Away from the Crowds in South Carolina

On John’s Island, you’ll find the impressive and beautiful Angel Oak. Growing and thriving in Charleston, this is one of the oldest living oak trees east of the Mississippi. It is estimated to be between 400 and 500 years old and has survived several hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. The branches of the oak spread out in all directions. Its name comes from the Angel Estate. Local legends say the ghosts of former slaves appear as angels around the oak.

Drayton Hall in Charleston is a lovely example of Georgian Palladian architecture. It was built by John Drayton and stands on 630 acres of land that is part of an indigo and rice plantation. It has been recognized by the National Trust for its elaborate double stairs, ornamental ceiling in the entrance hall, and full wood paneling, among the finest in all the British colonies. The estate has been declared a National Historic Landmark. The home is open for guided tours.

Self-guided tours of the surrounding gardens.

You’ll enjoy seeing the Greek Revival Folk Art Chicken Coop in Greenville. This chicken coop resembles the classical elements represented by the Southern Greek Revival form. The impressive house is adorned with collected and found objects like golf clubs, alphabet blocks, Hot Wheels cars, and seashells. The structure is located in the back garden of an antique shop and artist studios.

You’ll find 4,000 monkeys used for medical testing on an island off of South Carolina, Morgan Island. In 1979, a wave of herpes B virus swept through the monkey population at the Caribbean Primate Research Center in Puerto Rico, and a few hundred rhesus monkeys were shipped here off the low country. They have thrived in their new home with 750 newborns per year. The only people allowed on the island are researchers who tag the monkeys and take 500 per year for medical testing. Morgan Island's rhesus population has been involved in a number of studies on vaccines, polio, AIDS, and even bioterrorism. While private boat tours allow viewing, visitors must stay at a distance from the island.

Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden is located in Bishopville. Finding a house, Fryar and his wife did not want to face discrimination as a Black couple. So he became determined to be the first Black man in Bishopville to receive the “Yard of the Month” award from the local Gardener’s Club. Soon he realized, he had a “green thumb.” Fryar started creating abstract shapes, and soon his garden was filled with more than 300 topiaries. Four-foot letters in the yard say "Peace, Love, and Goodwill." The garden prospers and transforms along with Fryar’s imagination.

Tavern at Rainbow Row in Charleston is the oldest liquor store in the country. Two blocks from a bustling port, this was once a den of vice and playground for pirates. Figures like Edward “Blackbeard” Teach and Stede “The Gentleman Pirate” Bonnet were known to prowl the banks of the Cooper River.  The shop still features its original hardwood flooring and brick walls and all the furnishings. The Tavern specializes in local or rare spirits, like a five-grain bourbon made with a Carolina rice variety, a black tea liqueur made from the only large-scale tea plantation in the US, and a vodka made from a rye grain only grown on Edisto Island in South Carolina.  The shop also offers weekly tastings.

Stop by Hardeeville to see Thelma and Louise, a pink and gray pair of elephants advertising a fireworks shop.

Tunnelvision in Columbia is a psychedelic trompe l’oeil that is impressive and creative but can cause an accident. It is painted on a large wall in a downtown parking lot, so it is not a danger to cars driving by. This realistic artwork is the creation of Blue Sky. If it were a real tunnel, it would be large enough for a car to pass through. Being in a parking lot, you can park and just admire. The painting creates an optical illusion of depth using the trompe l'oeil effect.