#41 best destination in the world

 

Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, Charleston

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Best time to travel: March-May, Sept-Nov
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Park that features museum exhibits about the disagreements between the North and South that led to the incidents at Fort Sumter, particularly in South Carolina
  • Displays include slavery and the plantation culture, major figures, politics, and how the Confederate Army was formed

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston

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Best time to travel: March-May, Sept-Nov
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Historic house with gardens, and one of the oldest plantations in the South
  • The plantation dates to 1676, and was built in 1738 by enslaved laborers for John Drayton, grandfather of judge John Drayton II
  • Magnolia was originally a rice plantation, with extensive earthworks of dams and dikes built in fields along the river for irrigating land for rice cultivation, created by African enslaved people from rice-growing regions
  • Over time, these enslaved people developed a creolized Gullah language and vibrant culture, strongly influenced by their West African cultures
  • They have retained many combined cultural elements from West Africa to this day in what is known as the Gullah Heritage Corridor

Coligny Beach Park, Hilton Head Island

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Best time to travel: April-May, Sept-Oct
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Part of a larger oceanside park with landscaped walking and biking paths, plus swings and beach-equipment rentals

Boardwalk Loop Trail, Congaree National Park

Best time to travel: March-May
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • National park that preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States
  • The lush trees growing in its floodplain forest are some of the tallest in the eastern United States, forming one of the highest temperate deciduous forest canopies remaining in the world
  • The Congaree River flows through the park

Broadway at the Beach, Myrtle Beach

Best time to travel: June-Aug
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Shopping center and entertainment complex located in Myrtle Beach
  • The attraction is set on 350 acres in the heart of Myrtle Beach and features three theaters, over 20 restaurants and over 100 specialty shops as well as attractions, clubs for the night, and hotels, all surrounding Lake Broadway

Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston

Best time to travel: March-May, Sept-Nov
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Art museum in Charleston, established in 1858, The Gibbes houses a premier collection of over 10,000 works of fine art, principally American works, many with a connection to Charleston or the South
  • The museum also has collected photographs by George LaGrange Cook, including photographs taken after the 1886 Charleston earthquake

Huntington Beach State Park Trail, Huntington Beach State Park

Best time to travel: Sept-Nov
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Coastal preserve and state park, in Georgetown County, that has a large sandy beach, and numerous wild birds to watch over the seasons
  • Other park features include: the jetty, hiking, and nature trails and boardwalks, and a campground