The State Park provides opportunities for Hiking, Lodging, Camping, Fishing, Swimming and Picnicking. Myrtle Beach Hotels and Ocean-front Condos get booked throughout the summer and it can be expensive. Whereas, you could easily make reservations for camping and have fun at Myrtle Beach State Park. The Park is located right next to Myrtle Beach Airport and you get to enjoy the view of planes. You can hike the many trails through the woodlands or swim at the beach or try your luck at fishing. Horse Back Riding and Biking is also popular the park.

The State Park is open to the public all days of the week. There is an entrance fee of $5 per adult. you can reserve Picnic Shelters at the park. The Park has Changing Rooms and Rest Rooms. We visited Myrtle Beach Day Park one afternoon but we stayed at an Ocean-Front Condo in North Myrtle Beach.

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1. North Myrtle Beach
2. South Carolina Beaches
3. Hanging Rock State Park

The Beaches of South Carolina are very popular and large crowds can be soon on the beach during Holiday Weekends. Myrtle Beach is the place to hang out with family and friends. North Myrtle Beach is less touristy and you can find beautiful villas and condos for rent. Calabash, the Seafood Capital of the South is very close to North Myrtle Beach. You must try some of the yummy Seafood Buffets over there. Here are some photos of North Myrtle Beach.

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2. Brunswick Plantation and Golf resort
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Though the park is relatively small, it has both land and water rides to thrill people of all age groups. It remains a popular theme park in Carolinas and can be crowded in summers. For all those who stay in Charlotte and Fort Mill areas, the park is convenient for a day trip.The tickets are expensive but the Season Passes are a real deal. Food is not allowed inside the park but you can go outside for Lunch and re-enter the park. Many people pack picnic lunches and come out of the park to have it. Like any other Theme park, the food is really expensive inside the park.

We visited Carowinds during our first year in Charlotte. We had taken season passes and hence visited the park couple of times. We enjoyed the thrilling Roller Coasters like Afterburn, Carolina Cobra, Vortex and Nighthawk. The Water Rides weren’t impressive but the Wave Pool and Lazy River were good enough. Here are a few photos from our trip.

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Beaches of South Carolina

South Carolina is bordered by Atlantic Ocean on its east. The climate is humid and sub tropical. The major cities of South Carolina are Charleston, Greenville and Columbia. South Carolina’s beaches are among the finest in the US. The Coasts of South Carolina are classified from North To South as follows:-

1. Myrtle Beach and The Grand Strand
2. Historic Charleston
3. Low Country & Resort Islands

Myrtle Beach and The Grand Strand Beaches
The Grand Strand is home to an array of tourist attractions, and the area receives a large influx of visitors during the spring, summer and fall months, and “snowbirds” in the winter. It spans 60 miles of white sand beaches. The area’s attractions include its beaches and many golf courses, as well as a number of amusement parks, an aquarium, many restaurants and shopping complexes.

1. Garden City Beach – has access to both Ocean and inlet. It is great for fishing crabbing and water sports. The majority of vacationers stay in beach houses or condos, and the community offers a marina, amusements, restaurants, a fishing pier
   
2. Litchfield Beach - quiet and reserved when compared to Myrtle Beach. It has world class golf courses.
   
3. Little River – It is a unique town offering slightly slower pace than rest of the Grand Strand.
4. Murrells Inlet - historic fishing village and is known as the “Seafood Capital of South Carolina”. Murrells Inlet offers many recreational activities in a breathtaking inlet setting, including deep sea fishing charters, boat tours, individual boat rentals, scuba diving, kayaking, parasailing and jet skiing.
   
5. Myrtle Beach - The Hub of the Grand Strand and the Golf Capital of USA with over 250 golf courses.
   
6. North Myrtle Beach
7. Pawleys Island – heavily developed with 4 miles of beach and has classic style beach homes available for rental.
   
8. Surfside Beach – lovely residential community and thriving vacation destination. There are beach houses, condos, restaurants and a fishing pier along the ocean front.
   

Charleston

The Historic city of Charleston has lot of charm and beauty. It is well known for it’s tranquil beaches

1. Folly Beach – closest beach to Charleston and is a great place with a Fishing Pier and Light House.
2. Isle of Palms – Wild Dunes Resort is on the northern tip of the Island. Rest of the island is accessible to public and there are many sea side hotels and vacation rentals.
3. Kiawah Island – Kiawah Island is a beach and golf resort located on a barrier island. It is a major tourist site and has expensive villas, premier golf courses and beautiful beaches.
4. Seabrook Island - Private Beach and is accessible by Island Resorts.
   
5. Bull Island – It is part of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. It is accessible by Passenger Ferry.

Lowcountry Beaches

Lowcountry is located along the southern most region of Coastal South Carolina. It also includes the Sea Islands of South Carolina. Sea Island are barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean. The evolution of the modern day resort community was pioneered at Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island in the 1950s. The area is well known for golf, tennis and beach vacations.

1. Edisto Island – Edisto Island is home to Edisto Beach, and Wyndham Timeshare resorts.
2. Hilton Head Island – 12 miles of beach with many private resorts and public access to beaches.
   
3. Hunting Island - 4 miles of beachfront along the Atlantic. It is the most visited State park in SC. Accommodations are available for Recreational Vehicles and Tent Campers.
   
4. Fripp Island – 3 miles of beach front along Atlantic. It is relatively uncrowded in comparison to Hilton Head Island. It is a private, gated community.
   

Beach State Parks

There are 4 State Parks in South Carolina that are ocean front.

1. Edisto Beach State park
2. Hunting Island State Park
3. Huntington Beach State Park
4. Myrtle Beach State Park

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1. Beautiful Places in South Carolina
2. Myrtle Beach State Park
3. North Carolina Beaches

Beautiful Places in South Carolina

The Blue Ridge Mountains situated in the north western region of South Carolina, has the highest elevation in the state. Sassafras Mountain, South Carolina’s highest point at 3560 feet is located in this region. The Cherokee Parkway is a scenic driving route through the Foothills area. The Chattooga River, located on the border between South Carolina and Georgia, is a favorite whitewater rafting destination.

These are some of the beautiful places in South Carolina:

1. Cypress Gardens
2. BrookGreen Gardens
   
3. Patriot’s Point Naval and Maritime Museum
4. Fort Sumter Cruise
   
5. Isle of Palms Beach
6. Carowinds Theme Park
7. South Carolina Aquarium
8. Myrtle Beach
9. North Myrtle Beach
10. Hilton Head Island
11. Kiawah Island
12. Edisto Island
13. Fripp Island
14. Seabrook Island
15. Folly Beach
16. Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway
17. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
18. Boone Hall Plantation

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1. South Carolina Beaches
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Historic Charleston, South Carolina

The major tourist destinations in and around Charleston are:-

1. Mount Pleasant – Home to Patriot’s Point Naval and Maritime Museum and Fort Sumter Cruise
2. Isle of Palms – beautiful barrier island with warm beaches. It is less crowded compared to other neighboring beaches.
3. Folly Beach – Folly Beach County park has dressing rooms and showers. There is also a nice public fishing pier.
4. Sullivan’s Island – home to Fort Moultrie, and Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse. It’s mostly residential with very few public accesses.
5. Kiawah Island – Barrier island with a semi tropical climate. Most of the beach is privately owned by Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Beachwalker County Park is a public access beach located on Kiawah Island.
6. Cypress Gardens – beautiful Black Water Swamp, aquarium and gardens.
7. Magnolia Plantation & Gardens
8. South Carolina Aquarium
9. Audobon Swamp Garden

If you are planning to visit Charleston, you need to stay for at least 2-3 days to enjoy the coastal city.

We spent 2 days during our trip to Charleston. On the first day, we visited Mount Pleasant. We spent the entire day visiting Fort Sumter, USS Yorktown and Submarine USS Clamagore and we still didn’t get time to view a few of the other attractions at the Naval and Maritime Museum. We stayed at a beach front hotel called “Sea Side Inn” on Isle of Palms Beach. We spent the next morning at the beautiful beach. By afternoon, we headed to Cypress Gardens and enjoyed the gardens for half a day. Check out the photos taken during our Charleston trip.

On our next trip, we plan to visit Folly Beach, Kiawah Island and Magnolia Plantations

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1. Beautiful Places in South Carolina
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In 1931, Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington founded Brookgreen Gardens, a non-profit garden museum, to preserve the native flora and fauna and display objects of art within that natural setting. Once a rice plantation, today, Brookgreen Gardens is a National Historic Landmark with the most significant collection of figurative sculpture in an outdoor setting by American artists in the world and has the only zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on the coast of the Carolinas.

It is open seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. through 5 p.m. The admission fee is $12 for adults. Admission tickets are valid for seven consecutive days.

These are some of the interesting things to do at Brookgreen:-

1. Brookgreen Gardens, the first public sculpture garden in America, has in its collection more than 1,200 works by 350 sculptors.
2. The Low Country Zoo is home to native animals that live in the woods, swamps and waters of the Low Country. You get to see Alligators, Bald Eagles, River Otters, Red Foxes, Owls, Deers and more.
3. The Cypress Aviary is the only known aviary built over an existing cypress swamp where you can stroll through on an elevated boardwalk and observe the birds feeding and flying in this natural setting.
4. The Oaks Plantation History and Nature Trail is a self-guided walking trail through the woods. Visitors can see the archeological site of the former plantation house, the foundation of the spring house, Alston family cemetery, and the slave village.
5. Low Country Excursions have Cruises on a 48-foot pontoon boat along rice fields now home to alligators and waterfowls.

We had only 1 day to visit Brookgreen Gardens but you actually need atleast 2 days to absorb the beauty of these majestic gardens. We were able to cover most of the gardens and the zoo but couldn’t go for the Cruise and History Trail. So if you are visiting Brookgreen gardens, make sure to plan ahead and visit for at least 2 days.

Visit the Website of Brookgreen for more information.

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1. Cypress Gardens, South Carolina
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1. The primary departure site is from the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center located in downtown Charleston.
2. The secondary departure site is located at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant.

The cruise from Mount Pleasant to Fort Sumter is a relaxing 30 minute cruise through Charleston’s historic harbor. The 2 hours and 15 minute tour is fully narrated and explains many points of interest and historic significance. You will learn about the major events which led to the outbreak of America’s most bloody civil war. At Fort Sumter National Park, there is a museum with fascinating exhibits and a small gift shop where you get to spend 1 hour. After one hour at the Fort, you will cruise back to port, enjoying panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and Charleston’s bustling harbor.

The Tour Rate is $16 for adults.

Visit the website of Fort Sumter Tours for more details.

Here is the gallery view of photos.

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Patriots Point, Charleston is home to the legendary Aircraft Carrier USS Yorktown. It also features other ships like Destroyer USS Laffey, Coast Guard Cutter Ingham and submarine USS Clamagore. USS YorkTown’s hangar deck and flight deck features many fighter aircrafts. The admission fee is $16 for adults and $8 for children.

Fort Sumter Cruise also starts from Patriot’s Point. So be sure to cover both Fort Sumter and Naval Maritime Museum during your trip.

You need an entire day to cover all the attractions. So it’s better to start early and stay as long as you can. We reached Patriot’s Point around 11 am and we covered USS Yorktown and USS Clamagore after our visit to Fort Sumter. This was a truly amazing experience for all of us. It was the first time I was seeing an Aircraft Carrier and it was truly remarkable. This was the best place we visited in Charleston, South Carolina.

Visit the official website for more information.

Here are some photos from our trip.

Here is the Gallery View of all Photos.

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1. Fort Sumter Cruise
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Cypress Garden was the areas largest rice plantation, once upon a time. Now it has been converted to a beautiful garden. The black water swamp and cypress trees offer breath taking views. Cypress Gardens is composed of approximately 80 acres of open swamp. Movies like ‘The Patriot’ and ‘The Notebook’ have been filmed here. The admission price is $10 for adults.

There are boat rides through the black water swamp. Guided boat rides cost $5 and the self guided boat rides are free. We were lucky enough to spot wild turtles and alligators in the swamp, during our boat ride. There are many beautiful trails around the swamp and you can often catch a glimpse of wild life.

Cypress Gardens Butterfly House is open year around and features various species of butterflies, turtles and birds. The Freshwater aquarium at Cypress Gardens features the fish, reptiles and amphibians found at the swamp. The Reptile Center features many native venomous and non-venomous snakes. There is also and exotic Bird Aviary.

Visit the official website for more details.

Here are some photos from our Trip.

Here is the Gallery View of all Photos.

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3. South Carolina Beaches