50 things to do and see in SC in 2020
South Carolina is not your average state. You can hike in the mountains in the morning and lie on the beach in the afternoon. There are lakes and forests aplenty. And rivers and streams abound.
The state has growing, vibrant cities and quaint small towns. It’s a hotbed for college sports and boasts some of the world’s finest cuisine. And then there’s that little history thing.
As we enter the roaring twenties, here are 50 things you can do next year in the Palmetto State.
January
1. Start the year off right with the Famously Hot New Year celebration in Columbia. It’s billed as the biggest, free New Year’s Eve party in South Carolinas. This year’s headliner will be 90s sensation Salt-N-Pepa.
2. Tour the SC State House and its grounds. While the General Assembly is in session (January-May), tours are offered every half hour. The rest of the year, tours are available every hour on the half hour. And while on Gervais Street, head toward the Congaree River and visit the S.C. State Museum, which is a history, natural history and art museum all rolled into one. It also a plantarium! And if you are really into space and stars, there is the I.P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium, which also features African and Africa- American art.
3. See the famed Angel Oak on Johns Island. Not just any tree, the Angel Oak is more than 400 years old, close to 70 feet tall and 28 feet around.
4. Snap a photo of the Peachoid. It’s a 135-foot-tall water tower in Gaffney that was made to resemble a peach, the state’s signature fruit. Some people say it looks like a booty, earning it the nickname “peach butt.” You be the judge. It was also featured in the Netflix series “House of Cards.”
February
5. Experience the Penn Center, established just after the Civil War as a school for formerly enslaved individuals. Located on St. Helena Island near Beaufort, the cluster of 19th Century buildings is surrounded by glimmering marshes and nestled beneath the silvery moss-draped limbs of massive live oaks. It is one of the most significant African American historical and cultural institutions in the country. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference planned the March on Washington and the Poor People’s Campaign at the Penn Center. And when better to visit than Black History Month!
6. Visit the UFO Welcome Center in Bowman. The saucer-shaped UFO was built by Jody Pendarvis, whose yard it resides in.
7. Visit the Cowpens and Kings Mountain national military parks in the Upstate. The two battles were turning points in the Revolutionary War. A trip to the Ninety Six National Historic Site — another Revolutionary War battlefield — in Greenwood County is also a must for history buffs.
8. Dine at Miller’s Bread Basket. Located in Blackville, this family-owned and -operated restaurant serves home-cooked Amish-Mennonite-style foods. Can’t find that everywhere in South Carolina, that’s for sure.
March
9. Tour the Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery in Moncks Corner. The Roman Catholic monks welcome you to visit the church on a guided tour as well as wander around the Nancy Bryan Luce Gardens.
10. Attend the St. Patrick’s Day festival in Columbia’s Five Points. One of the largest St. Pat’s celebrations in the Southeast, featuring numerous bands on multiple stages, a parade, fair food and children’s area. In 2020 it’s March 21.
11. Visit either (or both!) of the forts near Charleston. That means Fort Sumter (where the first shots of the Civil War were fired) or Fort Moultrie (used from 1776-1947).
12. Trot out to the Carolina Cup steeplechase in Camden on March 28. Bonus points if you dress in your best preppy attire (and, ladies, don’t forget to don your best hat or fascinator!). If you can’t make this one, there’s also the Aiken Spring Steeplechase (March 21) and the Aiken Holiday cup in October.
April
13. Sign up to run the Cooper River Bridge Race April 4 in Charleston. With over four decades of races under the banner, you want to sign up early. The race is capped at 40,000 participants.
14. Attend the RBC Heritage. For more than 50 years, this golf event has been held on Hilton Head Island in the spring, a week after the Masters Tournament (which is also a S.C .“to-do,” even if it is in Augusta, Georgia). The tournament will be held April 13 through April 19.
15. Hike the Palmetto Trail. Maybe not the whole projected 500-mile path that cuts across the state’s lakes, mountains, forests and even cities, but enough to cross it off the list.
16. Take in a double feature at one of the state’s drive-in movie theaters including: the Big Mo in Monetta, Drive-In Auto Theater in Greenwood and Highway 21 Drive-In in Beaufort.
May
17. See fireflies synch their tail lights at Congaree National Park. They do their thing for a week or two sometime from mid-May to early June. South Carolina is just one of a handful of places in the nation where you can see this unique and spectacular phenomenon.
18. Catch a baseball game at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, home of the Boston Red Sox affiliate Greenville Drive. Modeled after Boston’s Fenway Park, the field has its own 30-foot-high “green monster” for players to contend with, and the outfield’s dimensions are the same as Fenway’s, right down to “Pesky’s Pole” in right field. (And while you’re in the area – and mindset – visit the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum across the way, dedicated to the baseball legend and local.) There are also excellent minor league ballparks in Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Charleston and North Augusta.
19. Hang out at Falls Park on the Reedy River in downtown Greenville. There are pathways for bikers and runners, restaurants, hotels and even a waterfall. (Yes, there’s a waterfall in downtown Greenville.)
20. Take a picture (or selfie) of all the spots where “Forrest Gump” was filmed. Believe it or not, a majority of the film was made in the Lowcountry. From Savannah to Beaufort, you’ll probably recognize a building, bridge or road from the movie.
June
21. Spoleto! If you’re into performing arts, this 17-day and -night festival in Charleston is chock full of established artists and emerging talent. Keep a lookout for the 2020 schedule on its website. In 2020 it runs from May 22 to June 7.
22. Go camping at Hunting Island State Park. There’s five miles of beach, a saltwater lagoon, a historic lighthouse (the only publicly accessible one in the state) and 100 highly coveted campsites.
23. Drink South Carolina’s own Blenheim Ginger Ale. The independent soda-bottling company dates back to 1903 and is one of the earliest, smallest and (in some southern circles) finest, in the United States.
24. Walk the Battery in Charleston. It’s the best way to admire the antebellum homes on “Rainbow Row” that still line the city side of the seawall as well as White Point Garden, which got its name from the large piles of bleached oyster shells found there.
July
25. See the purple martins at Bomb Island on Lake Murray. Known as the first official North American sanctuary for these large swallows, up to 750,000 purple martins migrate and stay here from June through late August, early September.
26. Spend a day at Myrtle Beach, specifically Broadway at the Beach with its 350 acres of food, attractions and entertainment. The boardwalk deserves a day (or weekend) of your time.
27. Float down the Congaree River. Palmetto Outdoors has everything you’ll need: tubes, kayaks, tours and shuttles.
28. Take a picture of (and on) Poinsett Bridge in Greenville County. Although it’s no longer a working bridge, the structure still stands and is reportedly the oldest bridge in South Carolina (and possibly the southeastern U.S.).
August
29. Read a Pat Conroy novel. Sure, you could cheat and watch either of the Oscar-nominated films based on his books (“The Prince of Tides” or “The Great Santini”), but his best known works are the novel “The Lords of Discipline” and his memoir, “My Losing Season.” Conroy lived for a time in Beaufort County and attended The Citadel, and all these books are based in South Carolina.
30. Eat at The Beacon Drive-In. This Spartanburg drive-in has a reputation for being a regional trademark — a Carolina tradition and the second-largest drive-in restaurant in the U.S. The food isn’t half bad either!
31. Travel along the ACE Basin on a boat trip. Sadly, the original ACE Basin Tour is no longer available. But good news for “Forrest Gump” fans, you can still go see (and relive) the scene where Forrest jumped off the shrimp boat when he saw Lt. Dan thanks to Beaufort Tours.
32. Take a hot-air balloon ride with Captain Telegram. A bit of an institution himself, let Columbia’s favorite captain take you on an hour tour above the Midlands. He also offers trolley rides and singing telegrams, for future reference.
September
33. Sip tea at the Summerville Sweet Tea Festival on Sept 19. Sweet tea is recognized as the state’s hospitality beverage, and this annual event is a call to all true Southerners.
34. Go to the Southern 500 NASCAR race at Darlington Raceway Sept. 6 . Known as “The Lady in Black,” the track is still regarded as “too tough to tame.”
35. Pedro says visit South Carolina’s most famous (or infamous) roadside attraction for more than 50 years, South of the Border. Kitch-y souvenirs, amusement rides, an observation tower, an indoor reptile lagoon and more. It a must-stop on Interstate 95 near the North Carolina line.
36. Drink some water from Healing Springs. Located behind the Healing Springs Baptist Church in Blackville, the mineral water found there is said to have healing properties.
October
37. Check out the Chester County Historical Society Museum and Archives. First, it’s housed in an old county jail; second, it’s rumored to be haunted; third, it has a surprisingly large collection of Native American pottery, historic weaponry and photography.
38. South Carolina has plenty of haunted spots (along with a few legends). Experience some of these scary stories yourself by taking a ghost tour in cities such as Charleston, Beaufort and Columbia.
39. Meet me at the rocket! From the baby duck slide to the pig races to Fiske Fries, a visit to the South Carolina State Fair is a must-do. In 2020 it runs from Oct. 14 to Oct. 25.
40. Visit the last covered bridge in South Carolina. Campbell’s Covered Bridge is about 30 minutes from Spartanburg and was named after grist mill owner Alexander Lafayette Campbell. The historic bridge is owned and operated by Greenville County, which turned the site into a park with picnic tables, access to the site of the old mill, Campbell’s home and a view of Beaverdam Creek.
41. See a concert at the Newberry Opera House. Built in 1881, this historic building was fully restored in its late 1990s glory and is beloved for its live performances as much as the its rich cultural significance.
November
42. Skydive over Chester. Offered by Sky Dive Carolina since 1986, you can learn how to skydive, plan for a solo free fall or go tandem with a professional. FYI for all thrill seekers, the website reports that while you’re in free-fall, you can accelerate up to and over 120 mph for up to a minute, followed by a five-minute scenic descent.
43. Go to Pelion for the town’s annual peanut party. Be sure to try the boiled peanuts made by members of the Pelion Ruritan Club. (They have a secret recipe, you see.) The party is usually held the second weekend in November.
44. Go to a USC-Clemson football game. It’s the rivalry in the state, so seeing it live is a must. (Only tailgating the game does not count.) Clemson, which hosts the game in 2020, has won five in a row, by the way.
45. Hike Table Rock, a 3,083-acre park in the Upstate. And while you’re there, be sure to check out nearby Pinnacle Mountain, the tallest mountain in the state, and Caesar’s Head, which offers spectacular views from the overlook, especially when the leaves change in November.
46. Attend Revolutionary War Days at Historic Camden Nov. 7 and Nov. 8. The reenactment and other attractions are held on the on the 107-acre 18th Century plantation of the city’s founder, Joseph Kershaw.
December
47. See the Hunley submarine. Located at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston, the submarine was lost at sea from 1864 to 1995, when it was finally found, raised and put on display.
48. Eat your way through the SC BBQ trail. Did you know we’re the only state to feature all three basic barbecue sauces (mustard, tomato based and vinegar)? Bonus points if you try all three.
49.Visit the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston. Home to more than 10,000 plants and animals. You can actually touch some of the marine animals in the Touch Tank. Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia is also an essential stop for families and animal and plant lovers.
50. Take a tour of the Bluffton Oyster Company. The state’s only oyster house, this old-school operation has been around since 1899 and is known for its freshly harvested, hand-shucked oysters.
What did we miss? Send your suggestions to: jwilkinson@thestate.com
Dwaun Sellers and Briana Saunders contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 10:35 AM.