Sights of South Carolina. Other interesting places

One of the sunniest states in America South Carolina located in the southwestern part of the country on the coast Atlantic Ocean. This state is included in the list of the most visited places in the USA. The main advantage of South Carolina is its endless beaches and many attractions that annually attract thousands of tourists from all over the world.

Almost all coastline state is one large beach area with the purest sand and crystal clear water, divided into separate beaches. The most famous places here are the coasts of the Grand Strand and Myrtle Beach. In addition to the gorgeous beaches, these resort areas can offer their visitors a variety of entertainment centers, several cozy parks for family vacation and golf courses.

For fans excursion holiday, is definitely worth beating in Charleston, one of the oldest cities in America. This city can safely be called the center of US colonial architecture. You can start your acquaintance with the city from the French Quarter - the oldest part of the city. Here you will have the opportunity to visit several art galleries, the Huguenot Church and the Church of St. Philips.
An equally interesting place to visit is Fort Sumter, the symbol of the city. This fort has important historical significance, as this is where the Civil War began. Now there are practically only ruins left on the site of the fort, but throughout its territory there are signs describing what was here and when.

Particular attention in Charleston is worth paying famous bridge Arthur Ravenel. It was built in 2005 and is by far the longest suspension bridge throughout America, with a length of 471 m. This bridge serves not only as a local landmark. The route of the annual USA Track & Field runs through it as well.

There will be something to see in South Carolina for lovers of natural attractions. The most visited place here is considered National Park Congaree, located in the state capital, Columbia. Most of the park is occupied by relict forests, between which several rivers flow. If you wish, you can rent a boat or kayak and go to boat trip through the park. Congaree has a very diverse fauna. Here you can see coyotes, bears, alligators and bobcats in person.
Besides National Park Also worth a visit in the South Carolina capital are the Asheboro Zoological Gardens, Riverbanks Zoo, Huntington Beach Castle and the Fort Johnson Museum.

Very Beautiful places and smiling faces everywhere - we can say that this is not just the motto of one of the warmest states in America, but the daily reality of South Carolina. The state is located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, which in this place is washed by the waters of the warm Gulf Stream. Miles of beaches and exquisite colonial architecture are what millions of tourists come to South Carolina from all over the world. globe. The entire coastline of South Carolina is almost completely suitable for swimming and beach development. The longest line of beaches stretches for almost 100 kilometers.

It almost never snows in the state. Even the minimum temperature in the winter months is rarely below 2 degrees, but if there is precipitation, it is only in the form of hail. The capital of the state is the city of Columbia, and among largest cities such as Rock Hill, Charleston and Spartanburg.

Everyone who arrives in Colombia has the opportunity to visit one of the few remaining areas of relict forest located in the territory east coast America. The park is located literally 30 kilometers from the city; you can get there by car in an hour. The area in Congaree is very swampy, so the entire territory of the park is equipped with a system of wooden platforms on which it is convenient to move. The area of ​​the relict forest contains a large number of rivers, so it is very convenient for tourists to rent a kayak, boat or Indian canoe to explore as many corners as possible virgin nature. Camping is allowed in the park, but be careful - in addition to bears, coyotes, lynxes and snakes, there are many crocodiles in the rivers, which pose a serious danger.

If you want to see a piece of America that existed before the period of global industrialization, then you simply need to visit Charleston. This city is considered the first English settlement in this area, which certainly left its mark on its architectural appearance. In the older part of the city, buildings from the colonial era are well preserved; museums are open and operating in several estates of former planters. Charleston is home to the oldest American museum.

The state capital, Columbia, is quite big city, which has preserved a considerable amount of United States history. The first shootout in the country took place here, which marked the beginning of the civil war. Museums are now open in these places. Colombia, as well as all US cities, has its own zoo - Riverbanks. Animals live in it almost in natural conditions.

To the east lies the Atlantic coast, washed by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.

The southeastern territory of the state is occupied by the Atlantic Lowland, in the northeast the Blue Ridge Appalachians stretch in a long ridge, the northwestern territory of the state is covered with dense impenetrable forests, and the central part is occupied by the huge Piedmont Plateau.

Many rivers flow through the state's lands. Among them are the Sea Islands, Grand Strand and Santee. And in the northwest there are several wonderful lakes - Moultrie, Hartwell, Marion and Strom Thurmond.

The climate in most of the territory is subtropical. Summers are quite hot, there is little precipitation, winters are mild and warm.

Today, South Carolina is a major tourist region in the United States. Every year thousands of tourists come here to soak up the magnificent beaches and admire the luxurious colonial architecture of these places.

State history

Several thousand years ago, the state's lands were inhabited by the Yamasee, Congaree and Kusabo Indians.

In the 16th century, the first European explorers appeared here - the Spaniards and the British. South Carolina, along with North Carolina, became part of the British colony.

In the 17th century, the British king Charles II gave this territory to three English lords. They owned these lands for almost fifty years.

In 1729, South Carolina declared its independence from North Carolina and became an independent British colony. Its lands at this time were inhabited by the Scots, English and Irish. Small farms began to appear on the territory of the colony. Widely developed Agriculture and trade. At this time, plantation slavery actively flourished here.

In 1776, South Carolina was named the eighth American state.

And in 1860, she decided to start fighting for her independence from the United States. Southerners fought fiercely to abolish slavery. This led to the start of the Civil War.

State attractions

One of the most striking attractions in South Carolina is natural Park Congaree, located in the vicinity of Colombia. The territory of the park is occupied by a huge swampy plain covered with dense relict forests. And several small rivers flow through its territory. Tourists have the opportunity to go fishing, arrange a cozy campsite, or take a boat, canoe or kayak trip.

History buffs simply need to visit Charleston. This is a big one old City, in which the spirit of the colonial era still hovers.

The city has preserved great amount unique buildings. Among them are several plantation estates and ancient buildings.

Another city attraction is the long Charleston Bridge, which connects the city with the nearest surrounding suburbs.

The Military Museum of Charleston deserves great attention. Its decoration is the huge aircraft carrier Yorktown, which became famous during the Vietnam War. Tourists have the opportunity to walk along the deck of this legendary ship and appreciate his merits.

When you come to South Carolina, you can't miss Columbia. There is a huge number of historical, cultural and entertainment sites located here.

Children will have incredible fun visiting Riverbanks Zoo. The living conditions of animals on its territory are as close as possible to natural ones.

The magnificent spectacle is old castle Huntington Beach Park. This majestic Gothic building amazes with its elegant architecture. There are numerous greenhouses and flower beds throughout the park.

The next stop on your South Carolina excursion could be the Button Museum. Within its walls are unique collections of various buttons. The decoration of the museum is the legendary Chevrolet, covered with 150 thousand buttons.

Recreation and entertainment

South Carolina - wonderful place For beach holiday. There are a large number of large and small beaches here.

The beaches of Beachwalker, nestled on Kiawah Island, are very popular among tourists.

Here you can soak up the warm golden sand, try surfing or scuba diving, enjoy a game of golf or tennis, take a bike ride through the picturesque city surroundings or have an outdoor picnic.

No less attractive are the beaches of the Grand Strand with its modern developed industry. Tourists enjoy numerous golf courses, excellent tennis courts and incredibly beautiful family parks.

The most best place For surfing, there is Folly Beach.

Perfect for a family holiday would be better suited small resort town Myrtle Beach. Except great beaches, there are several wonderful water parks and zoos on its territory. Throughout the city there are numerous restaurants, snack bars, pastry shops and cafes, as well as cozy hotels and luxury hotels.

South Carolina has several very unusual laws:

  • Before practicing fortune telling, fortune tellers must acquire a special license.
  • On Sundays, all discos in South Carolina are closed.
  • You cannot work on Sundays
  • You cannot draw tattoos on your body.

We headed south on Highway 17. Our route was to Florida. But we simply had to stop in Charleston. Moreover, in this city of southerners, typical for the USA, there is something to see - many interesting places and, in my opinion, it is worth devoting more than one day to it. Although we didn't succeed.

If you enter Charleston from the north on Highway 17, the first attraction is the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, where the main exhibit is the USS Yorktown CV-10. It is one of 24 Essex class aircraft carriers built by the United States. She was launched in April 1943 and took part in combat operations on Pacific Ocean During the Second World War. In addition, he was a participant in the Vietnam War in the mid-60s, and also ensured the landing of the Apollo 8 spacecraft.

Today, only four aircraft carriers of this type remain. All of them, of course, are presented in the form of museums. One is moored at Pier 86 in New York City; another, who participated in the search and delivery to shore of the Apollo 11 crew with Neil Armstrong - near San Francisco; and one more thing that residents and guests of the city of Corpus Christi in Texas can visit. Yorktown dropped anchor in Charleston, among yachts and other US Navy ships.

The length of the ship is 265 meters, width 45 meters. The USS Yorktown can accommodate 103 aircraft. various types- airplanes and helicopters.

Another notable landmark of Charleston is the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, built in 2005.

This is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the United States. Its length is 4000 meters, and its largest span is 471 meters. Until 2011, it was also considered the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America.

Charleston was founded by the British in 1670 and naturally, the European style with its narrow streets is clearly visible in the old part of the city. This is a typical US city of southerners with colonial architecture and big amount palm trees The historic city center is located on a peninsula that overlooks Charleston Harbor (Charleston Harbor). The city has many picturesque streets that are pleasant to stroll along on foot. From tourist center(Charleston Visitor Center), located in the historic part of the city on Meeting Street, begins many bus excursions. In addition to excursions by bus, you can take a ride through the old part of the city on a horse-drawn carriage. This excursion is much more enjoyable if it is not too hot or raining.

An architectural feature of Charleston is that the facades of some houses are very narrow.

This is due to the fact that in the 19th century, Charleston was one of the most prosperous cities in the American South, and the government decided to replenish the treasury by introducing an increased tax on luxury buildings, tying the tax rate to the width of the facade of the house. By building such structures, which are not typical for us, residents simply avoided paying taxes, leaving the usable area of ​​the house unchanged. But this, of course, does not apply to the houses of wealthy colonialists.

Many of them became museums of “liberated life.”

I would like to make a small digression. There is plenty of parking in the city, but finding a parking space near the historical sights of the old part of the city can be difficult. On paid parking lots 30 minutes of parking will cost, if I'm not mistaken, 2 dollars. On the Murray Boulevard embankment, East Battery and near the aquarium you can park your car for free, but it’s very difficult to find places there. Yes, and try not to park your car near poles, otherwise the seagulls might crap on it so hard that you’ll have to go to the car wash.
The South Carolina Aquarium is located in Charleston.

But after visiting the second largest city in the world, I didn’t want to go there.
Nearby there are several companies that offer cruises to Fort Sumter, with the capture of which began the American Civil War of 1861-1865.

Cruises are different: only around the bay, extended throughout the Charleston harbor with and without a visit to the fort, on a small boat or on a yacht

Or on a ship like this

In general, choose which one you like. By the way, it opens from the water beautiful view to the embankment of the historical center.

A mile from the coast, on Shute Foley Island, there is one of the three forts that were part of the city’s defense line against aggression from the sea - Pinckney Castle. At first it was an earthen fort, the construction of which began in 1797. It received its name in honor of Revolutionary War hero Charles Pinckney. Construction of the Pinckney Castle Ford was completed in early 1804, but already in September it was almost completely destroyed by a strong hurricane. It was restored again by 1810, but using stone masonry.

Charleston's most famous defensive structure is Fort Sumter. Its construction began in 1829 and it is the “youngest” fortification of the city. Construction of Fort Sumter was not fully completed when the siege began in 1861. At that time, the fort was a pentagon-shaped brick fortification designed to accommodate 650 men and 135 guns in three tiers. The height of the three-story fort was 15 meters, the length of the sides was from 52 to 58 meters, and the thickness of the wall was 1.5 meters. Now it looks like this.

The first in the line of defense of Charleston was Fort Moultrie, which the Americans began to build in 1776 on Sullivan's Island.

Interestingly, in 1827, the famous American writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe served at Fort Moultrie. And the events he described in the story “The Gold Bug” take place on Sullivan Island. By the way, Sullivan's Island has the most expensive houses in Charleston.

But this is not due to the pomp of the place or the settlement of the rich, but to the nature of the soil - it is sandy and very expensive insurance due to the high probability of hurricanes. So only wealthy people can afford a house here.

After walking around and enjoying the color of the city, we moved on. An amazing “journey” awaited us

We headed south on Highway 17. Our route was to Florida. But we simply had to stop in Charleston. Moreover, in this city of southerners, typical for the USA, there is something to see - many interesting places and, in my opinion, it is worth devoting more than one day to it. Although we didn't succeed.

If you enter Charleston from the north on Highway 17, the first attraction is the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, where the main exhibit is the USS Yorktown CV-10. It is one of 24 Essex class aircraft carriers built by the United States. She was launched in April 1943 and saw action in the Pacific during World War II. In addition, he was a participant in the Vietnam War in the mid-60s, and also ensured the landing of the Apollo 8 spacecraft.

Today, only four aircraft carriers of this type remain. All of them, of course, are presented in the form of museums. One is moored at Pier 86 in New York City; another, who participated in the search and delivery to shore of the Apollo 11 crew with Neil Armstrong - near San Francisco; and one more thing that residents and guests of the city of Corpus Christi in Texas can visit. Yorktown dropped anchor in Charleston, among yachts and other US Navy ships.

The length of the ship is 265 meters, width 45 meters. On board the aircraft carrier Yorktown you can accommodate 103 aircraft of various types - airplanes and helicopters.

Another notable landmark of Charleston is the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, built in 2005.

This is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the United States. Its length is 4000 meters, and its largest span is 471 meters. Until 2011, it was also considered the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America.

Charleston was founded by the British in 1670 and naturally, the European style with its narrow streets is clearly visible in the old part of the city. This is a typical US southern city with colonial architecture and lots of palm trees. The historic city center is located on a peninsula that overlooks Charleston Harbor (Charleston Harbor). The city has many picturesque streets that are pleasant to stroll along on foot. Many bus tours begin from the Charleston Visitor Center, located in the historic part of the city on Meeting Street. In addition to excursions by bus, you can take a ride through the old part of the city on a horse-drawn carriage. This excursion is much more enjoyable if it is not too hot or raining.

An architectural feature of Charleston is that the facades of some houses are very narrow.

This is due to the fact that in the 19th century, Charleston was one of the most prosperous cities in the American South, and the government decided to replenish the treasury by introducing an increased tax on luxury buildings, tying the tax rate to the width of the facade of the house. By building such structures, which are not typical for us, residents simply avoided paying taxes, leaving the usable area of ​​the house unchanged. But this, of course, does not apply to the houses of wealthy colonialists.

Many of them became museums of “liberated life.”

I would like to make a small digression. There is plenty of parking in the city, but finding a parking space near the historical sights of the old part of the city can be difficult. In paid parking lots, 30 minutes of parking will cost, if I'm not mistaken, 2 dollars. On Murray Boulevard, East Battery and near the aquarium you can park your car for free, but it’s very difficult to find places there. Yes, and try not to park your car near poles, otherwise the seagulls might crap on it so hard that you’ll have to go to the car wash.
The South Carolina Aquarium is located in Charleston.

But after visiting the second largest Georgia Aquarium in the world in Atlanta, I didn’t want to go there.
Nearby there are several companies that offer cruises to Fort Sumter, with the capture of which began the American Civil War of 1861-1865.

Cruises are different: only around the bay, extended throughout the Charleston harbor with and without a visit to the fort, on a small boat or on a yacht

Or on a ship like this

In general, choose which one you like. By the way, from the water there is a beautiful view of the embankment of the historical center.

A mile from the coast, on Shute Foley Island, there is one of the three forts that were part of the city’s defense line against aggression from the sea - Pinckney Castle. At first it was an earthen fort, the construction of which began in 1797. It received its name in honor of Revolutionary War hero Charles Pinckney. Construction of the Pinckney Castle Ford was completed in early 1804, but already in September it was almost completely destroyed by a strong hurricane. It was restored again by 1810, but using stone masonry.

Charleston's most famous defensive structure is Fort Sumter. Its construction began in 1829 and it is the “youngest” fortification of the city. Construction of Fort Sumter was not fully completed when the siege began in 1861. At that time, the fort was a pentagon-shaped brick fortification designed to accommodate 650 men and 135 guns in three tiers. The height of the three-story fort was 15 meters, the length of the sides was from 52 to 58 meters, and the thickness of the wall was 1.5 meters. Now it looks like this.

The first in the line of defense of Charleston was Fort Moultrie, which the Americans began to build in 1776 on Sullivan's Island.

Interestingly, in 1827, the famous American writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe served at Fort Moultrie. And the events he described in the story “The Gold Bug” take place on Sullivan Island. By the way, Sullivan's Island has the most expensive houses in Charleston.

But this is not due to the pomp of the place or the settlement of the rich, but to the nature of the soil - it is sandy and very expensive insurance due to the high probability of hurricanes. So only wealthy people can afford a house here.

After walking around and enjoying the color of the city, we moved on. An amazing “journey” awaited us

 

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