State · Sul (Geórgia, Carolinas e Tennessee)

Carolina do Sul

South Carolina has Charleston, with colorful houses, churches and old plantations, the island of Hilton Head and the beaches of Myrtle Beach.

In the photo: Rainbow Row, Charleston

Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.

The state

Get to know Carolina do Sul

South Carolina is in the southeastern United States, on the Atlantic coast, between North Carolina and Georgia. The capital is Columbia, in the center; the stretch of lowlands and barrier islands along the coast is called the Lowcountry.

Charleston, founded in 1670, has one of the best-preserved historic centers in the country: the colorful houses of Rainbow Row, the mansions of the Battery, the churches and the cobblestone streets. In the harbor, Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began in 1861, is visited by boat.

Around the city, old rice plantations such as Middleton Place, Magnolia and Boone Hall feature gardens, oak-lined avenues and the cabins of the enslaved people who worked there. The Gullah culture, of descendants of Africans from the islands, appears in the food, in woven grass baskets and in the language.

On the coast, Hilton Head is an island of beaches and golf courses, and Myrtle Beach is the state's busiest summer resort. On the table, shrimp and grits and the Lowcountry boil, a boil of shrimp, corn and sausage. Savannah, in Georgia, is about 170 km from Charleston.

When to go

Spring (March to May) is usually the best time, with azaleas in bloom in the plantation gardens and the Spoleto arts festival between May and June. Autumn is also usually pleasant. Summer is hot and humid, the beach season, and hurricanes are more common between August and October.

Getting there

Charleston International Airport (CHS) is about 20 km from the historic center. Connections from Brazil are usually with a stopover in another U.S. city. Confirm before buying. Charleston has an Amtrak station on the line connecting New York to Florida. Myrtle Beach (MYR) and Hilton Head (HHH) have their own airports, and Savannah (SAV) also serves the southern part of the state.

Your questions

Frequently asked questions about Carolina do Sul

How many days for Charleston?

Two or three days allow you to walk around the historic center, take a boat to Fort Sumter and visit a plantation. With one more day, you can go to Folly Beach or to Savannah.

Can you combine Charleston and Savannah?

Yes: the two cities are about two hours' drive from each other, and many itineraries allocate two days to each.

How to visit Fort Sumter?

Only by boat, which departs from Liberty Square in downtown Charleston or from Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant. The visit takes about two and a half hours, including the crossing. Capacity is limited: buy in advance.

Which plantation to visit near Charleston?

Middleton Place has terraced gardens on the river, among the oldest in the country; Boone Hall has the oak alley; Magnolia has azalea gardens. All three tell the story of the enslaved people who worked there.

Tap a state to see its destinations. Limites: U.S. Census Bureau / geoBoundaries (domínio público). Adaptação do Cidade Turismo.