for Big Groups
• Hidden Gems
• Honeymoon spot
• Good for Adrenaline Seekers
• Adventurous
• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Broadway at the Beach

2. Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

3. Falls Park on the Reedy

4. Brookgreen Gardens

5. Middleton Place

6. Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

7. Fort Sumter National Monument

8. Joe Riley Waterfront Park

9. Boone Hall Plantation

10. Coligny Beach

11. Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge

12. Huntington Beach State Park

13. Hilton Head Distillery

14. SkyWheel Myrtle Beach

15. The Center for Birds of Prey

16. Angel Oak Tree

17. Hunting Island State Park

18. Hilton Head Island Bike Trails

19. Barefoot Landing

20. GTS Theatre

21. Nathaniel Russell House

22. Myrtle Beach

23. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden

24. Drayton Hall

25. The Black Fedora Comedy Mystery Theatre

26. Charleston Tea Garden

27. Aiken-Rhett House

28. Hopsewee Plantation

29. McLeod Plantation Historic Site

30. Battery & White Point Gardens

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Southern Charm and More: 16 Best Places to Visit in South Carolina

Kimberly Miles

When it comes to Southern hospitality and good times, the Palmetto State is one of a kind. Home to major historical sites and landmarks, eye-catching architecture, breathtaking gardens and pristine beaches, South Carolina packs plenty to do and see for all ages. Whether you’re just passing through on a road trip or planning to spend a few days or more, here are 16 of the best places to visit while in South Carolina.

Despite growing up just two states north in Virginia, I never knew much about South Carolina other than the fact that it is home to Myrtle Beach , where I’d visited once or twice as a child. Little did I know that the Palmetto State is actually packed with so much more, including incredible architecture, beautiful waterfalls and gardens and several major iconic historic sites.

Home to one of the country’s tallest ferris wheels, the site of the first shots of the American Civil War, one of America’s oldest and most historically important gardens and unmatched hospitality and charm, South Carolina is a must-visit state for all ages.

So whether you’re just passing through during a quick getaway or staying in one of its many family resorts for a few days, here are some of the must-see places to visit while in South Carolina.

Best Cities to Visit in South Carolina:

Charleston is known as a beautiful walking city with cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, pastel antebellum houses and amazing restaurants. It is a quintessential Southern town, the state’s largest city and one of the best places to visit in South Carolina to enjoy sweet tea, magnolia blossoms and Civil War history.

Book lodging downtown on “the Peninsula” if you are into historical tours , galleries, fine dining and shopping. There are many hotels and B&Bs from which to choose. You’ll still find plenty of waterside breezes as you stroll the Battery and White Point Gardens.

Also, you’ll want to spend time visiting the Magnolia Plantation and Middleton Place, home to America’s oldest and most historically important gardens. Daniel Island, Mount Pleasant and West Ashley offer many fabulous entertainment, historical, outdoors, educational and dining experiences. Jones Island is home to the Angel Oak tree, one of the oldest southern live oak trees east of the Mississippi River. Charleston is also home to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. It was the site of a horrific 2015 shooting that brought racism issues to the front burner.

Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is a popular tourist destination on South Carolina’s Atlantic coast and one of the best places to visit in South Carolina for families and beach goers. It is home to the Grand Strand, a 60-mile stretch of beaches. It is also known for its celebrity-designed golf courses and action-packed boardwalk with arcades, family-friendly shows and entertainment and an amusement park with one of the country’s tallest Ferris wheels.

After spending a day soaking up the sun on one of its many beaches, check out some of the many tourist attractions Myrtle Beach has to offer including Broadway at the Beach, Barefoot Landing and all the outrageous slingshot and thrill rides that teenagers love. More tame options would be to stroll through Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, explore the Shops at Pawley’s Island or browse downtown Georgetown, about halfway between Myrtle Beach and Charleston.

Greenville is nestled on the other side of the state (called the Upstate Region) halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte. And while it may be located in the South, it is hardly Southern. At least not in that laid back, sleepy sort of Southern way that is accentuated by a sweet southern drawl. Rather, it is one of the best places to visit in South Carolina for visitors looking for a vibrant metropolis filled with surprises and topped with a generous helping of southern charm.

Some of its popular sites include the Greenville County Museum of Art, the Upcountry History Museum, Paris Mountain State Park and Falls Park on the Reedy. Among the fun things to do in Greenville with kids include marveling at the waterfall in the center of town and walking across the Liberty Bridge, riding bikes along the Swamp Rabbit Trail and looking for the mice sculptures along Main Street. Local cuisine and breweries have also flourished in Greenville and it has become a foodie destination in its own right.

Read More: Westin Poinsett: Timeless Luxury in Downtown Greenville

Columbia is the capital of South Carolina and one of the best places to visit in South Carolina for tourists who really want a taste of Southern charm, cuisine and hospitality. With its compact and easily navigable streets, Columbia offers plenty of indoor and outdoor activities including beautiful parks and opportunities to go sightseeing, swim, play tennis and play golf.

Some of the most popular attractions to visit for all ages include the Columbia Museum of Art , Edventure Children’s Museum , Roberts Mill House Mansion and the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden .

Hilton Head Island

Located in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, Hilton Head Island (also known as Hilton Head) is a barrier island and another one of the super places to visit in South Carolina for the best beaches and world-class golf courses. In fact, it is known to be one of the best vacation destinations in the world!

A fun way to spend the day with the family is with a guided dolphin tour , which teaches you all about the local ecosystem while getting up close and personal with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. When you want a break from the sand and water, check out the Coastal Discovery Museum or the Harbour Town Lighthouse and Museum on the southwest tip of the island. The Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge salt marsh is a good place to spot deer, alligators and birds.

Founded in 1711, Beaufort is a historical city on Port Royal Island, one of South Carolina’s coastal Sea Islands. A small town with classic architecture, it is the site where many famous movies have been filmed , including “Forrest Gump,” “The Prince of Tides” and “The Big Chill.”

Beaufort packs plenty of fun things to do and see for all ages, including festivals, events, museums, art galleries, historical sites, shopping and plenty of restaurants. There are also a number of recreational and sports activities to take advantage of including boating, fishing, kayaking, camping and hiking its many trails. The downtown historic district is known for its beautiful antebellum mansions. The Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park is a great place to have a picnic while overlooking the Beaufort River and Woods Memorial Bridge.

Mount Pleasant

Located in the lowcountry, Mount Pleasant is a large suburban town known for its historic houses and live oaks. It is especially known for being home to national historic landmarks such as Patriot’s Point and the USS Yorktown. If you’re looking for one of the best places to visit in South Carolina for history buffs, Mount Pleasant is that place.

There’s always something fun awaiting you in Mount Pleasant. There are free cultural events, haunted historical walking tours , festivals, farmer’s markets and parades. There are historic homes, revolutionary war sites and military vessels. There’s boutique shopping, southern-style dining and local craft breweries. And when you want something more laid back and relaxing to do, head to the creek for kayaking and paddleboarding. One thing is for sure…you’ll need more than one visit to take in all that Mount Pleasant has to offer.

Best Attractions to Visit in South Carolina:

Congaree National Park

Located 18 miles outside of Columbia, the Congaree National Park spans 26,276 acres of giant hardwood and pine trees. It is one of the best places to visit in South Carolina if you’re looking for a tranquil and beautiful place to get in touch with nature. The park is the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest that remains in the southeastern USA.

A day at the Congaree National Park can be spent hiking through the beautiful green forest and its wooden boardwalk trails. Guided canoeing tours are also available, taking you through the Congaree and Wateree Rivers. If camping is up your alley, you can make a reservation for one at one of the front country campgrounds complete with fire pits, picnic tables and restrooms. Or, you can get a permit to set up your own camping spot in the wilderness. However, only tents and hammocks are permitted. No RV hookups are available.

Caesars Head State Park

Located in Greenville, Caesars Head State Park is where you can catch stunning views of North Carolina and Georgia from atop the Blue Ridge Escarpment, making it one of the best places to visit in South Carolina for sight-seers, hikers and those looking for outdoor adventures.

One of the most popular things to do at the park is hike the four-mile, round trip Ravens Cliff Falls hiking trail, which leads to the scenic overlook of the 420-foot Raven Cliff Falls. For a better view of the falls, you can take a 6.6-mile round trip hike to a suspension bridge that crosses the creek above the Falls. Caesars Head also connects to the Jones Gap State Park via the Mountain Bridge Wilderness area, giving hikers and campers an additional 13,000 acres of beautiful mountains and forest to explore!

Charleston’s Historic District

Also known as the Charleston Old and Historic District, the Charleston Historic District is one of the most beautiful places in South Carolina. Visitors to this historic town will find a remarkable collection of 18th and 19th-century architecture, including cobblestone streets and the distinctive Charleston “single house.”

A day in historic Charleston can be spent exploring architectural and historical landmarks such as the Pineapple Fountain, Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, Old Slave Mart Museum or National Russel House Museum. You can also take a ferry to Fort Sumter to stand exactly where the Civil War began, tour one of its many plantations and mansions or take a horse-drawn carriage guided tour of the area .

Charleston Harbor

Located off the Atlantic Ocean in Charleston, South Carolina, the Charleston Harbor forms part of the Intracoastal Waterway and is home to Fort Sumter National Monument, the site of the first shots of the American Civil War. But that’s not all that the harbor is known for. It is also the site of the first successful submarine attack when the H.L. Hunley attacked the USS Housatonic during the Civil War. For history buffs, the Charleston Harbor is a must-visit while in this area of South Carolina.

Another interesting fact about the Harbor – the 12-foot natural depth of the harbor is part of the reason why Charleston has grown to where it is today. Following the war, the government  dredged the channels of the harbor to a depth of 17 feet. To experience all that Charleston Harbor has to offer while learning about its fascinating history, a 1.5-hour narrated boat tour is the best way to go.

Huntington Beach State Park

One of South Carolina’s most recognizable landmarks, Huntington Beach State Park is one of the Grand Strand’s pristine beaches and one of the best places to visit in South Carolina for beach goers, nature lovers and those who like to stay active outdoors.

With three miles of sandy beach, 173 campsites and more than 300 species of birds, Huntington Beach State Park is a must-visit for campers, hikers and those just looking to have a relaxing day while taking in all of South Carolina’s natural beauty. The park is also known to be one of the best places for bird-watching on the east coast as well as home to some of the best surf-fishing in the state.

Huntington Beach State Park is also home to the National Historic Landmark, Atalaya, the breathtaking, Moorish-style winter home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington. The home is where the prestigious Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival takes place each year in September.

Falls Park on the Reedy

Considered to be the “birthplace of Greenville,” Falls Park on the Reedy is a beautiful, 32-acre park that was previously home to textile mills. Now it is known to be a nature lover’s paradise and one of the best places to visit in South Carolina.

Located in the historic West End district of Greenville, Falls Park on the Reedy is like an oasis in the city. As a multi-use facility with waterfalls, gardens, beautiful public art, stunning architecture and eye-catching stonework, it is a popular place for people of all ages to spend the day.

SheBuysTravel Editor-in-Chief Cindy Richards visited the Falls Park with her family and enjoyed spending the afternoon watching the cascading waterfalls while people-watching. In her words, “It was a lovely spot to while away an afternoon.”

South Carolina State Museum

Located along the Congaree River in downtown Columbia, the South Carolina State Museum has four floors of both permanent and changing exhibits. It is one of the best places to visit in South Carolina for fascinating exhibits on natural history, South Carolina history, art, science and technology.

The museum also houses a digital dome planetarium, 4D interactive theater and an observatory. It is the largest and most comprehensive museum in South Carolina.

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden

Home to more than 2,000 animals and one of the nation’s most beautiful botanical gardens, the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden has a reputation as one of the USA’s best zoos and best places to visit in South Carolina for families, animals lovers and nature lovers. Riverbanks is also the site of structural remains and historic ruins that can be seen from various locations along the River Trail and the footbridge that links the Zoo to the Garden.

The botanical gardens section houses more than 4,300 specifics of native and exotic plants, including a Walled Garden for a great photo op. The three-acre Waterfall Junction waterpark is a fun way for the little ones to cool off from the heat, featuring a 25-foot cascading waterfall, splash zones, giant tree houses and a dinosaur bone dig with a life-size replica of a T-Rex.

DuPont Planetarium

Housed in the University of South Carolina Aiken, the DuPont Planetarium is one of the best places to visit in South Carolina for both adults and children with an interest in astronomy. With a 30-foot diameter dome and seating for 45, it’s a great way to take a short break from the outdoors for a fun and educational experience.

The public programs usually last about an hour and include a live presentation about the stars, planets and constellations. There’s also an automated program on a variety of topics, mostly related to astronomy. If the weather is right, you’ll be able to head to the observatory after the presentation for telescope viewings.

Everything you need to know before visiting South Carolina

Nov 2, 2022 • 8 min read

From marsh-lined beaches to urban foodie hubs, there's a lot going on in South Carolina. Here's what you need to know © Getty Images / iStockphoto

South Carolina welcomes everyone with a friendly “hey y’all.” Laidback and relaxed, the Palmetto State is an easy place to visit, with a throng of sunshiney offerings, golden beaches , lazy rivers towered over by bald cypresses, and the tail end of the Blue Ridge.

That said, there are some things that are useful to know before you go. From practicalities such as checking the weather and watching for alligators (seriously!) to etiquette tips such as the proper way to approach a football conversation (very seriously!), here are a few key things to know before traveling to South Carolina .

Planning your trip

Think twice about jeans.

South Carolinians generally dress slightly more formally, though they don’t overdo it. Men generally wear button-down shirts or polos, while women dress in skirts and slacks.

A hat with a brim and sunglasses in summer helps ward off the sun. If you wear a sundress in summer, remember that temperatures tend to drop at night so bring a jacket or sweater (besides, restaurants crank up the A/C).

And if you do wear jeans, dress them up with a blouse and heels (for women) and a button-down shirt (for men).

Book restaurants in advance

You’ll find some of the nation’s best restaurants in South Carolina, notably Michael Anthony’s Cucina Italiana and Charlie’s Coastal Bistro in Hilton Head, SeaBlue Restaurant & Wine Bar in North Myrtle Beach and The Bluffton Room in Bluffton.

Charleston alone is a hive of culinary expertise, with noted restaurants including Husk , FIG , Bertha’s Kitchen and Stars Rooftop and Grill. It's always wise to make a reservation, especially at upscale restaurants – often a week or more in advance for Friday and Saturday nights.

South Carolina’s best road trips

Etiquette in South Carolina

Tea = sweet tea.

If you order tea in South Carolina, you will be served an icy glass of black tea sweetened just right with sugar or simple syrup (and sometimes lemon). Many southerners claim they were drinking sweet tea before anything else, and a restaurant can’t be considered southern if it doesn’t offer it on the menu.

The historic town of Summerville, just outside Charleston, is said to have invented sweet tea when a group of old soldiers hosted a reunion in town in 1890. Their shopping list included 600 pounds of sugar and 880 gallons of iced tea.

If you don’t have a porch to sip sweet tea, Summerville’s Sweet Tea Trail  – with businesses purveying sweet-tea-inspired specials – is the next best option.

College sports are life

Do not get into a discussion about college football unless you’re prepared to take a side: Clemson Tigers or South Carolina Gamecocks. This serious rivalry between two public universities located only 132 miles apart dates back to political tensions during post-Civil War reconstruction, though today it’s all about football.

The two teams face off at an annual game dubbed the “Battle of the Palmetto State” (unofficially the Palmetto Bowl) in late November, usually Thanksgiving weekend, leading to many discussions at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Tailgating is a time-honored tradition that accompanies every game.

Top things to do in South Carolina

Always says yes to biscuits

Making biscuits is an art form in South Carolina, a time-honored tradition that turns simple flour and fat into rich, steamy, flaky, buttery cakes. The best are made at home, of course, but many restaurants pride themselves on their biscuit craftsmanship.

Some versions are plain, while others are mixed with hot cheese and garlic, served with hot house gravy, or a variety of other delectable ways. Try them at Biscuit Head in Greenville , Clarks’ Inn and Restaurant in Santee or Compton’s Kitchen in West Columbia.

…Or hush puppies

South Carolinian hush puppies are another age-old tradition. A warm, crusty bite of cornmeal goodness, they’re found at fish houses, barbecue joints and traditional southern restaurants.

Sometimes they’re spiked with spices, onions, hot peppers or corn and/or served with dips and creamy sauces. It’s not exactly clear where hush puppies originated.

One story claims a West African man named Romeo Govan who lived on the Edisto River served “red horse bread” at his fish fries – “red horse” was a type of fish common in South Carolina rivers.

The name is another story, though it probably relates to quieting dogs by giving them a little bite to eat. Whichever story you believe, you can’t go wrong trying them at Captain Steve’s in Fort Mill, Flower’s Seafood Company in Edisto Island or Little Pigs Barbecue in Columbia.

Best places to visit in South Carolina

Hot sauce goes on everything

South Carolinians have a thing about hot sauce – you’ll find it spicing up nearly every dish.

Among local sauces, you’ll discover Palmetto Pepper Potions (with flavors including Larynx Lava and Trenholm Venom) and PuckerButt Pepper Company (famed for its Smokin’ Ed’s Carolina Reaper, deemed the world’s hottest hot sauce).

Beware ghost chili sauce, a surprising kick added in many a South Carolina recipe.

This isn’t a sauce, but Blue Moon’s Yep! Shake spice is an all-natural, handcrafted secret out of Spartanburg – a mix of spices that elevates vegetables, meats and, really, anything except ice cream and strawberry shortcake.

South Carolina barbecue is mustard-based

South Carolinians are serious about their barbecue. Generally, you’ll find pork that's been slow-cooked over hardwood. But, as all BBQ aficionados know, the sauce is key.

And in South Carolina, it’s all about the mustard, with a yellow color and tangy flavor. The story goes that German settlers brought mustard with them from their homeland some 250 years ago. Many of the names associated with the South Carolina BBQ business remain German: Bessinger , Sweatman's and Sikes , for starters.

Don’t forget the Blue Ridge

In this mostly flat southern state, it’s easy to forget that the soaring peaks of the Blue Ridge make a brief appearance on its northwestern border.

In fact, here you’ll find the spectacular Blue Ridge Escarpment, a line at which the Blue Ridge plunges toward the undulating foothills of Upstate South Carolina.

You can explore this majestic natural landscape – full of waterfalls, hardwood forests, and crystal-clear lakes – at a variety of parks, including Jones Gap State Park , Caesars Head State Park , and  Table Rock State Park , all within the 10,000-acre Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area.

Another option is to drive the 112-mile Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway (SC 11), which traces the edge of the Blue Ridge, showcasing waterfalls, mountain streams, and sweeping mountain vistas.

Hit the links at a state golf course

More than 350 golf courses speckle the state – private, public, and in all price ranges. The two best are Kiawah Island’s Open Course , stretching along the Atlantic Ocean and Hilton Head’s Harbour Town Golf Links – SC’s only annual PGA Tour stop.

But there are plenty of courses to keep you swinging. Many offer golf packages, including accommodations and, in some cases, access to otherwise private locations. Members-only Haig Point on Daufuskie Island , for example, welcomes a limited number of daily guests to the course.

Health and safety in South Carolina

When is hurricane season.

South Carolina does experience hurricanes – it’s best to avoid the coast between late August through October. If you do visit during this time, be sure to have an emergency plan in place and keep abreast of the weather news. Severe storms can also spawn tornadoes and deadly lightning.

Winters are mild, but summers are hot

Thanks to a humid subtropical climate, South Carolina’s winters are relatively mild, especially along the coast (60°F during the day).

It can get close to freezing inland, and it does snow, though generally less than an inch annually. The summers, however, are another story. They are hot, hot, hot and humid – averaging a solid 90°F – with frequent afternoon thunderstorms and dangerous lightning.

Tornado season is generally in early spring, with another peak in November.

Best time to visit in South Carolina

The bugs will eat you alive

Heat and humidity breed swarms of mosquitoes – 61 different species of the small fly live in South Carolina.

Whatever you do, do not forget your bug spray. And wear long sleeves and long pants at dawn, dusk, and twilight (as well as shady areas during the day) when they tend to come out.

Treat ‘gators with respect

Some 100,000 alligators call South Carolina home and they’re not something you want to mess with. Most of the time, they’re harmless – you’ll see them lounging around wetlands (especially at golf courses).

Just don’t get too close, and certainly don’t try to feed them, or swim in waters that are known to be alligator havens. Gator attacks are rare, but they do happen. The general rule is to avoid these lounging reptiles, and if you do come across one, slowly walk away.

Always exercise caution when out

South Carolina is considered a safe place to visit, though, as everywhere, always be aware of your surroundings. Be vigilant when visiting the state’s busy attractions, and don’t leave anything visible in the car that might tempt a break-in.

Places to avoid, especially at night, include Beaufort County, Greenwood County, and Marion County.

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15 Best Hotels in Charleston

Here’s where to stay on your next trip to the Holy City.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Drew Castelhano/Hotel Bennett

Charleston, South Carolina has been voted the top city in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure readers in the World's Best Awards for more than a decade. Its walkability, culinary landscape, cultural offerings, and beauty, both natural and human-made, come together to create a destination that appeals to all kinds of travelers. It also manages to balance a dedication to preserving history while embracing creativity, ambition, and newness throughout its various neighborhoods.

This uniquely Charleston identity even extends to the city’s incredibly diverse and dynamic roster of hotels — where historic mansions and luxury properties operate next to smaller accommodations focused on boutique experiences. Not a single one of the Holy City’s best hotels follows a cookie-cutter pattern; each actively creates a distinct narrative and reason for being.

As both a travel writer and a former Charleston resident, I can attest to the fact that Charleston’s hotels are a big part of the local community. Yes, they accommodate out-of-town guests, but they also use their coveted locations to provide an additional place for locals to get coffee with an old friend, sip cocktails with a book club, or sit down to an elevated dinner, whether it’s a special occasion or a regular date night. This neighborly atmosphere is what produces a hotel scene unrivaled by any other city in the South. Read on to discover the best hotels in Charleston, South Carolina.

Related: T+L's Guide to Charleston

Hotel Bennett

Also available to book at Expedia.com

It’s an all-in-one type of property with a rooftop pool, fitness center, spa, and several on-site restaurants.

King Street is known to be busy and loud, especially on the weekends.

“Hotel Bennett is truly Charleston’s best full-service luxury hotel, in my opinion,” says Elizabeth Rhodes , digital special projects editor at Travel + Leisure and native South Carolinian. “In a city full of smaller boutique properties, it stands out with its rooftop pool, spa, massive suites, and four fantastic dining venues.” Part of the Salamander Collection of properties, the 179-room hotel juxtaposes European elegance with Southern glamour, which you’ll experience as soon as you walk through the first-floor rotunda — known for its mural of 18th-century Charleston Harbor painted by Jill Baskin — and into the Grand Court Lobby. While you’ll never run out of places to eat in Charleston, keep the on-property restaurants La Patisserie, Gabrielle, Fiat Lux, and Camellias in mind as you plan your trip. According to Rhodes, “Afternoon tea at the perfectly pink Camellias is a must.”

The Details:

• Located on King Street in downtown Charleston
• Wi-Fi, access to the fitness center, and signature amenities are included in your stay
• 11 miles from Charleston International Airport (CHS)
• Next to Marion Square, where the Charleston Farmers Market is held weekly
• Rooms from $331 a night

John Rutledge House Inn

The complimentary full breakfast is the perfect way to start a day exploring Charleston.

Off-street parking is available, but you’ll need to pay an additional $18 a day per car.

For a thoughtful, intimate bed-and-breakfast experience, look no further than the John Rutledge House Inn, which T+L readers ranked No. 4 on the list of Charleston hotels in the 2023 World’s Best Awards . The building itself is highly recognizable from the outside, with its balconies, double entry staircase, and photogenic black-and-white checkerboard sidewalk greeting guests and passersby. The inside, however, is just as welcoming, with rooms and suites outfitted with period antiques, elegant canopy beds, and Italian marble gas fireplaces. It may be tempting to sleep the day away in your comfortable accommodations, but you won’t want to miss the full breakfast — which can be enjoyed in your room or in the courtyard, ballroom, or piazza — the afternoon hors d'oeuvres, or a glass of sherry in the evening.

T+L deputy photo editor Skye Senterfeit called this hotel "a truly special spot in Charleston." She continued, saying, "Every night of my October 2022 stay, I felt more like I was coming home than just coming back to a hotel. There’s history around every corner (inside and out) and always someone impossibly charming waiting to greet you at the desk."

• Located on Broad Street in downtown Charleston
• Wi-Fi, breakfast, afternoon tea, light hors d'oeuvres, and 24-hour concierge services are included with your stay
• 13 miles from Charleston International Airport
• Some of the best shopping on King Street is just around the corner
• Rooms from $299 a night

The Spectator Hotel

Also available to book at Hotels.com

The team of personal butlers is there to ensure your stay is seamless — and you experience the best of the best in Charleston.

This part of town is often crowded with tourists visiting popular attractions like Rainbow Row and Charleston City Market.

For an extra-large helping of Southern hospitality, consider The Spectator Hotel for your next trip to the Holy City. “The Spectator stands out with its plush rooms and personal butler service for every guest. The lovely staff of butlers are on hand to help however they can; on my most recent trip in March 2023, that meant tying my boyfriend’s bowtie as we rushed off to a wedding and providing some stellar recommendations for places to eat,” says Rhodes. You can expect this level of service from morning — enjoy the complimentary breakfast delivered right to your room — to night, when it’s time for a celebratory drink.  “I highly recommend grabbing a drink or two in the bar; the friendly bartenders mix up some really inventive and delightful cocktails,” Rhodes adds.

• Located in the French Quarter in downtown Charleston
• Room service breakfast, personalized butler service, access to a fitness center, bicycles, and a welcome drink are included with your stay
• 12 miles from Charleston International Airport
• The Gibbes Museum of Art and local favorite Harken Cafe are a short walk away
• Rooms from $289 a night

Wentworth Mansion

The history of the building is apparent on every level, allowing guests to experience what it may have been like to stay in a Gilded Age home.

It’s a smaller property, with only 21 rooms, which isn’t every traveler’s cup of tea.

Wentworth Mansion received top marks in the 2023 World’s Best Awards, coming in at No. 1 on our list of the top hotels in Charleston — and it’s easy to understand why. The hotel is tucked away in Harleston Village, just a few blocks from bustling King Street, ensuring even more peace and privacy in this home away from home. The rooms and suites are all thoughtfully decorated and appointed with fireplaces, making it extra cozy in winter, and guests are encouraged to dine at Circa 1886, the restaurant located in the mansion’s original carriage house. While breakfast is a guest-only experience, anyone can make a dinner reservation.

• Located in Harleston Village, a quieter neighborhood in downtown Charleston
• Exclusive access to breakfast in Circa 1886 and the hotel’s cupola and rooftop; Wi-Fi, in-room beverages, and turn-down service are included with your stay
• Just two short blocks from Colonial Lake Park
• Rooms from $400 a night

The Restoration

Explore Charleston

The apartment-style hotel rooms are great for extended trips to Charleston.

If you’re driving, you’ll either need to find parking yourself or pay $38 per day for valet parking, which is first-come, first-served.

For unparalleled access to King Street’s shops, restaurants, and bars, book a suite or one of the spacious residences at The Restoration. The hotel has more of an urban aesthetic than other Charleston properties, with modern photo installations and a variety of textures in the common spaces. Still, it doesn’t skimp on comfort. Whether you’re staying for a while — in which case, you’ll want to stay in the aforementioned residences, complete with a full kitchen and living room — or just for a long weekend, make sure you spend some time by the rooftop pool or grab coffee at The Rise Coffee Bar downstairs. To unlock even more amenities, including complimentary breakfast and access to a nearby gym, be sure to join The Restoration’s Insider program by providing your email address on the hotel website.

• Located on the corner of King and Wentworth Streets in downtown Charleston
• Wi-Fi, in-room beverages, and late-night cookies are included in your stay
• The picturesque College of Charleston campus is right down the street 
• Rooms from $284 a night

The Loutrel

The hotel’s atmosphere is more laid-back than pretentious.

Some travelers may prefer a hotel in a location that doesn’t experience as much foot traffic.

Comfortable, spacious, and convenient are just three ways you could describe The Loutrel , which sits on State Street in downtown Charleston, a couple blocks from the water. “As a native South Carolinian, this hotel felt like home when I visited shortly after its opening in fall 2021,” says Rhodes. “I loved the bright and modern Southern design, the super-convenient location near Charleston’s top attractions, and the private rooftop overlooking the city.” The 50-room property is stylish and fresh, balancing elegance with tasteful touches of personality, and its garden-inspired lounge is reminiscent of the greenery and blooms that adorn the stunning architecture in the surrounding neighborhood.

• Located in the French Quarter of downtown Charleston
• Bar snacks and beverages, fitness center access, and European-style breakfast are included with your stay
• You can easily walk to the Waterfront Park and pier
• Rooms from $233 a night

Zero George

Hack Hargett 

Also available to book at Booking.com

You can’t beat a long afternoon sitting on your room’s piazza, wine glass in hand, overlooking the courtyard.

The property sits adjacent to East Bay Street, one of the busier Charleston roads.

If you’ve been dreaming of the ultimate Charleston getaway, Zero George will check every box. Guests enter through the wrought-iron gates, which lead to the expertly manicured grounds, dreamy courtyard, and the three restored historic residences and two brick carriage houses that house the property’s 16 guest rooms and suites (and their shared piazzas). Every second of your experience — from check-in to checkout — will be filled with delightful, decidedly Charleston moments. Mornings begin with a European-style continental style, complete with local Callie’s Biscuits; afternoons are filled with complimentary bike rides through the neighborhood; and at least one night should be spent around a table at The Restaurant + Bar at Zero George.

• Located in the historic Ansonborough neighborhood in downtown Charleston
• Daily European-style breakfast, bicycles, evening wine and cheese pairings, off-site gym membership, and Wi-Fi included in your stay
• Stop by the new International African American Museum , less than a half-mile away
• Rooms from $379 a night

The Dewberry

The Dewberry Charleston

The rooftop bar, Citrus Club, offers 360-degree views of downtown Charleston.

Both on-site dining options, Citrus Club and The Living Room, are popular spots within the Charleston community, so they may be busy.

The Dewberry is a stalwart character in Charleston, not only housing 154 guest rooms and suites, but also a spa, rooftop cocktail lounge, swanky ground-floor bar, and a shopping experience from Garden & Gun . Each aspect of the eight-story hotel feels like a manifestation of the “quiet luxury” aesthetic. The rooms are designed to answer every need you may have (steamers, custom toiletries, plush bathrobes and slippers, a locally curated minibar), and the decor in the common spaces nod to the city’s charm and history without feeling too heavy or antiquated.

"All of my Mad Men interior design dreams came true the second I stepped into this mid-century modern hotel in April 2023," said T+L senior commerce editor Kayla Becker. "There's an undeniable level of old Southern charm here in the most glamorous, modern way. Trust me, you will want to remodel your home after you visit."

• Located on Meeting Street, just west of Marion Square, in downtown Charleston
• Bicycles, Volvo house cars, fitness studio, beach towels and totes, and Wi-Fi are included in your stay
• 11 miles from Charleston International Airport
• Within walking distance of Charleston’s best restaurants, including The Ordinary and The Darling Oyster Bar
• Rooms from $314 a night

Post House Inn

Travel + Leisure / Lindsey Harris Shorter

The property’s seven rooms are all bright, airy, and uniquely decorated.

It’s a short 10-minute drive from downtown Charleston’s restaurants and attractions.

The only hotel on this list not located in downtown Charleston, Post House Inn is a destination in and of itself. The inn, and its connected restaurant, sit on one of the most picturesque corners in the Old Village Historic District in Mount Pleasant. From the team behind Basic Projects — who also brought Basic Kitchen to life — the properties were developed to be more akin to “a pub with rooms,” a common setup in the U.K., instead of a hotel with a restaurant. Since opening in late 2020, it’s become a favored spot for locals searching for a relaxing staycation, or just a great burger and a strong cocktail.

• Located in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant, just 10 minutes from downtown Charleston
• Welcome drink, breakfast, Wi-Fi, and beach towels are included in your stay
• 14.5 miles from Charleston International Airport
• Stretch your legs by walking to Pitt Street Bridge for sunset
• Rooms from $255 a night

Franzi Annika Photography

The hotel’s creativity allows for surprise-and-delight moments in every room and common space; it’s also dog-friendly.

If you’re searching for a traditional Southern hotel, this isn’t the location for you.

The Vendue is housed in a row of historic warehouses dating back to 1780, but its interiors — including its 84 guest rooms — are bright, bold, and modern. Billed as “Charleston’s art hotel,” there’s a sense of whimsy everywhere you look, from the French bulldog door knockers and a contrasting red-and-white color scheme to its continually rotating collection of over 200 pieces of original art. In-house art curators even offer daily guided tours from 5 to 6 p.m., although guests and even non-guests are welcome to admire the pieces at any time.

• Welcome drink, morning bag of baked goods, evening milk and cookies, afternoon art reception, and bicycles are included in your stay
• Rainbow Row, Waterfront Park, and the Pineapple Fountain are a short walk away
• Rooms from $173 a night

Lindsay Shorter / Emeline

Each of the guest rooms comes with a workspace — so it’s a great option for remote workers or those traveling for business.

Self-parking isn’t exactly easy in this part of town, and it’ll cost you $49 a day to valet your car.

Upon opening in downtown Charleston in July 2020, Emeline quickly became one of the “it” places to stay in the Holy City. All 212 guest rooms — 128 of which are suites — come with a king-sized bed, bespoke embroidered Matouk linens and towels, custom ceramic vanity accessories by a local artist, and custom Wildsam Field Guides to Charleston, among other exclusive amenities. Like many other Charleston hotels, food and beverage are a top priority for the hospitality team. Stop by Clerks for breakfast or a quick cup of coffee, The Den for light bites and pre-dinner cocktails, and Frannie & The Fox for a hearty wood-fired pizza and shared plates.

• Located on Church Street, slightly north of the French Quarter, in downtown Charleston
• Welcome cocktail, morning coffee, bicycles, fitness center, self-serve sparkling water, and free beer and wine during the “Captain’s Hour” are included with your stay
• Snap a photo of the nearby Pink House Gallery before grabbing a few snacks at goat.sheep.cow

Planters Inn

The shared piazza, with its wrought-iron bistro tables and chairs, is a lovely choice for a not-too-humid Charleston afternoon.

Expect heavy foot traffic outside, as the hotel sits on the corner of two of Charleston’s busiest streets.

Coming in at No. 3 on the list of T+L readers' favorite hotels in Charleston in the 2023 World’s Best Awards, Planters Inn ranked just behind The Loutrel and just above John Rutledge House Inn. This high placement is partially due to the history of the grande dame hotel; Planters Inn has roots dating back to the 1800s, and it claims the title of the only Relais & Châteaux hotel in South Carolina. Its rank also stems from the property’s hospitable interiors and unforgettable dining experiences. The guest rooms strike that perfect balance between traditional and contemporary, with four-poster mahogany beds and working fireplaces living alongside a Nespresso machine and other must-have amenities. If you’re celebrating something special, be sure to order the famous Ultimate Coconut Cake from the Peninsula Grill — and yes, you can get it delivered via room service, too.

• Located on the corner of Market and Meeting Streets in Charleston’s Historic District
• Shared terrace and Wi-Fi are included in your stay
• Head slightly southeast to discover Church Street’s impressive architecture and peaceful strolls
• Rooms from $495 a night

Christian Harder Photography

The rooms are extra spacious; even those traveling with multiple bags won’t feel overly cramped.

For some travelers, its prime location off of King Street will be a plus; others may find it overwhelming.

The Pinch is a 25-room property — inclusive of three furnished residences — that also features a spa, daily breakfast, and several restaurants, including The Quinte, a 40-seat oyster bar, and Lowland Tavern, a newly opened tasting room experience. While you’re certainly welcome to book a room for a night or two, accommodations are also available on a weekly or monthly basis, if desired. The rooms and restaurants are spread out across three buildings, which date back to the mid-to-late 1800s; the interior decor, however, manages to highlight that history and simultaneously bring a bit of levity and freshness to the property.

• Located just off of King Street in downtown Charleston
• Welcome cocktail, coffee and tea service, and bike share program are included in your stay
• Within a few steps of King Street’s best shops and boutiques

The Ryder Hotel

The hotel has ADA-accessible rooms, elevators, and an ADA pool lift.

The poolside bar-restaurant, Little Palm, can get pretty buzzy.

Jack Kerouac’s semi-fictional character Japhy Ryder, from his novel "The Dharma Bums," is the inspiration behind The Ryder Hotel , which entered the Charleston scene in the spring of 2021. The building had a previous life as the King Charles Inn, but this new chapter takes a completely new direction, with formality thrown out the window. The Ryder stands on its own two feet in the downtown area with its 91 rooms decked out in pale woods, custom-woven rugs, and plush linens. The star of the show, however, just might be the pool and its indoor-outdoor bar and restaurant, Little Palm, where tropical drinks take precedence on the menu. "The cocktails at Little Palm are some of the best — and most creative — in Charleston, and the bar is perfectly Instagrammable in shades of pink and green," says Rhodes.

• Located a block away from King Street in the heart of downtown Charleston
• Coffee, a $10 breakfast credit, access to Emeline’s fitness center, a welcome cocktail, bicycles, in-room wellness equipment, and beach and picnic blankets are included in your stay
• Plan ahead and reserve a table at neighboring FIG
• Rooms from $184 a night

The Palmetto Hotel

The Palmetto Hotel Charleston

With breakfast taken care of each morning, you’ll have more room in your budget for dinner or shopping on King Street.

Your stay includes access to a nearby fitness center, but it’s not technically on-property.

The newest face in the Charleston hotel landscape, The Palmetto Hotel opened in the spring of 2023. Each of its 45 king-bed rooms was designed to bring guests an “elevated experience without missing the comforts of home.” This means you can expect features like high-end linens, Bamford toiletries, and cozy robes and slippers upon arrival, and you’ll get to enjoy a complimentary breakfast every morning. Before heading out for the evening, stop by the Lobby Bar for signature cocktails and light bites; you’ll even find local favorite Callie’s Pimento Cheese on the menu.

• Located on East Bay Street, within walking distance of the Battery in downtown Charleston
• Continental breakfast, Wi-Fi, nightly turn-down service, and bicycles are included in your stay
• The Battery and White Point Gardens are a 15-minute walk from the hotel
• Rooms from $207 a night

Know Before You Go

• Understand the general layout of Charleston. When most people think of Charleston, they envision the Historic District’s 18th and 19th-century architecture, cobblestoned streets, and palmetto trees that give the lower part of the peninsula its memorable charm. Many of the hotels on this list are located in this part of Charleston, but the city is bigger and more spread out than you might think. Before making a hotel reservation, pull up your Google Maps and make sure you’ll be in an area conducive to your planned itinerary. 
• Check the calendar to avoid peak weekends. Charleston experiences tourism all year round, but there are a few periods each year that see more activity, thus increasing demand for hotel rooms. Major events like Charleston Wine + Food , SEWE , Spoleto Festival USA , and College of Charleston’s graduation weekend significantly boost the number of visitors exploring the downtown area.
• Consider the amenities of each property. In order to stand out from the competition, most Charleston hotels offer some sort of special amenity, be it complimentary beach cruisers, a personal butler service, morning coffee, or a rooftop pool. If you’re deciding between two or three properties with similar locations and nightly rates, let the amenities be the deciding factor.

How We Chose These Hotels

For this article, each hotel was chosen based on editor reviews, appearances in various Travel + Leisure awards, and the writer’s experience with Charleston’s hospitality scene. Lydia Mansel grew up visiting the Holy City every summer and recently spent several years as a full-time resident.

10 Best Places To Retire To In South Carolina

• Hilton Head Island: Retirees can relax on beautiful beaches, play golf, and enjoy a vacation lifestyle with upscale shops and restaurants.
• Beaufort: Retirees can relish in the historic coastal charm of this town, with antebellum architecture, museums, and outdoor activities like boating and fishing.
• Greenville: Experience a lively arts and culture scene in this vibrant city, with art museums, theaters, festivals, and scenic parks like Falls Park on the Reedy.

South Carolina offers some of the best places to retire in the US for those seeking warm weather, southern charm, and a relaxed pace of life. From bustling coastal cities to quaint small towns in South Carolina bursting with charm, the Palmetto State has something for every retiree. Residents can stroll along sandy beaches, explore historic downtowns, take in cultural attractions, enjoy outdoor recreation, and soak up the famous southern hospitality when choosing to retire in South Carolina.

With its low cost of living and tax-friendly retirement policies, South Carolina makes it easy to stretch those retirement savings further. The state also provides excellent healthcare facilities catered toward seniors. Whether someone prefers an active lifestyle or just wants to relax, soon-to-be retirees can discover some of the best places for retirement in South Carolina that let seniors live out their golden years in comfort, beauty, and bliss.

Related: 10 Cozy Towns To Retire To On The East Coast

Hilton Head Island: Enjoy Scenic Beaches And A Vacation Lifestyle Every Day

A resort island with beautiful beaches, golf courses, bike trails, and cultural events..

Hilton Head Island is a popular coastal retreat known for its beautiful beaches (some considered to be the beaches with the clearest waters in South Carolina ), golf courses, and nature preserves. Retirees can enjoy 12 miles of peaceful beaches, 300 tennis courts, 25 golf courses, biking trails, and water sports.

The island's main town Hilton Head has upscale shops and restaurants. Nearby are historic sites, museums, performing arts venues, and festivals. The year-round warm climate, abundance of activities, and laid-back island vibe make Hilton Head Island one of the best retirement spots in South Carolina for those looking for a relaxed pace.

• Population: 38,080
• Cost of Living : $2565
• Share of Population 65+ Years: 38.36%
• Median Home Price : $741,529
• Things to do: Golfing, tennis, enjoying beaches, biking, water sports, shopping

Beaufort: Relish Historic Coastal Charm In This Charming Town

A charming coastal town with a rich history, antebellum architecture, and a thriving arts scene..

Beaufort is another one of the most beautiful places to retire in South Carolina; the charming Beaufort historic district features antebellum mansions, small boutiques, and art galleries that reflect the city's history and culture. Visitors can take guided walking tours to admire the well-preserved 19th-century architecture. The marina allows easy access to boating, fishing, and water sports.

Nearby Hunting Island State Park is one of the best state parks in South Carolina and offers beach relaxation, hiking trails, a lighthouse, and camping. The mild winters, proximity to the water, and stunning historic architecture make Beaufort a special place to retire.

• Population: 13,046
• Cost of Living: 2% below national average
• Share of Population 65+: 25%
• Median Home Price: $369,910
• Things to do: Walking tours, boating, Touring museums
• Scenic Things: Historic downtown, marina , Hunting Island State Park

Greenville: Experience The Arts And A Lively Culture

A vibrant artsy city with a bustling downtown, scenic parks, and a diverse culinary scene..

Greenville is among the best cities in South Carolina to retire to, as it offers a thriving downtown with performing arts, cultural attractions, festivals, shops, and restaurants to keep retirees entertained. Plus, there's Falls Park on the Reedy, which is a 32-acre oasis with gardens, trails, and waterfalls flowing through downtown.

Nearby, the Peace Center Performing Arts Center presents concerts, theater, opera, and dance. The Greenville County Museum of Art features Southern masterpieces. The charming Main Street, lined with boutiques and bistros, offers a lively arts and culture scene for retirees who want an active lifestyle.

• Population: 74,548
• Cost of Living: 9% below national average
• Share of Population 65+ : 14%
• Median Home Price: $296,383
• Things to do: Visit art museums, theaters, music venues, festivals

Related: These Are The Top 10 Inexpensive Places To Retire

Charleston: Soak In Old-World Charm In This Historic City

A historic city with cobblestone streets, antebellum mansions, and cultural attractions..

Historic Charleston exudes old-world Southern charm. Most notably, Charleston is known for having the first successful combat submarine built during the Civil War , but it's not just a history buff's choice; it also has a lot for those looking to retire.

Retirees can stroll the lovely streets lined with colonial buildings, churches, and historic homes. Enjoy the city's renowned food scene at one of the award-winning restaurants. Take a harbor boat tour or visit patriotic sites like Fort Sumter. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens offers beautiful nature walks and tours.

Charleston's mild winters, proximity to the coast, and abundance of historic ambiance make it an exceptional retirement destination.

• Population: 153,040
• Cost of Living: 2% lower than the national average
• Share of Population 65+ : 18.2%
• Median Home Price: $528,834
• Things to do: Historic tours, museums, boating

Myrtle Beach: Enjoy Fun In The Sun In This Lively Beach Town

A popular beach town with a lively boardwalk, amusement parks, and shopping outlets..

One of the beautiful beachside towns to retire to on the East Coast , Myrtle Beach is easily one of the best towns to retire to in South Carolina, especially for those seeking warm weather and plenty of family-friendly things to do with the grandkids.

Spend days relaxing on the expansive sandy beaches and swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, and at night, enjoy live music shows, dance clubs, theaters, and tasty seafood restaurants. Don't forget to play golf on one of Myrtle Beach's 100 courses or enjoy shopping and attractions. Active retirees can also join exercise classes, tennis, pickleball, cycling, surfing, and more. Overall, the sunny weather, affordable cost of living, and endless activities make Myrtle Beach one of the best retirement spots in South Carolina.

• Population: 39,162
• Cost of Living: 8% below national average
• Share of Population 65+: 21.3%
• Median Home Price : $301,820
• Things to do: Beach tours, golfing, shopping, shows

Rock Hill: Savor Small-Town Living With Abundant Outdoor Recreation

A small city with a revitalized downtown, outdoor recreation opportunities, and a rich textile heritage..

Rock Hill offers retirees the benefits of small-town living combined with amenities and culture. The charming downtown features unique shops, restaurants, a farmer's market, and a historical museum. The Giordana Velodrome is a premier cycling facility that hosts international competitions. Old Town Bistro offers live music several nights a week.

Active seniors can also enjoy the expansive walking trails through Glencairn Gardens. The low cost of living and sense of community make Rock Hill feel like home for those looking to retire in South Carolina.

• Population: 73,992
• Cost of Living: 10% below national average
• Share of Population 65+: 13.9%
• Median Home Price: $313,281
• Things to do: Shopping, cycling, walking trails

Clemson: Participate In An Active Community Around Clemson University

A college town with a picturesque campus, scenic lakes, and a vibrant sports culture..

Clemson is a college town anchored around the prestigious Clemson University . Retirees can take advantage of the many cultural activities hosted by the university, including concerts, lectures, continuing education classes, and athletics events.

Meanwhile, Lake Hartwell provides boating, fishing, and swimming. The foothills of the extraordinary Blue Ridge Mountains also offer stunning natural scenery. Ultimately, Clemson's low cost of living, mild climate, educated community, and variety of amenities make it appealing for those looking for an active college town for retirement.

• Population: 18,364
• Share of Population 65+: 12.2%
• Median Home Price: $363,968
• Scenic Things: Lake Hartwell , Blue Ridge Mountains

Florence: Discover The Utmost Southern Hospitality

A small city with a rich history, art galleries, and a revitalized downtown..

Florence is yet another one of the best places in South Carolina to retire to, especially since it offers old Southern charm and hospitality. The revitalized downtown features restaurants, boutiques, galleries, a farmers market, and cultural venues.

Residents can also enjoy strolling the Riverfront Park along the scenic Great Pee Dee River or tour the Florence County Museum with exhibits on the region's history and art. Active adults can also join sports leagues, yoga studios, and walking clubs. The warm and welcoming community, along with the affordable cost of living, make Florence a quintessential Southern retirement locale.

• Population: 40,036
• Cost of Living: 13% below national average
• Share of Population 65+: 18.8%
• Median Home Price: $206,291
• Scenic Things: Great Pee Dee River, Riverfront Park

Related: 10 Best Small Towns In The U.S. To Retire To On A Budget

Bluffton: Live An Active Lifestyle In This Scenic Riverfront Town

A quaint town with a historic district, an art scene, and a riverfront park..

Bluffton's riverside location and charming Southern atmosphere make it appealing for retirees seeking natural beauty. Enjoy kayaking and boating along the May River and take in the views along the popular Bluffton Oyster Company dock. The Bluffton Farmers Market features local produce, crafts, and entertainment.

Residents can also enjoy golfing, join sports leagues, or take fitness classes to stay active. Historic homes and progress toward smart growth mix Bluffton's past and future. The scenic landscapes and friendly community create an idyllic lifestyle for retirees.

• Population: 40,403
• Median Home Price: $491,964
• Things to do: Boating, golf, Visit farmers’ market, attend fitness classes
• Scenic Things: May River , historic homes

Aiken: Enjoy Southern Grace And Hospitality In This Equestrian Town

A charming town with an equestrian heritage, historic homes, and beautiful gardens..

This historic town is a fantastic place to retire in South Carolina; Aiken's charming downtown offers boutique shops, galleries, and restaurants housed in historic 19th-century buildings. Interestingly, the area was once a winter colony for wealthy northerners attracted to the mild climate—so it's no surprise that a vibrant equestrian scene centers around polo matches and horse shows, making Aiken one of the slightly more unique South Carolina retirement spots.

In addition, Hopelands Gardens and Rye Patch provide beautiful outdoor spaces to stroll. Retirees can also join lectures at USC Aiken and events held at area museums and performance venues. Aiken's southern small-town feel, equestrian heritage, and historic elegance make it a graceful spot for retirement living.

• Population: 32,076
• Cost of Living: 9% lower than the national average
• Share of Population 65+ : 26.6%
• Median Home Price: $247,743
• Scenic Things: Hopelands Gardens, historic downtown, Horse events

GUIDE: When to see the partial solar eclipse in South Carolina

by Courtney Rowles

Here's a guide to help you prepare for the 2024 Solar Eclipse spectacle happening on Monday.

WHEN TO SEE THE SOLAR ECLIPSE IN SOUTH CAROLINA?

While Myrtle Beach and the surrounding areas are not in the path of totality, NASA Ambassador Tony Rice said part of the rare total eclipse will be visible.

For Carolinians, the solar show starts just before 2 p.m. with a partial eclipse, and will then peak around 3:10 p.m.

Below is a breakdown from the National Weather Service in Charleston of peak timing for Lowcountry and Coastal Empire viewers:

Charleston:

• Begins: 1:53 p.m.
• Peaks: 3:10 p.m.
• Ends: 4:24 p.m.
• Begins: 1:50 p.m.
• Peaks: 3:07 p.m.
• Ends: 4:22 p.m.

HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?

The eclipse from the moment the moon begins to block the sun in Eagle Pass, Texas, begins at approx. 12:10 p.m. CDT. It will take three and a half hours before the moon exits the sun's path in Houlton, Maine, at 4:40 p.m. EDT.

The total solar eclipse event (totality) where the moon perfectly blocks the sun, lasts anywhere from a minute to almost five minutes, depending on where it is viewed from.

ECLIPSE'S PATH OF TOTALITY

The path of darkness is usually less than 150 miles wide, but will be a long and narrow path that will dash into the country. In the U.S., it will cross Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine before exiting over eastern Canada into the Atlantic.

ABC15 SPECIAL: Total solar eclipse as it moves across the U.S. | WATCH LIVE

TIME OF SUN'S DISAPPEARING ACT

The path of totality will enter Texas at 1:27 p.m. local time. It'll reach Maine at 3:35 p.m. local time before it moves out to sea.

RELATED: Solar Eclipse: Guide to safely see the April celestial phenomenon in Myrtle Beach

PREPARE TO WATCH THE ECLIPSE SAFELY

You will need to protect your eyes with proper eye protection to view the total solar eclipse. "Eclipse glasses" or handheld solar viewers, which are thousands of times darker than sunglasses, are advised to use to watch a partial solar eclipse or the partial phases of a total eclipse.

According to NASA, it is never safe to look directly at a partially or uneclipsed Sun without proper eye protection. Only during the brief moments of totality during a total solar eclipse can you look directly at a solar eclipse without eye protection.

For those wanting a closer look, experts advise placing a safe solar filter on the front of a telescope, binoculars, or camera. The filter will protect optics from the Sun's intense heat and light.

After a safe eclipse viewing, send in your solar eclipse pictures to ABC15's ChimeIn !

South Carolina beats Iowa to take home NCAA women's championship title: Highlights

South Carolina beat Iowa 87-75 to win its third NCAA women’s championship.

The Gamecocks' Tessa Johnson had 19 points and Kamilla Cardoso had 15 as the team smothered Iowa’s hope for its first championship title.

It was the final game in the college career of Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark, who broke Division I scoring records for both women and men , and who is going to the WNBA draft. She had 30 points.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was overcome with emotion and in tears after the win.

“I’m so incredibly happy for our players,” Staley said. “It doesn’t always end like you want it to end, much like last year.”

It was Iowa that knocked South Carolina out of the tournament last year, beating them in the Final Four. But since then, South Carolina has not lost a game.

“I’m super proud of where I work, I’m super proud of our fans — it’s awesome. It’s awesome. It’s unbelievable,” Staley said.

With the win, South Carolina had the 10th perfect season in the history of Division I women’s basketball.

Staley, after accepting the trophy along with her team, congratulated Iowa for an “incredible season,” and she singled out Clark.

“I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” Staley said. “She carried a heavy load for our sport. And it’s just — it’s not going to stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, she’s going to lift that league up as well.”

“So, Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there: You are one of the GOATs of our game, and we appreciate you,” Staley said, using the acronym for “greatest of all time.”

It all comes down to this.

Rebecca Cohen

Tomorrow night, the UConn Huskies face the Purdue Boilermakers in the men's NCAA tournament championship game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, closing the curtain on this year's March Madness tournaments.

Tune in at 9:20 p.m. ET to see who takes the title.

Photo highlights from the women's championship

Whitney Matewe

Clark: 'I'll miss ya'

Shortly after her team fell in the title game, Iowa's Caitlin Clark posted an Instagram story featuring her #22 jersey and signature yellow and black sneaks.

"I'll miss ya," she captioned the post, along with a bunch of yellow heart emojis.

Clark is headed to the WNBA after four years playing for the Hawkeyes.

LSU's Angel Reese congratulates the Gamecocks and looks ahead

Lebron james is a staley stan, tune in to nbc sports’ bet the edge for men's championship preview.

Brian Hamilton, NBC Sports

Jay Croucher  and  Drew Dinsick  will preview the men's national championship on NBC Sports’ Bet the Edge Monday at 6 a.m. ET  right here  or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Indiana Fever will likely snag Clark as the first overall pick

That's a wrap on Clark's college basketball career with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Next up for the NCAA all-time scorer : The WNBA draft .

It's no secret Clark is a heavy favorite to go as the first overall pick during the April 15 draft.

The Indiana Fever won the first overall pick for the 2024 WNBA draft, so it looks like Clark will be staying in the Midwest and donning navy blue, red and gold on the court during the upcoming season.

This is the second consecutive year the Fever got the top pick, according to the WNBA . Last year, they selected Aliyah Boston, who was later voted the 2023 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year.

Obama congratulates South Carolina

Here's who's headed to the wnba next year.

We already know Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are headed to the WNBA next season. Here’s a look at some of the other top prospects who could be early picks in the draft later this month:

Cameron Brink (Stanford)

Rickea Jackson (Tennessee) 

Kamilla Cardoso (South Carolina) 

Aaliyah Edwards (UConn)

 Jacy Sheldon (Ohio State) 

Alissa Pili (Utah)

Dyaisha Fair (Syracuse)

Charisma Osborne (UCLA) 

Nika Mühl (UConn)

Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech) 

Jaz Shelley (Nebraska) 

Savannah Wheeler (Middle Tennessee State) 

Cardoso is tournament's most outstanding player

Asher Feldman

South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso was named the tournament’s most outstanding player following her dominant 15-point, 17-rebound performance in today’s title game. That box score-filling line on the biggest stage comes after two other double-doubles during the earlier parts of the tournament.

Cardoso proved too much to handle for Iowa throughout the game, and the Hawkeyes likely aren't alone in that feeling, as Cardoso ends the tournament averaging a double double: 16.6 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game while shooting 64% from the field.

"Kamilla Cardoso was not going to let us lose a game in the NCAA tournament," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said in her postgame comments, also reflecting on Cardoso's strong WNBA prospects.

Cardoso ends her career with two national titles at South Carolina and was named WBCA defensive player of the year. She also projects as a top-five pick in this year's WNBA draft, along with title game combatant Caitlin Clark.

Raven Johnson's revenge tour is over

"All I have to say is the revenge tour is over," South Carolina's Raven Johnson said in postgame comments following her team's NCAA title and undefeated season.

Dawn Staley lauds Caitlin Clark for lifting up women's basketball

"I really would just like to say that I have to congratulate Iowa on an incredible season, awesome, awesome," South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley said following her team's win and undefeated season.

She went on to thank Clark for bringing such attention to the women's game.

"I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport. She carried a heavy load for our sport. And it's just — it's not going to stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she is the number one pick in the WNBA draft, she's going to lift that league up as well," Staley said in postgame comments.

"Caitlin Clark if you’re out there: You are one of the GOATs of our game, and we appreciate you."

Paopao reflects on Gamecocks' journey in postgame chat

Te-Hina Paopao, one of the standouts in South Carolina’s championship game victory, spoke with ESPN after the end of the game, highlighting the Gamecocks’ impressive undefeated run in the face of an entirely new set of starters and nonextraordinary expectations heading into the season.

“We’ve come a long way, this is a long journey,” Paopao told ESPN. “I’m just so proud of this team.”

Paopao finished with 14 points today, the third-leading scorer for the Gamecocks, and she hit the final two free throws to truly put the game away with just more than a minute left.

Dawn Staley sobs over South Carolina win

After her Gamecocks came out victorious, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was crying so hard she could barely get the words out to express her excitement for her undefeated team.

Staley said she is "so incredibly happy for our players" and that "it doesn't always end the way you want it to end," referring to last year's tournament, when Iowa knocked out South Carolina in the Final Four.

"We hope we can erase whatever pain they had last year," Staley said of the win.

She called the win "awesome" and "unbelievable" and said she's "super proud" of her team's work and of the fans.

"You have to let young people be who they are. You have to guide them and navigate them through this world," Staley said. "When young people lock in and have a belief and trust … this is what can happen."

"They etched their names in the history books," Staley said of her team. "This is the unlikeliest group to do it."

Clark, Tessa Johnson clock in as leading scorers

Clark led the Iowa Hawkeyes, and the game, as the top scorer with 30 points.

For the Gamecocks, Tessa Johnson led the way with 19 points off the bench.

South Carolina wins it all, 87-75

The Gamecocks take the NCAA trophy, capping off a perfect season with a 38-0 record, making them only the tenth Division I women's basketball team to finish the season undefeated.

The win also marks the end of Caitlin Clark's decorated college basketball career, which stopped short of the ultimate title.

South Carolina might be tested on the line

Down the stretch South Carolina’s free throw shooting might prove essential — a risky proposition for the 245th-ranked team by free throw percentage (69%) during the season in women’s DI basketball. Iowa, by comparison, was 15th in the country at 78% from the stripe.

Gamecocks need the extra offense they're getting

South Carolina, which is looking for its third national title since 2017, will need to do something unusual to get there in this final quarter against Iowa: bring themselves to score more than 70 points in a championship game.

In the Gamecocks’ previous two title game victories in 2022 and 2017, the Dawn Staley-led squad needed just 64 and 67 points, respectively, to get the job done. Already, South Carolina is north of 75 points against the offensive powerhouse that is the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa team.

Iowa is still capable of a comeback, having done so many times throughout the 2023-24 season, including a 12-point comeback against Nebraska in the Big Ten championship game.

A best friend and basketball make for 10-year-old's perfect day in Cleveland

Jesse Kirsch

CLEVELAND — Charlotte Kulesea couldn’t be having a better day in Cleveland.

“A lot,” the 10-year-old said when asked how important the day was to her.

“It’s very important because I get to spend time with my mom and my best friend,” she said.

Charlotte and her best friend, Remy Hood, also 10, were wearing matching Final Four T-shirts at the women’s NCAA title game.

“It’s so fun because I get to watch my role models play. And just it’s so fascinating,” Charlotte said. “I can play and just be myself and work as hard as I want.”

Charlotte’s mom said it was treat watching the kids enjoy the game.

“This is just amazing. ... She loves basketball, so it’s really wonderful watching her be inspired to see these girls do this amazing stuff,” her mom said.

South Carolina maintains lead with 10 minutes to go

At the end of the third quarter, the score sits at 68-59 in the Gamecocks' favor.

Now, it all comes down to the next 10 minutes to determine who will pull through as the NCAA champion.

Star-studded stands in Cleveland

Jason Sudeikis made it back to the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to cheer on the women's game today. He was joined by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts elsewhere in the crowd, the announcers said, even though Hurts wasn't shown on screen.

Cardoso has her third double-double of the tourney

South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso has asserted her dominance, especially in the paint, early and often in Cleveland. The South Carolina senior center already has a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and has made the most of her time on the court.

That marks her third double-double of the tournament and second in a row after putting up 22 points and 11 rebounds against N.C. State on Friday.

South Carolina extends lead early in second half

A 11-0 South Carolina run across the end of the first half and beginning of the second has upped the Gamecocks' lead to nine, their largest of the game at 55-46.

Caitlin Clark reveals which athlete is on her lock screen — and he’s honored

Alex Portée, TODAY

Clark’s phone’s lock screen is Olympic-level.

The 22-year-old point guard and  all-time leading scorer  in college basketball revealed that she has a photo of Michael Phelps on the lock screen of her phone. The star player made the reveal in an interview posted to the NCAA March Madness women’s basketball X account on Wednesday.

The video shows Clark and her Iowa Hawkeyes teammates sharing some behind-the-scenes details.

“This is Michael Phelps swimming ... in the Olympics. It’s pretty tough,” Clark said in the clip.

Click through to read more.

NCAA athletes are inking deals, but lack of laws is creating chaos

College basketball stars such as Clark and Angel Reese have captivated sports fans everywhere with their skill and determination, but their meteoric rise is also shining a spotlight on the NCAA’s name, image and likeness policy that allows student-athletes to make money from their personal brand.

Ever since a landmark decision by the Supreme Court in 2021 paved the way for athletes to monetize their brand and pursue “education-related benefits,” the federal government has done nothing to provide structure or guardrails for how that would work.

Some 30 states have passed their own name, image and likeness (NIL) laws, while a series of court decisions have raised questions about what universities can and cannot do in the recruitment process.

The resulting vacuum has been filled by “collectives,” or third-party organizations formed by deep-pocketed donors and school supporters who can pool money and offer NIL deals to athletes — in some cases effectively creating a bidding war.

Read the full story here.

LeBron James rocks with Caitlin Clark

Women's tourney hype reaches 'snl'.

Rudy Chinchilla

The excitement of women’s college basketball made it to "Saturday Night Live."

Spoofing TNT’s panel of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley, the “SNL” cast said what many people have been thinking: The women’s NCAA Tournament has proved more exciting than the men’s tourney.

Smith and Barkley, played by Devon Walker and Kenan Thompson, respectively, told James Austin Johnson’s Ernie Johnson that they didn’t watch the UConn men’s team beat Alabama on Saturday.

“It’s just hard to get excited when there’s better games on,” Walker’s Smith said. “You mean the NBA?” Johnson replied. “Naw, the women’s tournament,” Walker shot back.

Thompson’s Barkley pointed out the star power in the women’s tournament, namely Iowa ace Caitlin Clark, before reluctantly running down the matchups for the upcoming men’s final: “Him and him, this guy on this guy, half-‘stache on braids. Let’s see, baby face versus baby face, tall white versus tall Asian. Yeah, I think that about covers it.”

South Carolina leads heading into the locker room

It's been a battle on the court, but South Carolina is up at the half, after trailing behind Iowa for most of the first two quarters.

The 49-46 lead has been no easy feat for the Gamecocks. With just seconds to go and a 1 point lead, Raven Johnson stole the ball from Caitlin Clark to shoot a layup that secured South Carolina's lead.

Clark equals total from Final Four outing vs. UConn

Clark took a while to score in the second quarter, but she just hit a quintessential long-range three with less than 1:30 left in the half to get to 21 points for the game — already equaling her total from Friday’s Final Four game against UConn, where she struggled to get going in the first half. 

If Friday’s game was any indication, Clark likely has more in store for the rest of the game.

Her tournament high was in the Elite Eight against LSU (41 points) and her season high was 49 points in February against Michigan — both certainly within sights for the senior as she plays her final collegiate game.

South Carolina would have a perfect season if team wins today

Phil Helsel

If the Gamecocks prevail against the Hawkeyes today, it will be the first women’s Division I basketball team to have a perfect season since 2016.

South Carolina has a record of 37-0 this season going into the NCAA championship game held in Cleveland. If the Gamecocks win, it would have the 10th perfect season in the 41-year history of the women's Division I basketball tournament.

The last team to have a perfect season including postseason games was the UConn Huskies in 2016.

Iowa has had four losses in its season.

There have been nine perfect seasons in Division I of women’s basketball, but only four universities — Baylor, UConn, Tennessee and Texas, according to the NCAA . UConn has had six, and the others had one each.

Gamecocks bench shining bright in second quarter

Undefeated South Carolina is proving its depth midway through the second quarter, as the Gamecocks already have 20 points from players coming off of the bench, including freshman guards Tessa Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley's 9 and 7 points, respectively.

That's not to take anything away from South Carolina's starters — highlighted by center Kamilla Cardoso, who is leading the Gamecocks with 11 points and 7 rebounds.

South Carolina takes 1st lead of the game

The Gamecocks took its first lead of the game with a layup by Kamilla Cardoso in the second quarter to bring the score to 36-34.

Iowa responded shortly thereafter to bring it to a 36-36 tie, on a Hannah Stuelke score.

‘She’s fast,’ Iowa coach says of South Carolina’s Fulwiley

Iowa Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder said South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley is so fast, their best option is to try and deny her the basketball.

“Man, she’s fast,” Bluder said after the end of the first quarter. “She’s fast with the basketball, she’s fast going downhill.”

“I think we’ve got to keep the ball out of her hands in order to stop her — because once she gets the ball it’s pretty hard to contain her,” Bluder said.

Clark all-time leading scorer in women's tournament history

Clark now has another notable NCAA record — her 480 points (and counting) in the NCAA tournament is also an all-time record, breaking Tennessee legend Chamique Holdsclaw’s record that she set for the Volunteers in the late 1990s.

Clark sets single-quarter title game record for points

Clark is pouring it on in Cleveland — the Iowa senior has 18 points through the first quarter in the NCAA tournament title game, an all-time record for a single quarter in title game history.

As we all grab a collective breath in between quarters, we can marvel at Clark’s performance so far: 3-for-4 from long range, 5-for-8 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line, all while creating offense all over the court.

Clark has 1st turnover of the game

Clark, after scoring many of the first points of the game, missed on a pass and caused the game’s first turnover.

Clark was inside the 3-point zone and passed back toward where Hannah Stuelke had been, but Stuelke had moved. South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley would go on to score a 3-pointer after the turnover.

Big weekend for Cleveland!

Cleveland is getting quite a lot of attention this weekend.

Between hosting the women's NCAA Final Four and championship game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and being in the path of totality for Monday's eclipse , it's sure an exciting weekend to be an Ohioan.

Hawkeyes ahead at the end of the first quarter

Iowa leads 27-20 after the first 10 minutes of play.

After Clark quickly took an early lead for the Hawkeyes, South Carolina clawed its way back to close the gap a bit as the first quarter closed out.

Uncharted deficit territory for South Carolina in first quarter

Lost in the offensive explosion out of the gate for Iowa and Clark is the deficit that South Carolina is already having to battle back from. The Gamecocks have barely trailed in the NCAA tournament so far, to say nothing of the entire regular season, where South Carolina was notably undefeated, and routinely won games by 20-plus points. 

The Gamecocks are clawing back with a 9-2 run here late in the first quarter, but Dawn Staley's squad is certainly not used to playing from behind.

Gamecocks' Staley among the game's most decorated and seasoned coaches

Dawn Staley has been here before — the Gamecocks inimitable leader is one of women’s basketball’s most decorated individuals and has led South Carolina to four straight Final Fours and two total national titles, and is looking for a third today. 

Staley, who has been in coaching for more than two decades, also has extensive Final Four experience as a player, leading her Virginia team in the late '80s and early '90s to three Final Fours and one title game. Staley averaged 16.3 points per game across her four-year college career before a much-celebrated professional career for Team USA, the American Basketball League and ultimately the WNBA.

Staley entered the college coaching ranks as coach at Temple, where the Owls made six NCAA tournaments before leaving for South Carolina, where she’s been since 2008. In total, Staley-coached Gamecocks squads have been to six Final Fours.

Crowd in Cleveland appears heavily pro-Iowa

CLEVELAND — From the noise, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse sounds like an Iowa home game, despite being a neutral site.

The NCAA final between the Hawkeyes and South Carolina Gamecocks has been hugely hyped, in part due to Iowa star Clark.

South Carolina can earn the 10th perfect season in Division I basketball tournament history with a win over Iowa, having never lost a game this season.

Clark already running and gunning

Caitlin Clark needs no introduction, and needed less than 5 minutes to record 13 points in her final collegiate game. This burst out of the gate for the Iowa senior is particularly notable because during Friday night’s Final Four, it took an entire half for her to get to just six points.

Clark's done it from all over the court, already with two 3-pointers, points from the paint and in the midrange.

Iowa sinks the first shot

Kate Martin with the Hawkeyes sunk a three to earn Iowa the first points on the board after South Carolina won the tipoff and missed its first shot.

Women of NASA on the court

The women of NASA are holding the American flag on the court during the national anthem minutes before tipoff.

" @astro_watkins and some of the incredible women at NASA kicked off the @MarchMadnessWBB Championship Game!" NASA Administrator Bill Nelson posted on X .

"They represent our amazing workforce who enable us to inspire through discovery."

It's an Iowa crowd in Cleveland

CLEVELAND — The crowd in the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is clearly pro-Iowa, proving to be far louder as chants of "Go Hawks" echo throughout the arena with the band playing in the background during team warmups on the court.

Keys for Iowa to win

The Associated Press

For Iowa to win its first national championship here are a few keys:

Clark effect

Clark has always seemed to play her best on the brightest stage. She had 41 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the win over South Carolina last year in the Final Four. Her coach has run out of words to describe her brilliance on the court. She’ll need to have one more big game for Iowa to have any hope of capping off her historic career with a national championship. South Carolina has the length and athleticism as well as the depth to make Clark work for her shots.

Iowa averages 41.6 rebounds a game, about five less than South Carolina. The Hawkeyes can’t let South Carolina dominate the boards like they did last year when the Gamecocks outrebounded them 49-25. This season they’ve punished opponents with easy putbacks and that would be tough for Iowa to overcome.

“I think going into that game last year, to say we’re going to beat South Carolina on the glass is probably something that’s not going to happen every single time we play them. But you have to be able to manage it the best you can,” Clark said. “And I think we did that versus LSU, and that’s where you get confidence from is just you kind of weather the storms on the glass, you try to come up with big ones when you can.”

Women's championship expected to shatter viewership records

The NCAA women’s basketball national championship is set to smash viewership records as star players and greater TV coverage drive more fans than ever to the sport.

On Saturday, TickPick said the “get-in” price for today's women’s final was $555 — a record.

Clark had been invited to Team USA training camp

Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark was invited to Team USA’s women’s basketball team training camp, but her team’s appearance in the Final Four and championship berth meant that she couldn’t attend.

Iowa beat Colorado on March 30 and LSU two days later to advance to the Final Four game held Friday, when they beat UConn 71-69. The training camp was held Wednesday to Friday. 

The training camp is one step in Team USA’s process for selecting members to play for USA in Paris this summer, the Olympics said in its announcement of the invitation.

Clark said last week that she was honored to be extended the invitation.

“People that are on that roster are people that I idolize and have idolized growing up. Just to be extended a camp invite is something you have to be proud of and celebrate and enjoy,” she said, according to The Associated Press .

Clark broke plenty of records this season, establishing herself as a college basketball great

It's been quite the season for Caitlin Clark.

The Hawkeyes guard spend her senior year sinking threes and breaking records. Here's a look at all of the titles she now holds as she heads into her final college basketball game, according to the NCAA .

• Dec. 30: Clark sets the all-time NCAA assist record and becomes the first Division I college basketball player — men's or women's — to have 3,000 or more points, 900 or more assists and 800 or more rebounds.
• Jan. 31: Clark becomes the No. 1 scorer in Big Ten history after scoring 35 points against Northwestern.
• Feb. 11: Clark reaches 1,000 career assists, adding her to a club of only five others to achieve the feat, but she's the only one who has scored more than 3,000 points.
• Feb. 15: Clark passes Kelsey Plum as all-time women's Division I points leader .
• Feb. 28: Clark scores her 3,650th point to surpass Lynette Woodward as the highest-scoring player in major-college women's basketball. She also broke the record for single-season three-pointers.
• March 3: Clark becomes the highest scorer in Division I college basketball history for men or women, soaring past Pete Maravich’s 54-year record.
• March 8: Clark passes Stephen Curry for most three-pointers in a single season of NCAA Division I basketball history.
• March 25: Clark unseats Plum (again) to score the most points in a single season with 1,113 points.
• April 1: Clark breaks Diana Taurasi’s record and now holds the title for the most three-pointers scored during the women’s NCAA tournament.

Less than an hour until tipoff

CLEVELAND — With less than an hour to go before the game starts, crowds are pouring in to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Iowa’s Marshall says she received ‘hate comments’ after drawing late foul vs. UConn

Iowa guard Gabbie Marshall said Saturday she received “hate comments” from people upset about her role in a much-discussed foul call late in the Hawkeyes’ Final Four win over UConn.

Marshall responded by “kind of” deleting her social media apps from her phone, she said.

Referees called Huskies forward Aaliyah Edwards  for an illegal screen  on Marshall with 3.9 seconds remaining and UConn trailing by one. The Huskies never got the ball back as Iowa held on  for a 71-69 victory  Friday night and a spot in Sunday’s title game against unbeaten South Carolina.

Marshall was trying to guard UConn star Paige Bueckers when Edwards attempted to set a screen that would have freed up space for Bueckers to get off a shot. Edwards was not set — as the rules stipulate — when Marshall arrived, with the 5-foot-9 Marshall catching a portion of the 6-3 Edwards’ left elbow.

The contact was enough to draw a whistle, and Marshall was animated in her reaction, pointing down the court as if to say “our ball.”

The sequence drew plenty of criticism from fans and onlookers.

South Carolina's Raven Johnson eyes redemption

Raven Johnson couldn’t stop herself. One viewing of South Carolina’s  loss to Iowa  in the Final Four last spring would lead to another. And another. And another.

The image of Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark  waving Johnson off  when the Gamecocks guard had the ball at the top of the key, as if to say “no threat,” became seared into Johnson’s mind. It hurt in ways that left Johnson wondering if she even wanted to do this anymore.

And still, she couldn’t hit pause. Or delete.

“People were like ‘Can you stop watching that game?’” Johnson said yesterday. “And I was like ‘I can’t, I just can’t.’”

It wasn’t until senior Laeticia Amihere basically staged an intervention that Johnson found the strength to move on.

“I don’t even know how she got in my room,” Johnson said. “I thought I locked the door. But she got me closer to God ... She’s really the one that really helped me get over that hump.”

A year later, Johnson believes she’s a different player. One eager for a chance at redemption on Sunday when the unbeaten Gamecocks face Clark and the Hawkeyes in the NCAA championship.

Looking back, Johnson doesn’t see all those viewings of the biggest loss of her still burgeoning career as some form of punishment. She has reframed those dark days. They weren’t torture, even if it might have felt like it at the time amid all the tears. She was growing, even if she wasn’t aware of it.

“I think I was learning from the game, learning what I could have done better, what the team could have done better,” Johnson said. “Looking at how they scouted us. Looking at how they played me. Looking at how they played my team.”

Johnson doesn’t blame Clark for giving her an ocean of space to let it fly, knowing she likely wouldn’t. It’s what Johnson would have done if the player she was guarding made just 24% of her 3-pointers, as she did as a freshman.

It didn’t matter that Johnson actually played well that night, scoring 13 points and making half of her six shots from behind the 3-point arc. She wasn’t a threat from the outside. Not consistently anyway, and she knew it.

Even worse, so did Clark.

A year later, things have changed. Johnson is 7 of 13 from 3 during the NCAA Tournament. She knocked down three of her five attempts from behind the arc in a  blowout win over North Carolina State  in the Final Four on Friday.

They were looks she might not have taken — heck, she didn’t take — a year ago. It’s unlikely Clark will treat her so dismissively in a rematch 12 months in the making.

“She got in the gym, and she got better, and I admire that,” Clark said. “I think that’s what makes great players great. And that’s exactly what she did.”

Johnson allowed there was a time, however brief, in the aftermath of the loss when she considered “quitting.” She never took those concerns to South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. Maybe she didn’t have to.

Staley understands the young women that arrive on campus as 18-year-olds will evolve during their time with the program. Yes, having the game’s biggest star humiliate you on the sport’s biggest stage — as South Carolina’s Bree Hall put it — was difficult. Yet Staley never worried about Johnson’s ability to turn the experience into an opportunity to grow.

“She’s in such a learning phase of her life,” Staley said. “She’s open to learning -- not just basketball, but history. She’s learning what she likes. She’s learning a pathway of who she wants to be. And she’s unafraid to go out there to say or do some things that, it will rock you a little bit, it will make you laugh, but it is who she’s becoming.”

The next step, a vital one, awaits against the Hawkeyes. Johnson admits she was “definitely hoping” for another shot at Iowa. However it goes, she is unlikely to watch it “100 times,” though she has no regret on the path she took to get back to this moment.

“Like Coach says if you don’t watch the bad stuff why watch the good stuff?” Johnson said.

And there has been plenty of “good stuff” during the 37-game win streak that Johnson and the Gamecocks will carry into the final. Her assists are up this season. Rebounds and shooting percentage, too.

The player who was “so nervous” to go out and play last spring hardly looks it this time around. The notes of encouragement she received from Amihere in the aftermath of the Iowa loss have stuck with her. The cards talked of confidence and courage. Of what it takes for a flower to bloom.

The seeds were planted during that time spent holed up in her room, a time whose lessons have propelled her forward.

“Like it made me mentally strong,” Johnson said. “I feel like if I can handle that, I can handle anything in life.”

Iowa-UConn Final Four matchup draws 14.2 million viewers, most in women’s college basketball history

Greg Rosenstein

Iowa’s  71-69 win  against UConn in Friday’s NCAA Final Four game drew 14.2 million viewers, the most in women’s college basketball history, according to ESPN.

The matchup produced the largest audience for a basketball game — college or professional — and was the second-best non-football telecast ever for the network.

Friday’s figure is higher than every World Series and NBA Finals game last year. ESPN said the game peaked at 17 million viewers.

Iowa vs. UConn bested a  viewership record set just days prior  when the Hawkeyes defeated LSU in the Elite Eight on Monday with 12.3 million viewers.

Kylie Kelce meets Kristin Juszczyk and fangirls over her seatmates at the women’s Final Four

Maddie Ellis, TODAY

Places Kylie Kelce  has  business being : the NCAA women’s Final Four.

Kylie Kelce attended the semifinals of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, meeting plenty of people along the way.

The  wife of former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce  met  Kristin Juszczyk , wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, at the game and posed for a selfie together.

“Finally got to run into this incredibly talented lady,” Kylie Kelce wrote over the pic, adding, “... and yes I made her do a spin so I could admire this outstanding jacket!”

ICYMI: Men's Final Four

Last night, the last standing men's teams battled it out on the court to try to earn their spot in the championship game on Monday, but only two prevailed.

In the first game, Purdue ultimately stymied N.C. State's Cinderella story and knocked out the 11-seed to advance to the championship. The Boilermakers held a steady lead throughout the entire game, proving their worth as a top seed.

Then UConn and Alabama went back and forth on the court in a tough match that saw No. 1 UConn advance to the championship game, sending the No. 4 Crimson Tide back down South.

On Monday, we'll see a battle of No. 1 seeds in Glendale, Arizona, and some real on-court talent from rising stars Zach Edey and Grant Nelson. While UConn has a bit of an edge, according to the bookmakers, it could be anyone's game.

Title game pits superstar Clark against unbeaten South Carolina

This women’s college basketball season, which has pushed the sport to unprecedented popularity, will conclude today with a dream NCAA title game matchup — Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark against unbeaten South Carolina.

Clark, who has become something of a national treasure while shattering scoring records, will play for the NCAA title that eluded her last season with a loss to LSU.

For the Gamecocks, it’s a chance to avenge their only defeat last season — 77-73 to Clark in the semifinals. Clark scored a Final Four-record 41 points as Iowa ended South Carolina’s 42-game winning streak.

Watch CBS News

Solar eclipse maps show 2024 totality path, peak times and how much of the eclipse people could see across the U.S.

By Aliza Chasan

Updated on: April 9, 2024 / 5:00 AM EDT / CBS News

A total solar eclipse  crossed North America Monday with parts of 15 U.S. states within the path of totality. Maps show  where and when astronomy fans could see the big event  as skies darkened in the middle of the day Monday, April 8.

The total eclipse first appeared along Mexico's Pacific Coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT, then traveled across a swath of the U.S., from Texas to Maine, and into Canada.

About 31.6 million people live in the path of totality , the area where the moon fully blocked out the sun , according to NASA. The path ranged between 108 and 122 miles wide. An additional 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path of totality.

Solar eclipse path of totality map for 2024

The total solar eclipse started over the Pacific Ocean, and the first location in continental North America that experienced totality was Mexico's Pacific Coast, around 11:07 a.m. PDT, according to NASA. From there, the path continued into Texas, crossing more than a dozen states before the eclipse enters Canada in southern Ontario. The eclipse exited continental North America at around 5:16 p.m. NDT from Newfoundland, Canada.

The path of totality included portions of the following states:

• Pennsylvania
• New Hampshire

Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan also experienced the total solar eclipse.

Several major cities across the U.S. were included in the eclipse's path of totality, while many others saw a partial eclipse. These were some of the best major cities for eclipse viewing — though the weather was a factor :

• San Antonio, Texas (partially under the path)
• Austin, Texas
• Waco, Texas
• Dallas, Texas
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Dayton, Ohio
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Buffalo, New York
• Rochester, New York
• Syracuse, New York
• Burlington, Vermont

Map of when the solar eclipse reached totality across its path

The eclipse began in the U.S. as a partial eclipse beginning at 12:06 p.m. CDT near Eagle Pass, Texas, before progressing to totality by about 1:27 p.m. CDT and then moving along its path to the northeast over the following few hours.

NASA shared times for several cities in the path of totality across the U.S. People could have also  checked their ZIP code on NASA's map  to see when the eclipse was to reach them if they were on, or near, the path of totality — or if they saw a partial eclipse instead.

How much of the eclipse did people see if they live outside the totality path?

While the April 8 eclipse covered a wide swath of the U.S., outside the path of totality observers may have spotted a partial eclipse, where the moon covers some, but not all, of the sun, according to NASA. The closer they were to the path of totality, the larger the portion of the sun that was hidden.

NASA allowed viewers to input a ZIP code and see how much of the sun was to be covered in their locations.

Could there be cloud cover be during the solar eclipse?

Some areas along the path of totality had a higher likelihood of cloud cover that could interfere with viewing the eclipse. Here is a map showing the historical trends in cloud cover this time of year. 

You could have checked the latest forecast for your location with our partners at The Weather Channel .

Where did the solar eclipse reach totality for the longest?

Eclipse viewers near Torreón, Mexico, got to experience totality for the longest. Totality there lasted 4 minutes, 28 seconds, according to NASA. 

Most places along the centerline of the path of totality saw a totality duration of between 3.5 and 4 minutes, according to NASA. Some places in the U.S. came close to the maximum; Kerrville, Texas, had a totality duration of 4 minutes, 24 seconds.

What is the path of totality for the 2044 solar eclipse?

The next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044.

Astronomy fans in the U.S. will have far fewer opportunities to see the 2044 eclipse they had on April 8. NASA has not yet made maps available for the 2044 eclipse but, according to The Planetary Society , the path of totality will only touch three states.

The 2024 eclipse will start in Greenland, pass over Canada and end as the sun sets in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, according to the Planetary Society.

Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.

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