Favorite Places in SC // Carolina Collab with Katie

I've lived in South Carolina all my life. South Carolina is my home. From the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, to the swamps. From the Beaches to the marshes. From the rivers to CCC cabins. From the sandhills to the lakes, South Carolina is my home. In doing the Ultimate Outsider challenge where we visited all 47 of the SC state parks, and became the first family to do so. My mom wrote an entire book on our experiences at these parks! I learned through completing the challenge that their really is more to a state than statistics and stereotypes. The only real way to find out what an area is like is by going their and experiencing it yourself. I'm so glad I was able to get out there and experience the SC state parks myself.. almost 6 times. 

ALL THIS TO SAY..... I love my state! If y'all ever come visit.. there are some places you need to go. And no I don't mean just Charleston and the other cities along the coast. Those aren't all of my favorites. There are so many other places that aren't really major tourist attractions that I love!

This post is a collab with my new friend Katie over at Chic in Carolina! She lives in North Carolina and over on her blog she shared her favorite things in North Carolina... Check out the post here

UPSTATE:

Table Rock State Park- Big into hiking? Up for a challenge? Like Bluegrass music? What about CCC structures? Table Rock is the place for you then! The first Saturday of the month they have a bluegrass event where older folks come to play upstairs, and younger folk downstairs. You have a great view of the rock the whole time. There's a lake for swimming, CCC cabins to stay in, and the rangers and staff are just amazing!

Caesar's Head State Park- The view. You have to go and see this view. It's crazy insane...

via their website

Bantam Chef- The best burgers. I've never tasted any burger that tasted better. And I'm being 100% honest here. So when we walked in for the first time, my Dad asked the lady what types of food they had. "Pretty much everything except spaghetti" she replied. A cup of coffee there is only 25 cents and they have a display room with a Studebaker (1950) and a BMW (1958) and the rest of the room is filled with other fun things from the '50s.

Oconee State Park- I've visited this park many, MANY times, and it never gets old. I posted my Oconee Recap from a visit a couple weeks ago, when my family and I stayed in one of their CCC cabins. With a small lake for fishing, boating (small boats only), and swimming, and many trails for hiking.. this park is easily one of my favorites.

Stumphouse tunnel- Located right next to Isaqueena falls on your way up to Oconee, is an amazing tunnel that is open to the public to walk in and explore a bit. I really liked visiting the tunnel more than the waterfall honestly. But that's probably just because it wasn't much of a challenge to get to the waterfall... I like hiking to them. Everything's fairly accessible.. I've seen strollers make it through Stumphouse. Not the waterfall though. Oh and admission is free.

via TripAdvisor

Palmetto Sweets and Company- My favorite little bakery in the Upstate. Don't let the outside fool you.. it's quite lovely on the inside. Also, their sandwiches are INCREDIBLE.

MIDLANDS

via my instagram

Sonic- The Sonic in Cayce, SC is the only sit-down Sonic I've EVER seen. I just love going to it, and seeing the indoor seating sign.

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The Edventure Children's Museum- Home of the World's largest kid, this museum has been a personal favorite of mine ever since I can remember. I haven't been in ages, but I have so many memories as a little kid here.

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The Horseshoe- USC has such a pretty campus. I live only about half an hour away from the school so that gives plenty of time for a fun afternoon in their little park in the middle of campus, The Horseshoe! Surrounded by brick buildings and brick sidewalks is this little grassy area perfect for studying, frisbee, or just walking around.

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SC State House- I've visited the State House numerous times for various field trips throughout elementary school and middle school. I love walking around the grounds with all the statues and the flowers. One of my favorite places to visit for sure.

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Poinsett State Park- In the midlands, there are some more lake parks, and honestly the sandhills really isn't my favorite place to hike around. But Poinsett State Park is one of my favorites. Like Oconee, they have original CCC cabins and some smaller hiking trails. You can rent a boat to go around the lake or go fishing. The trails are probably my favorite part about this park.

Redcliffe Plantation- I'm a sucker for old homes. Especially old plantation homes... Redcliffe Plantation is a beautiful home (I've posted a photo before on my Instagram). Also the interpretive rangers that give tours are amazing.. Ask any question! They know basically everything. 

COASTAL

The real reason most people come to South Carolina... Charleston, Beaufort, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, Edisto... Places like that. Goodness knows y'all are missing a lot when you're on vacation here in SC. Make sure to look around and broaden your horizons while you're visiting.

Myrtle Beach State Park- We stayed here for Spring break and it was amazing! You can see the ocean (sort of in the distance but not really) from the cabins, and all you have to do to get to the beach is take a super small little trail and BAM the beach is right there. This park always has fun events and classes going on in their Education Center too!

Edisto Beach State Park- by far one of my very favorite places to visit. I love Edisto Island. I love the State Park because it protects all sea turtle nests, and has an incredible nature center so you can learn about all the animal life. It is a CCC park, and they're just the best. We've visited 3 or 4 times and I love it.

Huntington Beach State Park- So close to Myrtle Beach so it's totally worth the visit. Honestly some days I love it better than Myrtle. It's got a huge campground and less tourists tend to visit compared to Myrtle. It's so beautiful and the staff is super friendly. 

Brookgreen Gardens- It's a little pricey to get in.. but just plan on spending all day there and bring more than one camera because you don't want to miss a thing. So many gorgeous flowers and incredible statues are in the gardens. DEFINITELY Worth the vist -- read my post here for photos. There's also a fun zoo to visit and a fairytale playground.

Hunting Island State Park- We're staying at Hunting Island (in the only cabin on property) this Thanksgiving and I'm so excited. Hunting Island has a beautiful lighthouse you can tour, and a beautiful beach area. I love climbing around the old fallen trees that are laying washed up on the beach. Also, we've found a ton of shark teeth here!

Charlestown Landing State Park- At Charlestown Landing you can find some animals that have a bit of historical significance to the area and learn more about Charlestown's history. For sure one of my favorite places, and if you come on the right day.. you might even find some reinactors.

Disney's Hilton Head Island- I love, love, LOVE Hilton Head Island and Disney owns some lovely property on the Island. Beach Access and themed villas. I really enjoy staying in the villas when we visit.

I hope this post has helped you think about more places to visit the next time you're in SC outside of the regular tourist-y attractions. Oh, and be sure to check out Katie's post on Her favorite things in NC!