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Beaufort,
South Carolina
A city of rich history, Southern
hospitality and casual seaside charm, Beaufort's tabby ruins,
historic forts, elegant homes, majestic plantations and Gullah
culture and cuisine are reminders of Beaufort's 500-year history.
Horse-drawn carriages make their way slowly through the narrow
streets of the historic district, one of only three National
Historic Landmark Districts in South Carolina and shrimps boats
can often be seen gliding past Waterfront Park with the day's
catch.
Boone
Hall Plantation | 843-884-4371
Charleston, South Carolina
One of America?s oldest working
plantations, established in 1681, the fertile soils of Boone
Hall are still producing vegetables, ornamental plants, and flowers.
Walk our world-renowned half-mile avenue of Live Oaks, the canopy
created by the oaks, heavily draped in Spanish Moss, a sight
few visitors ever forget. Relax in our formal gardens, which
contain exquisite antique roses, camellias, and other plants
and flowers indigenous to South Carolina. Stroll back in time,
visit the slave cabins, cotton dock, and gin house for a
glimpse of plantation life.
Charleston
Area Convention & Visitors Bureau | 800-868-8118
Charleston, South Carolina
For ten consecutive years,
readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine have named Charleston,
South Carolina a TOP 10 travel destination in North America.
The prestigious Readers' Choice award, which rated Charleston
as the #3 city in North America in 2002, recognizes the Charleston
area as a premiere travel
destination, evaluated on a variety of criteria including: Ambience,
Friendliness, Culture, Restaurants, Shopping, and Nightlife.
Charleston's charm will be at your fingertips by visiting this
online resource.
Drayton
Hall | 843-769-2600
Charleston, South Carolina
Drayton Hall is the oldest
preserved plantation house in America that is open to the public.
After seven generations, two great wars, and numerous hurricanes
and earthquakes, the main house of the National Historic Landmark
remains in nearly original condition. Today, its Georgian-Palladian
architecture represents the oldest surviving example of its kind
in the American South. Professional tour guides enlighten visitors
about the dynamics affecting Drayton Hall over time. A special
30 minute program is also available, which details the lives
of both slave and free people who lived and worked at Drayton
Hall from the 18th to the 20th century.
Edisto
Island Chamber of Commerce
| 843-869-3867
Edisto Island, South Carolina
South Carolina's best-kept
secret, Edisto Island is the ultimate vacation destination. Come
rent a beach cottage, throw a cast net for shrimp, dip your toes
in the surf, or build a sandcastle. Experience the perfect blending
of oceanfront beaches, saltwater marshes and Lowcountry oaks
draped in Spanish moss. A year-round temperate climate provides
for excellent outdoor recreational opportunities. Coastal waters
teem with fish, shrimp, crabs and oysters. Take a leisurely bike
ride, hike a nature trail, or kayak in a tidal creek. Golf, tennis
and beach walks complete the day.
Edisto
Museum | 843-869-1954
Edisto Island, South Carolina
Edisto Island, a barrier
island roughly halfway between Charleston and Beaufort, SC, was
purchased from the Edistow Indians in 1674. The Edisto Island
Historic Preservation Society is a non-profit organization chartered
by the State of South Carolina which exists to preserve and exhibit
the history of Edisto Island, which includes 29 properties listed
in the National Register of Historic Places.The Edisto Island
Museum is the Society's home.
Edisto
Island Serpentarium |
843-869-1171
Edisto Island, South Carolina
The Edisto Island Serpentarium,
South Carolina?s first true Serpentarium, offers a comfortable,
friendly environment to view snakes and other reptiles in clean
and natural habitats. Although Edisto Island Serpentarium's specialty
is snakes, it offers an exciting and educational display of many
kinds of reptiles, both native to the region and from around
the world. Alligators and turtles swim and play, in large ponds
in outdoor gardens while other reptiles bask in the large, indoor
solarium. Also inside, snakes of the world find homes in large
displays painted with scenes of their native lands.
Edmondston-Alston House
Charleston, South Carolina
Of Charleston's many fine
house museums, only the Edmonston-Alston House (constructed in
1825 and renovated in 1838) commands magnificent views of Charleston
Harbor. From its piazzas in 1861,General P.T. Beauregard watched
the fierce bombarbment of Ft. Sumter, while later that same year
the house gave refuge to General Robert E. Lee. 21 East Battery
is a classic example of Charleston's changing and sophisticated
taste in architecture and decorative arts.
Folly Beach-Edwin S. Taylor Fishing
Pier | 843-588-FISH
Folly Beach, South Carolina
Delight in fishing, walking,
birding and the opportunity to enjoy wonderful views of Folly
Beach and the "Edge of America". The Folly Beach Edwin
S. Taylor Pier is 25 feet wide, extends more than 1,045 feet
into the Atlantic Ocean and is 23 feet above sea level. Located
at the end of the pier is a 7,500 square foot diamond shaped
platform with a 1,400 square foot covered shelter. Landward of
the pier is a 10,000 square foot building with restrooms, gift
shop and restaurant.
Fort
Moultrie | 843-883-3123
Sullivan's Island, South Carolina
From the first crude palmetto
log structure during the Revolutionary War to the reinforced
concrete fortification of World War II, Fort Moultrie's weapons
and fortifications mirror two hundred years of American coastal
defense. The present Fort Moultrie, the third fort to occupy
this site, was built in 1809 and has been a National Park site
since 1961.
Fort
Sumter National Monument Tours
| 800-789-3678
Charleston, South Carolina
Fort Sumter Tours offers
the only tour to Fort Sumter, America's most historic landmark.
You can board the ferryboat at the new National Park Service
Visitor Education Center located conveniently next to the SC
Aquarium at Concord and Calhoun streets. Boats also leave from
Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant.
Gibbes
Museum of Art | 843-722-2706
Charleston, South Carolina
Established in 1858, the
Gibbes Museum embodies Charleston's long and impressive tradition
of cultural leadership. The South Carolina Lowcountry's spectacular
heritage is depicted from the colonization of Charles Towne,
the antebellum period and the era of Porgy and Bess to the thriving,
colorful present. Pastels by our nation's first professional
female artist, Charlestonian Henrietta de Beaulieu Dering Johnston
are displayed. A significant collection of 20th century African-American
art celebrates our distinctive culture.
Hunting Island Lighthouse | 843-838-2011
Hunting Island, South Carolina
Hunting Island Lighthouse
is a nineteenth century lighthouse and three remaining original
structures of the lighthouse complex. The original structure
was destroyed during the Civil War by the Confederates to prevent
the Union Army from using it for navigation. The new complex,
completed in 1875, included a three-story light-keeper's dwelling,
a fireproof oil-house and several other storage buildings. Listed
on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hunting Island
lighthouse is the only lighthouse in South Carolina open to the
public.
Hunting Island State Park | 843-838-2011
Hunting Island, South Carolina
Hunting Island State Park,
one of South Carolina?s most popular parks, encompasses 5,000
acres of sandy beach, maritime forest and saltwater marsh. Hunting
Island possesses the best developed slash pine-palmetto forest
in the state and is one of the best publicly-owned sites to observe
South Carolina's
state tree, the Cabbage Palmetto, in its native habitat. White-tailed
deer and raccoon are abundant and frequently observed by park
visitors. More than 125 species of birds have been reported at
the park, including significant numbers of herons, bulls, terns
and egrets. Hunting Island is a true nature lover's paradise.
Magnolia
Plantation and Gardens
| 843-571-5346
Charleston, South Carolina
Magnolia Plantation, world
renowned for year-round floral beauty and listed in the National
Register of Historic Places, has since the early days of the
Carolina colony, been the home of the historic Drayton family.
Tour the Magnolia Plantation House and take a 45 minute narrated
tram tour of Magnolia's historic and beautiful wildlife areas
and ricefield reserve lakes. Take a 45-minute boat tour of an
ancient 150-acre flooded ricefield, now a wildlife refuge. Visit
the Audubon Swamp Garden, 60-acres of blackwater cypress and
tupelo swamp, traversed by boardwalks, bridges and dikes. Tour
the 50-acre Historic Garden, Barbados Tropical Greenhouse, Petting
Zoo, Antebellum Cabin, Horticultural Maze, Biblical Garden, Herb
Garden, Wildlife Observation Tower, or walk the trails of the
500 acre plantation.
Middleton
Place
Charleston, South Carolina
Nathaniel Russell House
Charleston, South Carolina
Old
Exchange & Provost Dungeon
| 843-727-2165
Charleston, South Carolina
Take a tour of Charleston's
must see historic site. One of America's three halls of freedom.
Completed in 1771 as the Exchange and Custom House, this extraordinary
building has been the site of important historic events which
brought about our independence and the freedoms we enjoy today.
Experience
the grandeur of the Great Hall where George Washington was entertained
in 1791; then explore Charleston's pirate history in the eerie
Provost Dungeon. Animatronic figures bring Charleston's history
to life.
Patriot's
Point Naval & Maritime Museum
| 843-884-2727
Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
Patriots Point, one of the
world's largest naval and maritime museums, is home to the Aircraft
Carrrier YORKTOWN, Destroyer LAFFEY, Submarine CLAMAGORE, coast
Guard Cutter INGHAM, and the National Congressional Medal of
Honor Museum. Also of interest is the recreation of a Vietnam
Naval Support Base, as well as dozens of displays, exhibits,
and memorials. A visit to the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime
Museum adds up to an affordable and exciting day for the entire
family.
Sheldon Church Ruins
South Carolina
SC Secondary Road 21, 15
miles from Beaufort. The ruins of Sheldon Church stand as a reminder
of the destruction in South Carolina during both the American
Revolution and the Civil War.
South Carolina Aquarium | 843-720-1990
Charleston, South Carolina
The South Carolina Aquarium
brings fun, wonder and education together in one unforgettable
experience. Explore the depths of the Atlantic Ocean with the
Aquarium's 330,000 gallon Great Ocean Tank featuring the nation's
tallest viewing window, a window with spectacular views of sharks,
a 200 lb. Loggerhead turtle, many species of fish and much more.
Hands-on experience takes on a whole new meaning at the 1,700
gallon touch tank and Discovery Lab Exhibits. Don't miss their
major "Unbelievable Floating Objects" display.
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