Fall officially begins on Monday, but it’s still hot in South Carolina. We want to soak in the sun before the cold season. While we’re looking forward to brisk temperatures, we’re not ready for winter.
Visiting Fort Sumter is a must, and it’s worth going now while there are still plenty of ferries going back and forth multiple times a day. In the cooler months, the boats launch less frequently. Visitors absolutely love the four-story, technologically advanced South Carolina State Museum, with its fantastic planetarium and 4D theater. The state has great zoos, amazing hikes and plantation tours to help you learn more about the past.
On our road trip this week, we’ll be hitting Myrtle Beach first. It's going to be over 80 degrees, and we want to start our day off in cold water! We’re excited to take a dip at a beach consistently ranked among South Carolina’s best beaches for families. There is a lot of culture, history, nature and fun! We’re looking forward to having a great time in the sun in a family setting! The giant Ferris wheel — called the SkyWheel — concerts and attractions are calling to us.
Once we’re cooled from the ocean, we want to step away from the spots we hear about in tourist books. We’re going to drive past the Gaffney Peachoid, made famous by House of Cards. And then, from the giant peach, we’ll travel to Columbia to see three giant pieces from one artist. The artist goes by “Blue Sky.”
We want to see the world’s largest fire hydrant, in an art installation called Busted Plug Plaza. Then, across the street, we’ll pay a visit to Tunnelvision, a mural on the side of a building. It's a painting of a tunnel that reminds us of the old Looney Tunes’ Road Runner cartoons. It looks so real, you could walk right into it and bump your head! Not too far away, we’ll see Blue Sky’s Neverbust Chain — a massive chain bolting two buildings together. Blue Sky installed it in the middle of the night without permission from the city, but Columbia immediately approved it.
While in the calm and artistic mood, we’ll travel to Johns Island to see the Angel Oak, the largest living organism in the Southeast. The oak is between 400-500 years old, and its branches shade 17,000 square feet. The shade will help us cool off again!
From there was are going to a doozy of a roadside attraction. This odd spot was built in 1949 and has been popular ever since. South of the Border has a hotel, carnival rides, a family dining restaurant, a steakhouse, model dinosaurs, a reptile house fifty 50 species of snakes and 15 species of crocodiles and an observation tower shaped like a sombrero. People have called it an eyesore, racist, out of date and more. Others say it’s clean, fun and has great food. With predominantly positive reviews, we want to see what the fuss is about. We would like to judge the place for ourselves. The spot has remained open and has 70 years of history — as fans of roadside attractions — we cannot miss it.
It’s going to be a great weekend! Hopefully, you can make a trip down to South Carolina soon. If you have been to any of these spots, or are a local, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at socialmedia@neulivenhealth.com!
