Things to Do in South Carolina

Towering above surrounding Charleston, the nearly 200-foot tall white steeple of St. Michael’s signals the site of the city’s oldest church. Inside, visitors and parishioners are transported back to the colonial era: alcoves shine with Tiffany stained glass windows, the original 1768 organ still pipes tunes and creaky wooden pews have seated centuries of worshipers including notables George Washington and Robert E. Lee. The central chandelier once blazed with candles, but has since been retrofitted with bulbs. Otherwise little altered, the church has survived tornadoes, an earthquake and even civil war bombings. The pulpit still bears battle wounds suffered in the 1865 Siege of Charleston Harbor. A table in the main vestibule along the western wall details the building’s long and storied history.

Choral music still emanates from St Michael’s on Sundays, and, as a still-functioning Episcopal Church, it can be sometimes challenging to tour the inside. Still, the exterior is a highlight of many historic downtown tours. It's still possible to see the old colonial clock— though minute hands weren’t added until the mid-1800s—and tour the adjacent cemetery, the final resting place of, among several other notables, two signers of the US Constitution.

This historical church is home to the oldest religious congregation in South Carolina. The first St. Philips Church was a small wooden structure built in 1681, where St. Michael's Episcopal Church stands today. The church withstood hurricane damage in 1710, was reconstructed, burned to the ground in 1835, and finally rebuilt to the present day church in 1836. Before it burned completely, it was saved from one fire by a slave who was granted his freedom for the act. Notable South Carolinians such as John C. Calhoun are buried in the old cemetery on the grounds.

Architect Joseph Hyde incorporated some design elements from the previous structures as well as adding in new features to the stuccoed brick exterior, such as the three Tuscan porticoes and Corinthian columns. The church’s impressive steeple that towers over Church Street was added over a decade later. Today it is recognized as a National Historic Landmark.

Hard Rock Café Myrtle Beach is home to classic American fare, music memorabilia and plenty of good times in a truly tropical location.

Visitors who venture to this Celebrity Circle staple in the heart of the Broadway Beach shopping complex will find strong drinks, a mouth-watering food menu, live music and more. Personal effects from big name stars decorate the towering walls of this establishment and provide the perfect backdrop to performances by both local and global artists.

Hard Rock Café Myrtle Beach is perfect for families with small children (thanks, in part, to several menus to meet even the pickiest taste buds). And its prime location offers travelers a place to kick back and relax after a long day of shopping or catching some sun at the beach.

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.

At 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long, the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the United States. It connects downtown Charleston to the city of Mount Pleasant and the beaches beyond, plus it provides bike and pedestrian paths that lead to unobstructed views of Charleston Harbor and the city skyline.

Founded in 1681 by an eclectic group of English Congregationalists, Scots Presbyterians, and French Huguenots, the Circular Congregational Church of Charleston is the oldest, continuously-operating house of worship in the United States. The unique meeting hall was designed and built in a circular shape to reflect the spaces’ open and free-flowing exchange of ideas.

Charleston’s historic Aiken-Rhett House offers a rare glimpse into antebellum plantation life in South Carolina. The only surviving urban plantation, the 1818 townhouse complex remains largely intact, its rooms decorated with original wallpaper, fine art, and antique furnishings purchased by the owners more than 150 years ago.

At an elevation of nearly 1,000 feet, Greenville sits on the front doorstep of the Appalachian plateau. Within a 45-minute drive from town, visitors can be flying through the trees on a zipline and splashing through Class III rapids, or kayaking to waterfalls that spill directly into nearby Lake Jocassee. The convenient proximity to adventure, however, isn’t Greenville’s only perk; the city itself has recently emerged as a burgeoning Southern hub, where shopping, dining, and local art all thrive in Greenville’s downtown. Take a stroll or ride a bike on the city’s Swamp Rabbit Trail, a 19-mile, multi-use trail that passes the waterfalls of Greenville’s Falls Park and the iconic Liberty suspension bridge. Escape to the hills of Caesars Head State Park for a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and return for an evening of perusing the shops and restaurants of tree-lined Main Street. Though this upstate town has endured its share of economic unrest, it’s now in the midst of a healthy revival where cycling, shopping, dining, and art are welcome staples of a new economy and new, much improved Greenville.

The 65-acre Middleton Place, a former rice plantation along the Ashley River, has persisted under the guidance of the Middleton family, without changing hands, for more than 320 years. 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, the lavish landscaped gardens (the oldest in the nation), and the stable yards, where staff dressed in period clothing demonstrate weaving, blacksmithing, carpentry, and other trades formerly undertaken by slaves.

As the last large-scale Romantic garden left in the United States, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens seek to provide an escape from the struggles and stresses of everyday life. Unlike a formal garden that seeks to “control” nature, a Romantic garden cooperates with nature to create a peaceful landscape where people and nature exist in harmony. Magnolia’s are also the oldest unrestored gardens in the United States, and the historic house is one of the oldest in the South.

The two-story brick Heyward-Washington House takes its name from its original owner, Thomas Heyward Jr., whose signature appears on the Declaration of Independence, and George Washington, who stayed at the home in 1791. The Georgian-style double house offers a veritable portal into 1700s Charleston.

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.

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.

Located in the beautiful Charleston Harbor, Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is one of Charleston’s most popular museums for hands-on learning. Climb aboard the USS Yorktown (an aircraft carrier), the USS Laffey (a destroyer), and the USS Clamagore (a submarine) as you learn about American naval and maritime history first-hand.