Vacation Fun in South Carolina

I gave you ideas about fun places to visit in North Carolina, where I spent most of my childhood. As great as that state is, I would be remiss if I didn't give equal time to its neighbor to the south. South Carolina, the Palmetto State, has no shortage of places to visit for a great getaway. I will say that a lot of the 'beach' attractions are only open in the summer, but that doesn't mean that there's still not a lot of fun to go around. Here is just a few of the many things that can draw a vacationer to South Carolina.

One place that is a lot of fun to visit is Hilton Head Island. It's very close to the border with Georgia-Savannah is only five miles down the road. I went there on a business trip once for five days and found it to be very 'tourist-friendly'. To give you an idea about how beautiful the beaches are and how many cute and 'kitschy' places the island has, we stayed an extra day just so we could take some time to tour the place! Since we had a six-hour drive home and had to be at work the next day, that's definitely saying something! One hint-stay on the mainland and drive over the bridge to the island. Hilton Head is a beautiful place, but the prices are definitely not! Trust me, you will save a lot of money this way.

There is absolutely no way I could give a decent 'vacation guide' to South Carolina without mentioning Myrtle Beach. In addition to beautiful beaches, it has several theme parks and attractions for all ages. For racing fans, there's the NASCAR Speed park. For music fans, there is the Carolina Opry. The Christmas show there is excellent! For people who like amusement parks, there's the Family Kingdom Amusement Park, as well as the Oceanfront Water Park. It's been a long time since I have been to either of these two parks, but I can say that they have rides and amusements for everyone in the family. I especially like the World's Largest Ferris Wheel because it has a breathtaking view of the ocean! It's only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, though.

If you go to Myrtle Beach, you absolutely must stop at Broadway At The Beach! It's a huge (350 acres!) district with shopping, music, restaurants, night clubs, water parks...you name it. The NASCAR Speed Park I mentioned above is part of it, and there's also Ripley's Aquarium and an IMAX 3D Theatre. There are over 125 stores, many of them specialty shops you won't find anywhere else. If you've ever wanted to visit a Hard Rock Cafe or Planet Hollywood, you can do that too.

If you're into history and arts, you should definitely visit Charleston. The Daughters of the Confederacy museum features pretty much everything Civil War-old flags, swords, uniforms, cannons, you name it. The main building was actually a recruiting station, so it makes sense that all of these things would wind up here for everyone to see. There are also a lot of open-air markets and restaurants, and you can even take a guided walking tour of the historic district. It's definitely worth visiting.

As you can see, South Carolina has attractions for everyone in the family. These are just a few of my favorites, so check out http://www.discoversouthcarolina.com/ for more information.