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    South Carolina

    United States

    South Carolina

    Region

    South Carolina is the small coastal state between North Carolina and Georgia, and for travelers, almost everything revolves around the Lowcountry: flat marshlands, islands with oak-lined avenues, and cities where the history of the South…

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    7. South Carolina
    South Carolina is the small coastal state between North Carolina and Georgia, and for travelers, almost everything revolves around the Lowcountry: flat marshlands, islands with oak-lined avenues, and cities where the history of the South is visible at every turn. You come for Charleston, for the Atlantic beaches, and for one of the USA's most unusual national parks.The capital, Columbia, is located inland; right next to it, Congaree National Park protects the largest contiguous tract of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern USA. Along the coast, diverse destinations await: in the north, the Grand Strand around Myrtle Beach with approx. 60 miles of beach; in the south, Hilton Head Island with bike paths and golf courses; and in between, Beaufort, where a national park tells the story of the Reconstruction era after the Civil War.The state's history is closely tied to rice cultivation and slavery. Many plantations and museums now address this openly, and especially in the Lowcountry, it's worth choosing tours that focus on the lives of enslaved people.

    More places in South Carolina

    Charleston

    Charleston

    Charleston, on South Carolina's Atlantic coast, is one of the USA's best-preserved historic cities. You'll be drawn by its pastel-colored housefronts, cobblestone alleyways, Lowcountry cuisine, and a history that stretches from the wealth of rice plantations to the first shots of the Civil War.The historic core lies on a peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. From its southern tip, The Battery, you gaze across the harbor to Fort Sumter. Beyond the city, gardens and plantations await along the Ashley River, along with the immense Angel Oak on Johns Island, and beaches like Folly Beach.Charleston was one of the most significant ports of the transatlantic slave trade. The International African American Museum and the Old Slave Mart Museum tell this story directly in the city, and many plantations now also explore the lives of the enslaved.

    Sights in South Carolina

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Congaree National Park
    National Park

    Congaree National Park

    The national park southeast of Columbia protects the largest continuous stand of old-growth bottomland forest in the southeastern USA. On the Boardwalk Trail, you walk dry-footed through the forest; on Cedar Creek, you paddle among cypress trees.
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    Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade
    Attraction

    Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade

    A 1.2-mile boardwalk between the 14th Avenue Pier and the 2nd Avenue Pier, in the middle of the Grand Strand with its 60 miles of coast. Most striking is the 187-foot SkyWheel.
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    Harbour Town Lighthouse
    Museum

    Harbour Town Lighthouse

    Hilton Head Island's landmark is the 90-foot-high, red-and-white 1970 lighthouse in Sea Pines Resort. The island is known for over 12 miles of beach and a dense network of bike and walking paths.
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    Arrival and On the Go

    AirportsFor the coast, Charleston International (CHS) in North Charleston is the main airport. Columbia (CAE) is suitable for Congaree National Park, Myrtle Beach (MYR) for the Grand Strand. Hilton Head is most easily accessed via Savannah/Hilton Head Airport (SAV) in neighboring Georgia.Train and BusAmtrak’s Palmetto and Silver Meteor stop in North Charleston on the route between New York and Florida. However, for excursions outside the cities, public transport offers limited options.CarA rental car is practically indispensable for a road trip through South Carolina. Interstate 26 connects Columbia with Charleston; I-95 crosses the state from north to south. Along the coast, US Highway 17 is the classic route between Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Beaufort.

    Round trips through this region

    The South: Charleston, Savannah and New Orleans

    The route begins in Charleston, proceeds along the coast to Savannah, then cuts across the South to the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans. The stretch from Savannah to New Orleans is long; split it with an overnight stay on the Gulf Coast, or take a domestic flight and avoid the one-way rental fee. Fort Sumter off Charleston, where the Civil War began, is accessible only by boat. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th, and summer is also hot and humid; spring and autumn are the most pleasant travel times.

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    Charleston

    Charleston

    Charleston, on South Carolina's Atlantic coast, is one of the USA's best-preserved historic cities. You'll be drawn by its pastel-colored housefronts, cobblestone alleyways, Lowcountry cuisine, and a history that stretches from the wealth of rice plantations to the first shots of the Civil War.The historic core lies on a peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. From its southern tip, The Battery, you gaze across the harbor to Fort Sumter. Beyond the city, gardens and plantations await along the Ashley River, along with the immense Angel Oak on Johns Island, and beaches like Folly Beach.Charleston was one of the most significant ports of the transatlantic slave trade. The International African American Museum and the Old Slave Mart Museum tell this story directly in the city, and many plantations now also explore the lives of the enslaved.
    Savannah

    Savannah

    Savannah, on the Savannah River, just before its mouth into the Atlantic and directly on the border with South Carolina, is Georgia's oldest city. You come for its 22 shady squares under oaks draped with Spanish moss, its 19th-century mansions, and an Old Town you can easily explore on foot.Its street grid with its squares dates back to city founder James Oglethorpe and remains intact today. To the south of the Historic District lies Forsyth Park with its famous fountain; to the north, River Street with old cotton warehouses by the river. On the city's outskirts, Bonaventure Cemetery and the oak alley of Wormsloe await.Like Charleston, Savannah was built on the riches of slave labor. At the Owens-Thomas House and in Wormsloe, you can learn how enslaved people lived in the city and on plantations.
    Georgia

    Georgia

    Georgia in the southeastern USA connects the metropolis of Atlanta with a tranquil Atlantic coast full of marshland and barrier islands. You travel here for Savannah, for the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta, and for nature not typically expected in the Southeast: the Okefenokee Swamp and undeveloped islands like Cumberland Island.In Atlanta, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park commemorates the USA's most famous civil rights leader, who was born and preached here. Along the coast, historical sites and nature alternate: Jekyll Island was a hunting ground for the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts in the late 19th century and is now a State Park, while on Cumberland Island, wild horses roam the dunes. In the southeast of the state lies the Okefenokee, a vast wetland and source of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers.Georgia was one of the 13 founding colonies and later part of the Confederacy. The traces of slavery, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement still shape many places you visit today.
    Orlando

    Orlando

    Orlando lies in the heart of Florida, 80 km from the Atlantic coast, and is the capital of theme parks: Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando with its Epic Universe opening in 2025, and SeaWorld are all located in the south and southwest of the city. You come for the rollercoasters, themed worlds, and shows, but the city itself offers more than many expect, with lakes, parks, and a good restaurant scene.Plan a full day for each of the major parks, and in between, take time for the real Orlando: a stroll around Lake Eola in Downtown, dinner at one of the Vietnamese restaurants on Colonial Drive, or an afternoon in Winter Park with a boat tour across the lakes and the Tiffany glass at the Morse Museum.Orlando is also ideal as a base for excursions: The Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral is about 80 km east, and the Brightline train takes you to Miami in about three hours.
    Washington, D.C.

    Washington, D.C.

    Washington, D.C. is the capital of the USA and is located on the Potomac between Maryland and Virginia. You travel here for the government buildings, memorials, and the Smithsonian Institution museums, which offer free admission.The National Mall stretches for about 3 kilometers from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. Among the attractions located along it are the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016. The Washington Monument rises more than 169 meters. At the Tidal Basin, cherry trees, a gift from Japan in 1912, bloom in spring.The Metro, with six lines and 98 stations, also stops at Reagan National Airport. Summers are hot and humid; spring and autumn are more pleasant.