South Carolina attractions

Charleston’s historic Aiken-Rhett House offers a rare glimpse into antebellum life in South Carolina. The only surviving urban plantation, the 1820 townhouse complex remains largely intact, its rooms decorated with original wallpaper, fine art, and antique furnishings from more than 150 years ago. The original slave quarters have survived since the 1850s, allowing you to better understand the daily lives of enslaved Africans.

As one of the oldest cities in the United States, Charleston is known for its deep history. The Charleston Museum, which marquees itself as America’s First Museum, is a great first stop for a broad overview of Charleston’s past, featuring exhibits ranging from Lowcountry dinosaur skeletons to niche Revolutionary War artifacts.

Part of a larger South Carolina coastal preserve, Brookgreen Gardens was the nation’s first public sculpture garden—and with some 2,000 sculptures by 430 artists, it still represents one of the largest American figurative sculpture collections in the United States. The National Historic Landmark is also an oasis of native flora, including 250-year-old live oaks, and is home to the Lowcountry Zoo, where animals such as alligators, red foxes, and river otters roam.

The 65-acre (26-hectare) Middleton Place is a former rice plantation along the Ashley River. Visitors to this National Historic Landmark home—built in 1755 by the father of Arthur Middleton, who signed the Declaration of Independence—can explore the Middleton Place house, landscaped gardens, and the stable yards, where staff dressed in period clothing demonstrate weaving, blacksmithing, carpentry, and more.

Perched on the northern end of South Carolina’s Grand Strand, North Myrtle Beach offers a relaxing place to enjoy the beauty of South Carolina coastal living. Many come here to learn how to surf thanks to the long slow-rolling breakers, while others come for the shopping, dining, and live entertainment at Barefoot Landing.

American History enthusiasts shouldn't miss Charleston's Edmondston-Alston House, an 1825 home and museum steeped in Civil War stories. The home is perhaps best known for hosting confederate generals P.G.T. Beauregard and Robert E. Lee and today showcases a sizable collection of art, decorative objects, and family relics.

Explore the cultural heritage and natural history of the Lowcountry ecosystem and Hilton Head Island at the Coastal Discovery Museum. Located on the historic Honey Horn Plantation, the museum features indoor and outdoor exhibits, as well as guided walks and tours, offering a fun and educational day for visitors of all ages.

Built in 1738, Drayton Hall is the oldest plantation home in South Carolina open to visitors. Tour the manicured grounds and admire the landscaping, see the site’s archaeological relics, take a guided tour of the house, and learn about the people who lived and worked on the estate over the years through interactive programs.

Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens is one of the oldest working plantations in America. Dating back to 1681, it’s been a notable filming location for movies and television shows, including The Notebook and Days of Our Lives. Travelers visit to see the Georgian-style house, expansive gardens, and former slave cabins—used today to educate visitors about the history of slavery in the US.

This historic Charleston home, now part of the Charleston Museum, is a well-preserved example of Federal architecture. Built in 1803 by architect Gabriel Manigault for his brother Joseph, a Charleston rice baron, the 3-story townhouse is now a National Historic Landmark, showcasing the wealthy family’s 19th-century lifestyle.

Housed in a beaux arts building in the heart of Charleston’s Historical District, the Gibbes Museum of Art highlights an impressive chronology of artistic works. With more than 10,000 pieces of fine art, the museum showcases four centuries of art unique to Charleston and its history.

Towering 200 feet (61 meters) above the sea in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the SkyWheel is a modern take on your typical Ferris wheel. Riders are whisked above the oceanfront promenade on bench seats in enclosed, air-conditioned gondolas that offer views of the piers, ocean, and downtown. After twilight, the SkyWheel glows in a rainbow of colors thanks to one million tiny LED lights.

Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach borders the Atlantic Ocean and is known for its vaulted underwater walkways, large tanks filled with colorful sea creatures, and live shark-feeding shows. Set in the Broadway-at-the-Beach shopping, dining, and entertainment complex, the aquarium features exhibits for visitors of all ages.

Halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte—and between the mountains and the sea—you might say Greenville hit the “Goldilocks zone.” But it’s not just what’s around Greenville that makes it so attractive—this 70,000-person town brims with restaurants and a popping arts scene. The massive waterfall running right through downtown helps, too.

Rising from the sands north of Folly Beach, Morris Island Lighthouse is one of South Carolina’s most recognizable coastal landmarks. Built in 1876 to protect ships entering Charleston Harbor, this red-and-white-striped monument is a visual stunner easily visible from the ocean, roads, and islands nearby.

This swath of maritime forest on the Grand Strand attracts visitors who want an escape from the rampant development of the South Carolina coast. The park boasts over a mile (1.6 kilometers) of undeveloped beach—home to some of the best surf fishing in the state—as well as beachside campsites, nature trails, and a fishing pier.

Visitors venturing into the Hard Rock Cafe Myrtle Beach, located in the heart of the Broadway at the Beach shopping complex, will find strong drinks, an exhaustive menu, live music, and more. In classic Hard Rock fashion, original instruments and costume pieces from musical greats decorate the towering walls and provide the perfect backdrop for live performances.

Located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Broadway at the Beach is a popular outdoor shopping and entertainment center. Home to theaters, restaurants, nightclubs, hotels, amusement parks, and more than 100 specialty shops, the complex has options for travelers of all ages and interests.

This National Historic Landmark, completed in 1808, ranks among the most important US neoclassical dwellings. A tour of the meticulously restored Nathaniel Russell House offers a glimpse into the lives of Charleston’s merchant elite through the home’s 18th century decorative and fine art, formal gardens, and elaborate interiors.

Shem Creek Park connects a lively shopping and dining scene to the surrounding Lowcountry landscape. It’s best known for its 2,200-foot (670-meter) boardwalk stretching out across the marshes; it may give you the sense of walking on water while remaining close by to trendy restaurants and entertainment.

Family Kingdom Amusement Park is South Carolina’s only beachfront amusement park, featuring more than 35 attractions—from kiddie rides to thrill rides—for the whole family to enjoy. Just minutes from the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade, the park is mere steps from the beach, so you can roll in the sand and then rollick on a roller coaster.

The Charleston Visitor Center provides information on local tours and attraction tickets to help travelers plan their ideal Charleston area visit. The center is also an attraction in its own right. It’s housed in a mid 19th-century railroad building (built 1840–1856) within a National Historic Landmark District.

Hunting Island State Park covers 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares) of lowland on South Carolina’s Atlantic coast. A mix of marsh and maritime forest join an ocean inlet, saltwater lagoon, and 5 miles (8 kilometers) of beachfront to create a haven for nature and nature lovers alike. The park features a nature center, visitor center, fishing pier, and a lighthouse built in 1875.

Few cities can claim to have a natural wonder cascading through their downtown, but Greenville, South Carolina, certainly can. Falls Park on the Reedy showcases the exquisite Reedy River Falls and visitors come here to bike, stroll, and picnic.

This 37-acre (15-hectare) James Island plantation, dating back to 1851, is today a Gullah/Geechee heritage site that offers an honest look at what life was like for the enslaved and emancipated African Americans who worked here. Besides the Georgian-style plantation home, the site also includes slave quarters, a cotton gin house, and a Gullah cemetery.

WonderWorks Myrtle Beach is an amusement park with more than 100 interactive exhibits to engage your mind and imagination. Built in an upside-down “top-secret laboratory” that was mysteriously transported from Bermuda to Myrtle Beach, this family-friendly park features six wonder zones, laser tag, a glow-in-the-dark ropes course, and a 6D motion ride.

Beaufort National Cemetery was originally a burial site for Union soldiers who died at a nearby hospital while fighting in the Civil War’s Battle of Port Royal. Confederate soldiers were later buried there, leading to its designation as a National Cemetery in 1863. Soldiers from every major US conflict are now interned in Beaufort National Cemetery.

The Hollywood Wax Museum features lifelike wax figures of famous personalities from television, film, music, and history. Spend a few hours out of the sun and snap photos with realistic wax depictions of your favorite celebs—everyone from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to Audrey Hepburn is represented. Kids particularly love the Hollywood Wax Museum, a long-standing family favorite at Myrtle Beach.

The Beaufort History Museum is relatively new, having opened to the public in 2011, but the building is as historic as the museum’s exhibits. Constructed as an arsenal in 1795, it now charts Beaufort’s history from its roots as a Native American settlement to its Spanish colonial establishment and through the city’s significance in the Civil War and 20th-century industries.

Ideal for families looking for dining and entertainment, Medieval Times Myrtle Beach is a live theater performance complete with sword fights, falcon flights, and jousting on horseback—all during a meal fit for kings. Inspired by 11th-century feasts and tournaments, Medieval Times lets visitors travel back in time for a night to the age of castles and knights.