Things To Do In SC
– Things To Do Near Greenville –
Caesars Head State Park
Greenville, SC – A massive granite ledge towering above the Piedmont below, Caesars Head offers spectacular views throughout the year and is a great spot for a picnic. The Overlook is a short walk from the parking lot, but hiking trails are plentiful in the park. Learn More
Campbell’s Covered Bridge
Greenville, SC – Built in 1909, Campbell’s Bridge is the last historic covered bridge in South Carolina. Built over Beaverdam Creek, it’s now the centerpiece of a park and part of the Greenville Park system. Facilities include picnic tables and a short nature trail. Learn More
Cowpens National Battlefield
Gaffney, SC – Site of one of the most important battles in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. The historic confrontation between General Daniel Morgan and Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton would not only set the course from the remainder of the American Revolution, but would finally bring down the Butcher of the Waxhaws.
Hagood Mill
Pickens, SC – One of a very few water powered grist mills left in South Carolina, Hagood Mill lives on as a living history museum letting modern visitors experience a time long past. The Mill complex also has one of the oldest Petroglyph Sites in the state where you can see prehistoric stone carvings. Visit on the third Saturday of the month for the Folklife Festival where the entire complex springs to life. Learn More
Issaqueena Falls
Walhalla, SC – Popular waterfall that sits at the center of a local legend. The falls are an easy walk from the parking area and close to the Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel. Learn More
Paris Mountain State Park
Greenville, SC – State park built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Many of the original buildings still remain and the park has done a phenomenal job preserving this piece of history. Easily on of the nicest state parks in South Carolina, and it offers something for everyone from a stroll around the lake to a challenging hike through the backwoods. Learn More
Poinsett Bridge
Greenville, SC – Gothic stone bridge built in 1820 that connected Greenville to not only the Port of Charleston via the SC State Road, but eventually connect South Carolina to North Carolina, Tennessee, and the Ohio River Valley when connected to the Buncombe Turnpike via the Saluda Gap. Learn More
Sassafras Mountain
Pickens, SC – The highest point in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain offers panaromic views of up to 50 miles in three states. A new observation tower opened on April 22, 2019 that’s a short walk from the parking area. For the hikers, it’s a stopover on the Foothills Trail linking Table Rock State Park with Oconee State Park. Learn More
Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel
Walhalla, SC – Unfinished railway tunnel that was part of an ambitious transportation project in the mid 1800’s. After spending over a million dollars on the tunnel and still not finishing, the South Carolina legislature pulled the plug and abandoned the tunnel. Today it’s a tourist attraction and shares a park with Issaqueena Falls. Learn More
– Things To Do Near Clinton –
Blackstock’s Battlefield
Enoree, SC – After the death of Patrick Ferguson and the defeat of the British at Kings Mountain, The Fighting Gamecock faced off with the most hated Banastre Tarleton at Blackstock’s Farm. Learn More
Musgrove Mill Battleground
Clinton, SC – Site of a 1780 Revolutionary War Battle that saw a small number of Patriot Militiamen defeat a much larger Loyalist force. Coming on the heals of the Patriot loss at Camden, Musgrove Mill provided a much needed moral boost for the Colonists and set into motion a series of events that would lead to the Battle of Kings Mountain. Learn More
Rose Hill Plantation
Union, SC – Considered on of the best examples of Antebellum Plantation Houses in South Carolina, Rose Hill provides a place where people can learn about South Carolina’s history from secession through the Civil War, slavery and emancipation, and Reconstruction and its aftermath. Learn More
– Things To Do Near Greenwood –
Lake Greenwood State Park
Ninety Six, SC – One of 16 state parks in South Carolina built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. 125 campsites with power and water, 2 boat ramps, and three picnic shelters. All on the shores of Lake Greenwood. Learn More
Lake Russell
Abbeville, SC – 41 square mile lake along the South Carolina/Georgia border. Maintained as a conservation lake, Russell’s pristine shore line offers some of the best fishing in the state in a wilderness setting. Learn More
Lake Russell Dam
Calhoun Falls, SC – Straddling the line between South Carolina and Georgia, the Lake Russell Dam, part of the Savannah River system and built by the US Army Corp of Engineers, holds back the water of 25,000 acre Lake Russell. Learn More
Ninety Six National Historic Site
Ninety Six, SC – Location of an early frontier town that became the site of two battles during the American Revolution. The Star Fort is considered the best surviving example of earthen fortifications from the colonial era. Learn More
– Things To Do Near Rock Hill –
Andrew Jackson State Park
Lancaster, SC – State Park in South Carolina dedicated to the seventh president of the United States. It’s located where the Crawford Plantation once stood where Jackson lived as a child and may have been born. Learn More
Buford’s Massacre Site – The Waxhaws
Lancaster, SC – Site of the The Waxhaws where patriots under command of Abraham Buford faced off against “Bloody Tarleton”. Although the Patriots lost the battle, the ensuing massacre by the British led to a propaganda victory. Afterwards “Tarleton’s Quarter!” and “Give them Buford’s play!” were battle cries heard throughout the Carolinas.
Catawba Reservation
Rock Hill, SC – The only federally recognized Native American Nation in South Carolina, the Catawba live in their ancestral home along the Catawba River. The reservation houses a cultural center and has a number of hiking trails open to the public. Learn More
Chester State Park
Chester, SC – Discover the beauty and history of Chester State Park, a lesser-known treasure in South Carolina. Explore its day-use amenities, picnic spots, fishing opportunities, hiking trails, and camping facilities. Learn about its rich history and why it’s a must-visit for locals and tourists alike… Learn More
Kings Mountain National Military Park
Blacksburg, SC – Site of one of the most important battles of the Revolutionary War in the South. After the fall of Charleston and the humiliating defeat at Camden, it looked grim for the Patriot cause. But just when it seemed that all was lost, a rag tag army was was formed that became the only thing standing between the British and victory.
Kings Mountain State Park
Blacksburg, SC – One of the best places in the area for horseback riding and equestrian camping. Hiking trails connect the State Park to the National Military Park as well as Crowders Mountain State Park in North Carolina. Kings Mountain also hosts one of the best living history museum in the state. Learn More
Landsford Canal State Park
Chester County, SC – Small state park built around the ruins of a 19th Century Canal. Lots of spots for picnics beside the Catawba River, nature trail to one of the last groves of Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies, and a resident nesting pair of Bald Eagles. Learn More
– Things To Do Near Columbia –
Camden Revolutionary War Site
Camden, SC – The town of Colonial Camden was the most strategic British outpost in the Carolinas. Used as a supply depot for the planned expansion into the backcountry and eventually North Carolina and then Virginia. It was the site of the worst Patriot defeat of the Revolution that could have changes the course of history. Learn More
Congaree National Park
Hopkins, SC – Thanks to its inhospitable environment and regular flooding, the Congaree Floodplain preserves one of the largest tracks of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the United States. The national park boasts some of the largest trees in the Eastern United States as well as the largest concentration of Champion Trees in the world.
From the Atlantic Coastal Plain through the Piedmont Plateau right up to the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, South Carolina offers something for every visitor. Great seafood and warm beaches are found along the coast from Charleston all the way up to Myrtle Beach. As you travel north through the state you’re never too far away from a fresh water lake. Arriving in the north western section of the state, you’ll be greeted by the Blue Ridge Mountains. While not as tall or as numerous as North Carolina’s mountains, the Blue Ridge in SC offer the visitor great views in a natural environment.
South Carolina offers the visitor a wealth of opportunities for exploration and adventure. Join us in our odyssey as we explore the sights, history, folklore, and places that make South Carolina special.
Playing a pivotal role in America’s war of independence, South Carolina is home to an impressive number of Revolutionary War sites. More confrontations between Patriot and British forces took place in South Carolina than any other state. Generals Daniel Morgan, Andrew Pickens, and Nathanael Greene among others all saw battle in the Palmetto State. If Patriots in the backwoods of South Carolina had not kept Cornwallis occupied during the fall and wither of 1780-1781, American history might be radical different today.