Discover the Revolutionary War with a Day Trip to Georgetown from Myrtle Beach, SC

Myrtle Beach is known as a popular East Coast vacation destination with long beaches, exciting entertainment and famous local seafood. But did you know it’s just an hour from a city occupied by the British during the Revolutionary War? Find out how you can explore that history with a day trip to Georgetown.

8:30 a.m. – The King’s Highway to Georgetown

The King’s Highway is the oldest road in America, although modern highways have entirely supplanted it. In 1660, King Charles II ordered a wagon road built between Charleston and Boston, the two most vital ports in the colonies. Progress was achingly slow, but by the 1750s, the entire road was in place.

Ironically, that road was vital to America’s independence from Great Britain.

Today, US Highway 17 closely follows the route of the King’s Highway. Take US Highway 17 about an hour south of Myrtle Beach to Georgetown. After driving through the town, you’ll reach Hopsewee Plantation in another fifteen minutes.

10 a.m. – Take Guided Tour at Hopsewee Plantation

In the 1700s, Thomas Lynch Sr. built several plantations along the North Santee River. He built Hopsewee, a two-story house made from black cypress and heart pine, as the family home. In 1749, Thomas Lynch Jr. was born in a corner bedroom on the second floor.

Thomas Lynch Sr. was elected to the Stamp Act Congress, First Continental Congress and Second Continental Congress. But shortly after arriving in Philadelphia, he suffered a severe stroke. His son was quickly elected to take his place. Arriving in Philadelphia, Lynch Jr. became one of four South Carolinians to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Schedule a guided tour of Hopsewee Plantation to learn about the history of the Lynches, their involvement in the American Revolution and the subsequent owner of the plantation who served under Francis Marion in the Patriot militia.

494 Hopsewee Rd, Georgetown, SC | 843-546-07891 

11:30 a.m. - Hampton Plantation State Historic Site

In 1735, Noe Serré built a modest six-room farmhouse on a plantation along the South Santee River. When Daniel Horry married his daughter, Judith, in 1757, he inherited the plantation. Horry added a two-story ballroom, additional bedrooms and a new hipped roof to the house.

When the Revolutionary War came to South Carolina in 1779, Horry was appointed colonel of the South Carolina Light Dragoons. While he was away fighting for independence, his second wife, Harriott Lucas Pinckney, offered her house as a refuge for women and children fleeing Charleston. After Horry’s captured at the Battle of Moncks Corner, he accepted British protection and never returned to the war.

Park rangers offer guided tours of the historic house at noon on the weekends. The 45-minute tour includes the house's history, Harriott’s influence during the Revolutionary War and information on the final owner of the house—South Carolina’s first poet laureate Archibald Rutledge.

1950 Rutledge Rd, McClellanville, SC | 843-546-9361

1:30 p.m. – Visit the Georgetown County Museum

After a half-hour drive back into town, visit the Georgetown County Museum to learn about the Revolutionary War in the region. The museum’s exhibits span the city’s history from the early 1700s to modern times. A special exhibit on the second floor covers Francis Marion’s role in the region and the battles he fought to free Georgetown from British occupation.

120 Broad St, Georgetown, SC | 843-545-7020 

3 p.m. – Take a Guided Tour of the Kaminski House Museum

In the late 1750s, wealthy merchant Paul Trapier Jr. bought two parcels of land on a bluff above Winyah Bay and built a house for his daughter, Elizabeth. As she was unmarried at 22 years old, Trapier feared she would become a spinster, so he provided her with a house. She married in 1778.

During the Revolutionary War, Trapier supplied Patriot forces in Georgetown. His son, Paul Trapier III, was appointed the captain of the Georgetown artillery. In 1777, Trapier III was elected to the Second Continental Congress, but he died before taking his seat. After the Fall of Charleston in May 1780, Trapier Jr. pledged an oath to the British crown to protect his properties.

The guided tours of the historic property focus on the last owners of the home—Harold and Julia Kaminski. Hear stories of Harold’s service in WWII and Julia’s love for Georgetown in a house filled with original furniture and decor.

1003 Front St, Georgetown, SC | 843-546-7706

5 p.m. – Go For a Walk on the Harborwalk

After the house tour, go for a walk on the half-mile Harborwalk. The wooden boardwalk stretches along Winyah Bay with a row of buildings to one side and boats on the other.

At the far end of the Harborwalk, Lafayette Park features a small bust of the Marquis de Lafayette. In 1777, the twenty-year-old Lafayette ignored King Louis’s orders that no French officers could fight in the American Revolution. After landing on North Island with Baron Johann de Kalb, they made their way to Philadelphia and offered their services. In 1781, Lafayette was instrumental in pinning General Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown and bringing the Revolutionary War to an end.

7 p.m. – Get a Local Dinner

Opened in 1984, River Room Restaurant is one of Georgetown’s oldest eateries, serving fresh catch seafood and “land food” with a view of Winyah Bay through the large windows. Buzz’s Roost is another restaurant with outdoor seating on the Harborwalk and the only rooftop seating in town—their menu includes steaks, burgers and sandwiches.

Leave the waterfront behind and head to Root, a casual upscale restaurant where you can order a fine steak or a burger so thick you need a fork and knife to finish it. SoCo Grille is a more low-key eatery with a tiki hut bar and Jimmy Buffet music playing while you browse their menu of burritos, burgers, and crunchy onion rings with white BBQ sauce.