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While South Carolina may not be the largest state, it offers amazing choices for recreation and entertainment, from the mountains to the coast. With its rich history, splendid white beaches, scenic forested mountains, waterfalls and whitewater, black water rivers, Low Country culture, and vibrant metropolitan areas, the Palmetto State offers endless possibilities for anyone’s taste.

With its fascinating heritage as an original of the Thirteen Colonies, its diverse population, and its Southern legacy of past and present, South Carolina offers many cultural attractions throughout the state. The city of Charleston boasts every imaginable cultural pursuit. Reflecting its rich history, museums provide the public with an opportunity to learn about this legendary Southern city. The Gibbes Museum of Art will please art aficionados with its collections and exhibitions representing Charleston, Lowcountry, and American South culture with pieces from the Colonial era through modern times. Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Charleston Harbor features military ships, including aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, and war planes from World War II, Korea, the Vietnam War, and Desert Storm. The Avery Research Center for African-American History and Culture honors African-Americans with its research facilities, museum exhibits, its historic site, and its cultural center, describing origins in Africa through slavery, freedom, segregation, migration, the civil rights movement, and the challenges for equality today. The Charleston Museum, founded in 1773, preserves and interprets the cultural heritage of Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry with extensive cultural, historic, and natural history collections. Columbia, the state capital, offers its own selection of museums. The Columbia Museum of Art showcases European and American fine and decorative arts and design from the late Middle Ages to the present.

European and American fine and decorative arts and design from the late Middle Ages to the present. Also in Columbia, the South Carolina State Museum is located in a historic textile building, and represents the story of South Carolina through its many exhibits and programs. Submarine and Civil War buffs will not want to miss the Berkeley Museum in Monks Corner, where the Confederate semi-submersible torpedo boat CSS David is displayed. Railroad aficionados will enjoy the South Carolina Railroad Museum in Winnsboro, featuring train rides, a gallery of historic artifacts, and other paraphernalia interpreting the history of railroading in South Carolina.

Performing arts aficionados will find much to enjoy in the Palmetto State. Fans of orchestral music will appreciate the state’s orchestras, such as the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in Charleston, with 46 full-time professional musicians performing in the largest year-round performing arts organization in the state; the South Carolina Philharmonic in Columbia; and the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra at Hilton Head Island. Theatre fans can enjoy performances at any of the several theatres throughout the state, including Charleston Stage in Charleston, the Town Theatre in Columbia, and the Peace Center in Greenville, among other venues.

South Carolina offers many enjoyable and educational attractions for children and their families. The Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry in Charleston showcases a hands-on environment with eight interactive exhibits for children ages 3 months to 12 years and their families. The EdVenture Children’s Museum in Columbia is the largest children’s museum in the South, with 67,000 square feet (0.006 square kilometers or 0.622 hectares) of educational, interactive exhibits and galleries designed for children 12 and younger. Children and adults alike will learn much at the South Carolina Aquarium, which reflects South Carolina’s many habitats and biodiversity by representing its different regions in exhibits and programs, featuring the animals that call the state home. At the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, visitors can enjoy seeing elephants, penguins, and other animals, in addition to formal gardens and natural woodlands. Animal lovers will also enjoy the Greenville Zoo in Greenville, the Cypress Gardens Aquarium, Reptile Center, and Aviary in Moncks Corner, and the Hollywild Animal Park in Inman.

Historic sites abound in South Carolina, the site of many Revolutionary War and Civil War battles. Kings Mountain National Military Park in Blacksburg commemorates the site of the battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, a crucial victory for American in the Revolutionary War. At the Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site in Camden, visitors can learn about the two battles fought close by: the Battle of Camden, a major American defeat fought August 16, 1780; and a battle between General Nathanael Greene’s 1,400 Americans against 950 British soldiers under the command of Lord Francis Rawdon on April 25, 1781. The complex contains an outdoor museum complex complete with a town site, houses and exhibits, and a nature trail. Cowpens National Battlefield in Chesnee commemorates the Revolutionary War site where Daniel Morgan and his army fought back against the British army. At Eutaw Springs Battleground, visitors can witness the site of the last important Revolutionary War battle fought in the Carolinas, on September 8, 1781. At Ninety Six National Historic Site in Ninety Six, visitors can behold where settlers and Cherokee Indians coexisted, and where two Revolutionary War battles occurred. Fort Sumter National Monument marks the site where the American Civil War began on April 12, 1861. Penn Center on St. Helena Island commemorates the site of one of the nation’s first schools for freed slaves, as well as one of the most significant African-American historical and cultural institutions today.

Nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts have all of South Carolina as a playground to enjoy. Congaree National Park preserves the largest remnant of old-growth floodplain forest left in North America, and offers opportunities for walking or paddling in this unique ecosystem. The Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests cover over 600,000 acres (2,428 square kilometers or 242,811 hectares) across the state, and provide watershed protection, habitat for fish and wildlife, and recreation in the form of hiking and riding trails, paddling, fishing, hunting, camping, birding, and more. South Carolina also has many gems among its state parks. Among these are Woods Bay State Natural Area, Hunting Island State Park, Edisto Beach State Park, and Myrtle Beach State Park. Many visitors enjoy visiting South Carolina for its spectacular beaches, and head for Myrtle Beach, a tremendously popular family destination, and to the town of Hilton Head Island.

South Carolina is home to several lighthouses, both active and inactive. Among these are the Georgetown Lighthouse at Winyah Bay, the Bloody Point Front Range Lighthouse at Daufuskie Island, the Cape Romain Lighthouse, the Hilton Head Rear Range Lighthouse, the Parris Island Lighthouse, the Haig Point Lighthouse at Daufuskie Island, the Hunting Island Lighthouse, the Harbour Town Lighthouse at Harbour Town, and the Morris Island Lighthouse.

South Carolina is an angler’s paradise. The many rivers of the state provide excellent fishing, whether from upland rivers, low country black rivers, or freshwater lakes. Additionally, coastal areas boast pier and marina fishing, crabbing, and deep sea fishing charters. Whether for sport or fishing, the Palmetto State offers many enjoyable outlets for any angler.

The Palmetto State is famous for golf. Over 380 courses grace the state, and numerous championship tournaments are held in South Carolina. Among these are the US Pro Golf Tour, Grande Dunes Pro-Celebrity Classic, National Father and Son Team Classic, PGA Tour Superstore World Amateur Handicap Classic, and the Hilton Head Island Celebrity Golf Tournament. In 2012 the state will host the PGA Championship.

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