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I'm looking at visiting a state (or states) next year for a couple of weeks holiday and am thinking of South Carolina, however I don't know an awful lot about it.
I went to Texas for 3 weeks this year and absolutely loved it. Is South Carolina in any way similar?
Tourist attractions aren't really my thing, it's more about visiting new places and meeting new people, Texans were incredibly friendly, do people in South Carolina have the same 'southern hospitality' thing going on?
Finally, I'm 28 so enjoy going to bars, live music, American football etc - are the cities in SC good for this? I know you have the Panthers, not sure which college football teams you have?
Texas is a huge state with lots of regional/cultural variation. SC, not so much. That said, since SC is the American South (as a nice chunk of Texas is), you'll find the people to be pretty friendly.
College football in king in SC--specifically Clemson University and the University of SC. The Panthers play just across the border in Charlotte, NC but there's more energy and excitement with college football in SC.
The state's three largest urban centers are Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville; all have their tourist attractions (especially Charleston as it is very historic) but have much to offer in terms of "everyday" stuff that you're interested in. Depending on how long you'll be in the state, you could visit all three as well as smaller cities and towns that are more evocative when it comes to all things Southern.
The only similarities between Texas and SC is that theyre both in the sunbelt, red, and have accents. Texas is massive, over 25 million people. SC should crack 5 million next year. Not 1, but 2 Texas metros have more people than the entire state. SC does it small scale.
While "culture" in Texas is stronger, SC has a great brand of culture as well. As Mutiny said, college football is king, but we also take pride in our food (BBQ, tea, fried whatever, seafood, etc), our scenary (coastline and palmetto trees and mountains), and so on.
Charleston has everying you want but football, but the Panthers are 3 hours away and Gamecocks are 2.
Theres also Columbia, in the middle of the state. The SC Gamecocks call it home. Greenville is at the top of the state. And Myrtle Beach probably has the best nightlife, but no big time football around.
Historic Charleston would be worth a couple of days touring interesting spots like the historic forts (Sumter, Moultrie, etc.) and the WWII exhibits at Patriot's Point (aircraft carrier, submarine, and other ships). Then you could drive to the upstate and see the escarpment where the Blue Ridge mountains meet the foothills that then give way to the coastal plain. Catch a Clemson game, and spend an afternoon in downtown Greenville. You could then continue driving toward Asheville where you could do a tour of the many micro-breweries. The you could catch the Blue Ridge Parkway and drive it towards the Smoky Mountains National Park, which is just a beautiful place. There is a lot of absolutely stunning scenery in the Southern Appalachians. Maybe spend an afternoon rafting the Ocoee or Nantahala. I'd personally spend a few days hiking, and another day driving to some of the many spectacular waterfalls in Western NC, Eastern TN, Northern GA, and Upstate SC.
Historic Charleston would be worth a couple of days touring interesting spots like the historic forts (Sumter, Moultrie, etc.) and the WWII exhibits at Patriot's Point (aircraft carrier, submarine, and other ships). Then you could drive to the upstate and see the escarpment where the Blue Ridge mountains meet the foothills that then give way to the coastal plain. Catch a Clemson game, and spend an afternoon in downtown Greenville. You could then continue driving toward Asheville where you could do a tour of the many micro-breweries. The you could catch the Blue Ridge Parkway and drive it towards the Smoky Mountains National Park, which is just a beautiful place. There is a lot of absolutely stunning scenery in the Southern Appalachians. Maybe spend an afternoon rafting the Ocoee or Nantahala. I'd personally spend a few days hiking, and another day driving to some of the many spectacular waterfalls in Western NC, Eastern TN, Northern GA, and Upstate SC.
SC also has a capital city named Columbia that has things worth checking out that the OP is interested in, just in case you didn't know. It's on the way from Charleston to Greenville.
Come visit Greenville, SC! It's on many of the Top 10 Lists over and over again. Here's a thread I started on the Greenville/Spartanburg forum highlighting some of the areas through video.
What I love about GVL is the close proximity it is to hundreds of waterfalls, and great places for hiking, and bike the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Our downtown is absolutely beautiful, as our the people who live here, and yes, they do have the Southern hospitality thing down pat, not to mention, a waterfall right in the heart of DT!!!
Where I live, I am exactly 60 minutes away from the GA state line, and about 2 1/2 hours away from Atlanta. It takes me 45 minutes to get to Hendersonville, NC, a cute little town, and about an hour and 15 minutes to get to the heart of funky and fun Asheville, NC. Within a few hours drive, you can be to a multitude of places/states.
As mentioned, Clemson is a great University and there is quite a bit to do around that area. Waterfalls, ice cream made right on campus, the beautiful SC Botanical Gardens right on Clemson's campus, not to mention the gem museum right next door, which is not only awesome, but free, as is the gardens. Let's not forget about SC BBQ - and Smokin Pig, right near Clemson is to DIE FOR! Just know, they are only open 3 days a week.
Columbia is less than a 2 hour drive from GVL, Charlotte is about 90 minutes - all depending on exactly where you are in GVL.
Wherever you go, I'm sure you'll have a good time. I'm partial to GVL, of course. Best decision I made was to move here 6 years ago!!!
good advice all around. I would definitely plan to spend some time in Charleston. There is so much to see and enjoy there...especially the nightlife for those in their 20s/30s. Greenville is another fun stop....lots of nightlife and restaurants but not so much as Charleston. It is a great launching pad for outdoors activities...hiking, rafting, etc... You could then move on up towards Asheville NC for more outdoorsy activities, the breweries that were mentioned and more alternative night life than you would have enjoyed in Charleston. Atlanta and Charlotte are both fairly equidistant from Greenville SC so you might want to choose a larger metro to check out if you are contemplating relocating to the states at any point. Most of my summary advice is redundant to what others have said but I wanted to echo that these should be good targets. For what it's worth, my family is from Texas and things in SC are different but similar in terms of cultural friendliness. You just have to experience each place for it's own culture....much like when I go to Europe. I don't compare Belgium to France to Switzerland.....i just know what I like about each. Have an amazing trip!!!
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made right on campus,
the beautiful SC Botanical Gardens right on Clemson's campus, not to mention the gem museum right next door, which is not only awesome, but free, as is the gardens. Let's not forget about SC BBQ - and Smokin Pig, right near Clemson is to DIE FOR! Just know, they are only open 3 days a week.
