Smith's Revolutionary Retreat

Begin your visit to Camden at the Revolutionary War Visitor Center, where exhibits and an introductory video highlight South Carolina’s part in the Southern Campaign. Located next to the Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site, the center features an Exhibit Hall with original artifacts and replicas, an Assembly Building for educational programs and a brick Market Building inspired by an 18th-century open-air market.

After your visit, enjoy lunch on Broad Street. The Loopy Lemon Cafe offers Mediterranean-inspired sandwiches, wraps and salads, with outdoor seating when the weather permits.

After lunch, visit Books on Broad & Coffee, an independent bookstore and cafe serving coffee drinks, smoothies and baked goods, then spend your afternoon exploring Camden’s “Antique Street.” One of the most recognizable stops along Broad Street is Camden Antiques Market, which has been in operation for over 30 years and features unique items such as furniture, art and collectibles. Nearby, Menagerie Antiques & Collectibles hosts over 20 vendors selling vintage and nostalgic items, including jewelry, silver and porcelain. Just off Broad Street in Dusty Bend, AAA Pickers offers a diverse selection of antiques and treasures. Broad Street also features other specialty shops, including independent bookstores with large vintage collections.

When it’s time for dinner, Camden’s dining scene doesn’t disappoint. Sam Kendall’s serves American cuisine, with a menu featuring steaks, seafood, salads and pasta. Another option is B. Colson’s, a polished-casual restaurant featuring steaks, seafood and a wide selection of bourbons, with signature dishes such as the Lord Camden Ribeye and Quaker Shrimp and Grits. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends.

Begin the day with breakfast at Eggs Up Grill, where omelets, eggs Benedict and shrimp and grits are popular choices, or try classic country breakfasts like steak and eggs, biscuits and gravy, and cheese grits at the Country Kitchen.

After breakfast, return to the Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site, for a deeper exploration of Camden’s Revolutionary War history. This 107-acre outdoor museum features reconstructed log cabins with exhibits, the restored 1785 Craven House, McCaa’s Tavern and the reconstructed Kershaw-Cornwallis House, which served as Lord Cornwallis’ headquarters during the 1780 – 1781 Southern Campaigns. Preserved earthworks, open fields and shaded paths allow visitors to move through the site at a steady pace and take in the surrounding landscape.

If available during your visit, stop by the blacksmith shed, where forge demonstrations are sometimes offered as part of living-history programming. If your trip falls in early November, Revolutionary War Field Days or the Battle of Camden Reenactment add another layer to the experience, with reenactors, period craftsmen, military camps and battle demonstrations.

For lunch, visit Camden House of Pizza for Italian and Greek dishes in a relaxed downtown setting, or choose La Fiesta, a family-owned Mexican restaurant famous for its large portions.

After lunch, explore the Camden Archives and Museum, where artifacts are displayed in elegant wood-and-glass cases, such as 17th-century Bibles and a Civil War-era company headquarters flag. The museum also showcases the original town clockworks, dating from around 1825, making it one of the oldest working clock mechanisms in the country.

The Camden Archives is among the top genealogical resources in the state. For those researching South Carolina ancestry, the archives' books, microfilm, records and helpful staff can help uncover your family's history.

Several significant Revolutionary War sites are within driving distance of Camden, allowing visitors to choose nearby destinations based on interest and available time. Before heading out of town, stop by Groucho’s Deli to pick up sandwiches and subs for the drive.

One option is to head toward Lake Marion to visit Eutaw Springs Battleground Park, the site of the last major Revolutionary War battle in South Carolina. Set in a quiet, tree-shaded landscape near the lake, the park marks the end of British occupation in the state.

Nearby, Francis Marion’s Tomb sits on the grounds of Belle Isle Plantation and is the final resting place of General Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox,” whose leadership and tactics were central to the war in the Lowcountry. On the drive back to Camden, Sumter makes a convenient stop for dinner, with options ranging from barbecue and bourbon at Sidebar to Southern cooking with a Cajun twist at Simply Southern Bistro.

Travelers interested in the Upstate’s role in the Southern Campaign may prefer a northern route. Historic Brattonsville preserves a 775-acre landscape with more than 30 historic structures and interprets a Patriot victory that helped revive morale late in the war. Continue to the Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site, where interpretive signage and trails explain how an outnumbered Patriot militia defeated Loyalist forces. Farther west, Ninety Six National Historic Site protects one of the best-preserved 18th-century star forts in the country and illustrates the strategic importance of the Southern backcountry. On the way back to Camden, towns such as Newberry, Elgin and Columbia, South Carolina’s capital city, offer plenty of opportunities to stop for dinner.

Spend the day exploring Revolutionary War sites around Camden, where preserved landscapes help you visualize the war's events. Start at the Camden Battlefield, the site of the August 1780 Battle of Camden. Informative signs and walking trails explain troop movements, command decisions and the battle's outcome, a major defeat for the Continental forces. Despite this setback, the battle prompted changes in leadership and strategy that influenced the rest of the Southern Campaign.

Proceed from the battlefield to the nearby Longleaf Pine Preserve, where restored longleaf pine savannas protect the historic environment and preserve the landscape's 18th-century character. Walking trails within the preserve offer a peaceful space for reflection on how terrain, vegetation and open ground shaped military strategies.

If time permits, consider exploring additional Revolutionary-era sites in the Camden area. The Battle of Hobkirk’s Hill was a significant 1781 engagement that followed the Battle of Camden, illustrating shifting momentum in the Southern Campaign. Nearby, the Battle of Boykin’s Mill was the final major Revolutionary War battle fought in South Carolina and underscores the importance of militia forces late in the conflict.

Other nearby stops, such as the Bonds Conway House, offer insights into life beyond the battlefield, while the Historic Robert Mills Courthouse highlights Camden’s ongoing significance in the state’s early history. The Quaker Cemetery and the African American Cultural Center of Camden offer further insight into the people and communities that shaped the area’s history.

For dinner, consider a short drive to Mill Pond Steakhouse, where rustic mill buildings overlook Boykin Pond. The setting feels tucked away, with views of the water and surrounding wildlife, and the menu centers on aged steaks alongside Lowcountry classics like shrimp and grits made with local stone-ground grits.

If you’d rather stay in town and are looking for something more lively, Salud Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Lounge offers a fun downtown option on Broad Street. The dining room blends the feel of an open-air café with the energy of a bistro, serving Mexican dishes in a space filled with colorful folk art and warm lighting.