Delightfully Surprising Detours

Whether you're savoring the slow pace of a small town or answering the call of the open road, revel in these treasures that captivate the curious traveler.

Unconventional Stops

Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden is the work of a self-taught artist who transformed his Bishopville backyard into a living gallery of trees and shrubs whimsically trimmed to look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

Uncover Blackville's local legend: God’s Acre Healing Springs, where visitors can sip natural spring waters believed to have healing powers. Or reflect in the peaceful gardens of an active Trappist monastery, Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner.

Stumphouse Tunnel in Walhalla is literally cool—it stays 50 degrees year-round. Within the same park, splash at the base of Issaqueena Falls, easy to get to via a short trail. In fall, gather at nearby Caesars Head State Park in Cleveland to witness the hawk migration.

Hawking seashells and shark teeth, with photo ops with a Yeti and even Elvis, Myrtle Beach’s Gay Dolphin Gift Cove is part gift shop, part museum and entirely one of a kind.

Ernest Lee, better known as “The Chicken Man,” welcomes visitors to his roadside studio in Columbia, where his folk art bursts with color and Southern humor.

For a touch of magic, Hidden Pasture Unicorn Farm in Fountain Inn brings fairy tales to life with its enchanting animals.

Festivals with Local Flair

Warm up with the World Grits Festival, an elevation of the humble breakfast staple held each April in St. George. 

May’s WHAM! celebrates Walterboro’s history, art and music (W-H-A-M, get it?) with everything from a sweetgrass-basket workshop to colonial dancing.

Farms and markets across the state welcome visitors each May and June as part of the South Carolina Ag + Art Tour for an in-person look at fresh produce and the works of local artisans.

Greenwood becomes a photographer’s dream each June, when topiaries of multicolored animals, fun photo ops and even a Jeep Wrangler made entirely of plants line the town as part of the South Carolina Festival of Flowers.

Seed spitting is the skill du jour at July’s Pageland Watermelon Festival, when the state’s sweetest summer fruit takes center stage.

Come September, the Hold My Tea bar crawl is part of the Sweet Tea Festival in Summerville, the self-proclaimed birthplace of sweet tea.

In October, Georgetown’s Wooden Boat Show showcases the classic craft with boat-building and a youth sailing regatta, while smoky, spicy aromas fill Loris' streets during the Loris Bog-Off Festival, a tribute to chicken bog—a one-pot chicken and rice stew—that, of course, includes a cook-off. 

November’s SC Pecan Music & Food Festival in Florence offers a feast for the senses with pecan-inspired dishes and brews.

And cultural traditions shine through music and storytelling during A Gullah Christmas Concert in Mount Pleasant.

Remarkable Places to Rest Your Head

Imagine arriving at your accommodations not by car, but by canoe or kayak. Welcome to Carolina Heritage Outfitters, where treehouses crafted from local lumber rise above the blackwater Edisto River, just out of sight of one another.

Yurts dot the wooded landscape of Wildwater Chattooga in Long Creek. Travel down to the rushing river for a whitewater rafting trip, or get your kicks by flying through the zip-lining canopy above.

And in Travelers Rest, Field Trip Glamping's wooden A-frames—with air conditioning and real beds complete with throw pillows—appeal to those who like the idea of camping but can’t live without the comforts of home.

In Spartanburg, step back in time as you step into the bright-red caboose—light, airy and restored to its 1947 glory—at Clevedale Historic Inn & Gardens, the scents of wisteria and jasmine wafting in from outside. In the morning, get a mouthwatering whiff of home cooking for breakfast; B&B owner Pontheolla Abernathy says her favorite dish to serve is goat-cheese grits with shrimp.

Sip coffee with a side of livestock on the patio at Blu Grace Farm in Marion, where a converted “barndo” is set between pastures home to horses, Highland cows, alpacas and other farm animals just waiting to be petted.