Soldiers & Settlers
The lives and times of the men and women who made South Carolina history are honored in South Carolina’s State Historic Sites and other special State Parks. Historic Site parks feature interactive tours, museums, special programs and even archaeological digs that reveal history’s mysteries.
Colonial Settlements
How did the first colonists build and sustain settlements in the Carolina wilds? Explore the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Carolinas; a frontier fort in the Blue Ridge foothills, and an active archaeological dig on the scenic Ashley River, site of a village founded in 1697.
Who was the heroine whose patriotism was recreated in an 1835 penny novel? Find out at Musgrove Mill, the site of a pitched battle and one of the few fights when outnumbered Revolutionary Patriots bested the Tories.
What was life like for owners and African slaves on antebellum plantations? Take a guided tour through the plantation mansion of the US Senator who coined the phrase “Cotton is King” and the plantation home of the Governor who led South Carolina into secession. Also visit a former rice plantation in the South Carolina lowcountry.
Where did the Confederacy make one of its last stands against Sherman’s sweep across the south? Walk the interpretive trail at historic Rivers Bridge, where Union forces finally overran a group of badly outnumbered Confederate soldiers who stood their ground in the wintry swamp along the Salkehatchie River after two days of fierce fighting in February 1865.
Was this mysterious 3,000-year-old 12-foot-high circle of shells an Indian ceremonial site or a trash heap? Most South Carolina State Parks contain remnants of Native American life and offer insight into what life was like before European arrival.
Saving America’s Natural Heritage
Many of the nation’s most beautiful places were preserved for public use by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression including 17 South Carolina state parks.
Add a South Carolina State Park to your Trip Planner and explore the natural wonders and historic sites of the Palmetto State.