South Carolina (SC)

South Carolina State Flag

 

"The Palmetto State"

Why visit South Carolina?

Offers something for all ages ranging from antebellum plantations, beaches, boating, forests, golf, fishing, gardens, history, historic districts, islands, surfing, water sports and white water rafting.

A popular destination for:

• Amateur & Professional Photographers
• Conventions, Meetings & Reunions
• Cruise: Disembark/Embark
• Destination Wedding
• Groups: Family, Friends and Multigenerational
• Milestones: Anniversary, Bachelor Party, Bachelorette Party, Birthday, Honeymoon and Retirement

Charleston, SC. Photo Credit: 1778011/Pixabay 

At a Glance

• Capital: Columbia
• State Bird: Carolina Wren
• State Dessert: None
• State Flower: Carolina Yellow Jessamine
• State Gemstone: Amethyst 
• State Mammal: White Tailed Deer
• State Rock: Blue Granite

Beach, Edisto Island, SC. Photo Credit: Don White/Pixabay 

Fun Facts

• Named in honor of King Charles I of England. 
  
• Charleston Tea Plantation (Charleston) is our nation's only tea plantation.
  
• All major lakes in South Carolina are man-made.
  
• The only state to own and operate a statewide school bus system.
  
• The Charleston Earthquake of 1886 was the largest quake ever to hit the east coast.
  
• Has no major league professional sports teams stationed in the state.
  
• Home to one of NASCAR's first paved speedway tracks.
• Features 1 National Forest, 4 State Forests and 47 State Parks.
  

Morris Island Lighthouse, Folly Beach, SC. Photo Credit: 1778011/Pixabay 

Thank You!

• Spotlight Celebrities: AJ Green (Athlete), Chris Rock (Actor), Josh Turner (Musician), Kevin Garnett (Athlete), Thomas Gibson (Actor), Tyler Florence (Celebrity Chef), Vanna White (TV Host) and Viola Davis (Actress), just to name a few.
• Movies to Inspire You: Cold Mountain (2003), Days of Thunder (1990), Dear John (2010), Forrest Gump (1994), Leatherheads (2007), Sleeping with the Enemy (1990), The Notebook (2004) and The Patriot (1999), just to name a few.
• Reads Set in South Carolina: A Lowcountry Wedding (written by Mary Alice Monroe), A Week at Surfside Beach (written by Pierce Koslosky Jr), Celia Garth (written by Gwen Bristow), South Carolina Country Roads (written by Tom Poland), South of Broad (written by Pat Conroy), The Lords of Discipline (written by Pat Conroy) and The Water Is Wide (written by Pat Conroy), just to name a few.

Pawleys Island, SC. Photo Credit: Karen Scott/Pixabay 

Good to Know

• On Hunting Island Beach loggerhead turtles hatch between July - October.
  
• White water rafting is between March - October.
  
• Highway 11 is a 130 mile scenic highway.
  
• Roosters bred for cockfights are illegal.
  
• Outside of Charleston, Greenville, Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach area alcohol sales is not permitted.
• Same sex marriages is legal.

Subject to earthquakes, humidity, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and tropical cyclones. Hurricane Season is June - November.

• Best Time to Visit: March - July
• Coldest Month: January
• Hottest Month: July 
• Peak Season: March - October

South Carolina has thirty-five barrier islands, the most visited being Bear Island, Callawassie Island, Capers Island, Daufuskie Island, Dewees Island, Dreher Island, Edisto Island, Folly Island, Fripp Island, Goat Island, Harbor Island, Hunting Island, Isle of Palms, Johns Island, Kiawah Island, Lady's Island, Morgan Island, Morris Island, Pinckney Island, Port Royal Island, Saint Helena Island, Spring Island, St Helena Island, Sullivan's Island, Wadmalaw Island and Waties Island.

Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens, Mt Pleasant, SC. Photo Credit: Pixabay

Your Must-See & Do

• Historical Sites: Atalaya & Brookgreen Gardens, Beaufort Historic District, Beaufort History Museum, Berkeley County Museum, Bethesda Presbyterian Church, Borough House, Brick House Ruins, Browntown Museum, Burt-Stark Mansion, Camden Battlefield, Chapman Cultural Center, Chapelle Administration Building, Charlesfort-Santa Elena Site, Charleston Historic District, Church of the Holy Cross, Clark Mills Studio, Coker Experimental Farms, College of Charleston, Colonel John Stuart House, Denmark Vesey House, Drayton Hall, Dubose Heyward House, Edward Rutledge House, Exchange & Provost, Farmers' & Exchange Bank, Fig Island, Fireproof Building, First Baptist Church, Fort Hill, Graniteville Historic District, Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island, Hampton Plantation, Heyward-Washington House, Hibernian Hall, Hopsewee, Huguenot Church, John Rutledge House, Joseph H Rainey House, Joseph Manigault House, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, Lancaster County Courthouse, Lancaster County Jail, Market Hall & Sheds, Marshlands and McLeod Farms Antique Museum.
  Middleburg Plantation, Middleton Place, Miles Brewton House, Millford Plantation, Mills Building-South Carolina State Hospital, Mulberry Plantation, Mulberry Plantation, Nathaniel Russell House, Ninety-Six & Star Fort, Oakley Park Museum, Old Marine Hospital, Parish House of the Circular Congregational Church, Penn School Historic District, Philip Simmons House, Pompion Hill Chapel, Powder Magazine, Robert Barnwell Rhett House, Robert Brewton House, Robert Mills House, Robert Smalls House, Robert William Roper House, Saint Michael's Episcopal Church, Simmons-Edwards House, Snee Farm, Snow's Island, South Carolina State House, SRS Heritage Foundation, St James Church, St Philip's Episcopal Church, St Stephen's Episcopal Church, Stono River Slave Rebellion Site, Unitarian Church, USS Clamagore, USS Lafey, USS Yorktown, William Aiken House & Associated Railroad Structures, William Blacklock House, William Gibbes House, Williamsburg Historical Museum and Woodlands.
• Museums: Aiken County Historical Museum, Aiken-Rhett House Museum, Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum, Anderson County Museum, Avery Research Center - College of Charleston, Barnwell County Museum, Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum, BMW Zentrum, Bob Campbell Geology Museum, Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery, Button Museum, Cayce Historical Museum, Cherokee County History & Arts Museum, Chester Transportation Museum, Children's Museum of the Lowcountry,  Children's Museum of South Carolina, Citadel Archives & Museum, Coastal Discovery Museum, Colleton County Museum, Columbia Museum of Art, Comporium Telephone Museum, Drayton Hall, Edmondston-Alston House, EdVenture Children's Museum, Florence County Museum, Franklin G Burroughs-Simeon B Chapin Art Museum, Friends of the Hunley, Georgetown County Museum, Gibbes Museum of Art, Gibbes Museum of Art, Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenwood Museum, Greer Heritage Museum, Hartsville Museum, Heyward-Washington House, Historic Columbia, Horry County Museum, I.P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium, Joseph Manigault House, Kaminski House Museum, Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, Lexington County Museum, Lunney Museum, Main Street Children's Museum, Marion County Museum, McKissick Museum, Middleton Place, Museum & Library of Confederate History, Museum at Market Hall, Nathaniel Russell House, National Steeplechase Museum, North Charleston Fire Museum, Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon, Old Slave Mart Museum, Parris Island Museum, Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, Pickens County Museums, Rice Museum, Robert Mills House & Gardens, Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum, Sigal Music Museum, South Carolina Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum, South Carolina Cotton Museum Home of the Lee County Veterans Museum, South Carolina Maritime Museum, South Carolina Military Museum, South Carolina State Museum, South Carolina Tobacco Museum, Spartanburg Art Museum, Summerville-Dorchester Museum,Tennis Hall of Fame, The Charleston Museum, The Children’s Museum of the Upstate, The Gullah Museum, The Railroad Historical Center, The South Carolina Railroad Museum, Upcountry History Museum, U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Museum, Village Museum, War Between the States Museum, Warren Lasch Conservation Center and Wheels of Yesteryear.
• Popular Attractions: Alligator Adventure, Angel Oak Tree, Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge, Artisphere, Atalaya Castle, Audubon's Beidler Forest Sanctuary, Audubon Swamp Garden, Barefoot Landing, Blue Ridge Mountains, Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens, Broadway at the Beach, Broadway Grand Prix, Brookgreen Gardens, Burkes Beach, Caesars Head State Park, Calhoun Falls State Park, Camp Snoopy, Carolina Harbor, Carowinds, Charleston Aqua Park, Charleston Harbor, Charleston Tea Garden, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Castle Pinckney, Cheraw State Park, Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway, Cherokee Parkway, Cherry Grove Fishing Pier, Congaree National Park, Coligny Beach Park, Cypress Gardens, Darlington Raceway,  Dewees Island, Dreher Island State Park, Devil's Fork State Park, Discovery Island, Drayton Hall, Edisto Island, Edisto Beach State Park, Falls Park Drive, Falls Park on the Reedy, Family Kingdom Amusement Park, Finlay Park, Folly Beach Pier, Fort Moultrie, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Fort Sumter National Monument, Francis Marion National Forest, French Huguenot Church, Fripp Island, Grand Strand, Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail, Greenville Zoo, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston, Harbour Town Lighthouse, Hilton Head Island Beach, Historic Charleston City Market, Hollywild Animal Park, Hunting Island, Huntington Beach State Park, James Island County Park, Isle of Palms County Park, Issaqueena Falls, Joe Riley Waterfront Park, Joseph Manigault House, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE), Kiawah Beachwalker Park, Kings Mountain National Military Park, King Street, La Belle Amie Vineyard, Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie, Lake Russell, Mount Pleasant, Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, McLeod Plantation Historic Site, Middleton Place, Moore Farms Botanical Garden, Morris Island, Morris Island Lighthouse, Mother Emanuel AME Church, Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park, Mepkin Abbey, Mount Pleasant Pier, Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade, Myrtle Beach State Park, Myrtle Waves Water Park, Nathaniel Russell House, Neptune Island Waterpark, Night Heron Park, North Charleston Wannamaker County Park, Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon (Custom House), Otter Creek Waterpark, Palmetto Falls Water Park, Paris Mountain State Park, Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, Rainbow Row, Richardson's Lake Water Park, Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Riverbanks Botanical Garden, Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, Roper Mountain Science Center, Sassafras Mountain, Savannah River, Sesquicentennial State Park, Shem Creek, SkyWheel Myrtle Beach, Shipwreck Cove Town of Duncan, Soar & Explore, South Carolina Artisans Center, South Carolina Aquarium, South Carolina State House, Speed Factory Hi Speed Indoor Karting Spartanburg, Splashes Waterpark, Splash Zone Waterpark At James Island County Park, Stumphouse Tunnel, Sullivan's Island Beach, Sumter National Forest, Table Rock State Park, The Battery, The Market Common, The Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk, The Pavilion Park, The Pier at Garden City, The Williams Mansion, T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station, USS Yorktown CV-10, Waccatee Zoological Farm, Wadmalaw Island, Whirlin' Waters Adventure Waterpark, White Point Garden, Wild Water & Wheels and WonderWorks Myrtle Beach.
• Popular Cities/Towns to Visit: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Beaufort, Charleston, Columbia, Conway, Florence, Goose Creek, Greenville, Greer, Hamer, Hanahan, Hilton Head Island, Mauldin, Mount Pleasant, Myrtle Beach, North Augusta, North Charleston, Pawley Island, Rock Hill, Spartanburg, Summerville and Sumter.
• Special Events: (January) Lowcountry Oyster Festival, Save the Light Oyster Roast, (February) Hilton Head Island Seafood Festival, Shuckin' on the Strand Oyster Roast, South Carolina Chamber Music Festival, Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, The Charleston Museum Oyster Roast, (March) Charleston Wine & Food, Craftsmen's Classics Art & Craft Festival, (April) Albino Skunk Music Fest, Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival, Greater Clemson Music Festival, High Water Festival, Historic Pendleton Spring Jubilee, Jazz on the Square in Spartanburg, Lamar Egg Scramble Jamboree, River Rocks Music Festival, Soft Shell Crab Festival, Tartan Day South Highland Games & Celtic Festival, (May) Aiken Bluegrass Festival, A Taste of Beaufort, Blue Crab Festival, Blue Ridge Fest, Charlestown Harbor Fest, Freedom Weekend Aloft, Gullah Festival, Long Creek Music Festival, Lowcountry Shrimp Festival, Myrtle Beach Bike Week, Spoleto Festival USA, Trondossa Music & Arts Festival, (June) Carolina Country Music Fest, Columbia Shrimp & Grits Fest, Seafood Jazz & Brew, South Carolina Festival of Flowers, Sun Fun Festival, Sweet Grass Festival, (July) Beaufort Water Festival, May River Shrimp Festival, South Carolina Pecan Festival Festival of Discovery, South Carolina State Fair, Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival, Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival, Tasty Tomato Festival,(August) Awendaw Blue Crab Festival, (September) Bourbon & Bacon Fest Greenville, Coward Harvest Festival, Greek Festival, Jam Room Music Festival, MOJA Arts Festival, Orangeburg Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival, Sea Island Arts Fest, South Carolina Peach Festival, South Carolina State Fiddling Championship, Southern 500, Yemassee Shrimp Festival, (October) Beaufort Shrimp Festival, Carolina Downhome Blues Festival, Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival, Fall Tour of Homes, Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival, Into the Woods Festival, Little River Shrimpfest, Oyster Ghost Roast, Plum Hollow Alternative Bluegrass Festival, (November) Charleston International Film Festival, Chitlin Strut, Dickens Christmas Show & Festivals, Hilton Head Island Oyster Festival, Music to Your Mouth, South Carolina Pecan Festival and South Carolina State Bluegrass Festival.

Falls Park on the Reedy, Greenville, SC. Photo Credit: 1778011/Pixabay 

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