South Carolina, off the beaten path

Thanks for the all posts on the Georgia, off the beaten path topic. Much appreciated.

My continuing travels take me further up the Atlantic coast of America into South Carolina. Keeping in mind I prefer to always take the scenic route, like nature, old style culture & architecture, plus authentic local cuisine, what places along the coast would you recommend?

Aside from that, what are some of the highlights of South Carolina? National parks? Amazing viewpoints? Landscape Photography? Neighbourhoods?

Thx again

Take SC Highway 17 up the coast. Beaufort, Charleston, McClellanville, Georgetown are all very pretty coastal towns.

Further up, Little River right on the NC/SC border. Once you drive into North Carolina on Highway 17, turn and to out to Southport. From there take the ferry to Ft. Fisher and Carolina Beach.

Come visit us in the foothills and work your way to the mountains. The azeleas are blooming now.

Beaufort and McClellanville are wonderful. While in Beaufort, don't miss Hunting Island State Park.

Check out the ruins of Old Sheldon Church. It was burned during both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Very cool spot especially if you're a photographer. The lighting can be very dramatic. Wear lots of bug spray!

It's on Old Sheldon Church Road(!) out of Yemassee SC, off US 17.

South Carolina is one of those places that is great at both ends and not all that great in the middle.

The coast trip on US (not SC) 17 is very scenic and a most pleasant drive except near Myrtle Beach, which is seriously tacky. If you are from Europe or like kitsch, you may find it fun, as many people do Las Vegas, just because there isn't much like it in Europe.

The other great part of the state is the foothills. The foothills, by the way, are the foothills of the Blue Ridge and ultimately Smoky Mountains and the views can be beautiful on a clear day.

Highway 11 runs from the Georgia border to the NC border and is designated a scenic highway. In fact it isn't very scenic itself, but it gives good access to many scenic roads and features in South Carolina and bordering parts of North Carolina and there is very little traffic.

Greenville, just below Highway 11, is an up-and-coming city with lots of restaurants, cafes, etc in a very busy and active downtown. It would make a good overnight.

Ackislander, if you had actually ever been to Myrtle Beach you'd know that there is only a very small area that is tacky.

sandy, the drive through Myrtle Beach can be lovely but depending upon traffic, you might want to head on Highway 31 from Socastee to Little River.

Gortravel writes: "Ackislander, if you had actually ever been to Myrtle Beach you'd know that there is only a very small area that is tacky."

That must be the part I saw.