South Carolina Travel Guide
Rainbow Row, Charleston. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
South Carolina's draw is Charleston: the best-preserved historic city in the American South, with Rainbow Row's pastel houses, the Battery's mansions, and a food scene built on Lowcountry cooking. The surrounding Sea Islands keep Gullah Geechee culture alive.
The Grand Strand around Myrtle Beach is the family-beach machine: 100 km of sand, golf courses and mini-golf empires. Inland, Greenville's revitalized downtown and the Congaree old-growth swamp round out the state.
Destinations in South Carolina
Charleston historic districtRainbow Row, the Battery, horse-drawn carriages and gas-lit streets.- Magnolia and Middleton plantationsThe great gardens and the difficult history of the plantation South.
- Hunting IslandThe lighthouse and the state's most photographed beach.
- Congaree National ParkThe largest old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the US.
- GreenvilleFalls Park on the Reedy and a genuinely lively downtown.
- Myrtle BeachThe Grand Strand's 100 km of family beaches and boardwalk.
Hover a state to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.
Top Cities & towns in South Carolina
Regional food
- Shrimp and grits (the Lowcountry classic)
- She-crab soup (Charleston's rich crab bisque)
- Hoppin' John (black-eyed peas and rice)
Getting there
Charleston (CHS) is the gateway; Myrtle Beach (MYR) and Greenville (GSP) cover the regions. The Lowcountry is an easy drive; spring and fall beat the summer humidity.