Explore South Carolina

Hilton Head

• Take your dog to Coligny Beach Park
• Several pet-friendly hotels

Farther Afield of Hilton Head

• Auldbrass Plantation (Yemassee, SC) - Frank Lloyd Wright home

Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Johns Island, Isle of Palms, Folly Beach, Southern Plantations

• refer to article https://hubpages.com/travel/Things-to-do-in-South-Carolina

Columbia - the Capital of South Carolina

• Tour historic homes (a family home of President Woodrow Wilson and another of the architect who designed the Washington Monument)
• Tour the State House
• Tour the Civil War Museum
• Visit One Eared Cow Glass for unique handmade glass pieces (vases, garden ornaments, bird feeders)
• Koger Center - Broadway shows and concerts
• Riverbanks Zoo & Botanical Gardens

Farther afield of Columbia

• Sumter - Swan Lake Iris Gardens
• Newberry - Wells Japanese Garden
• Lexington - Lexington County Museum

Greenville

• Peace Center - Broadway shows and concerts
• Greenville Zoo
• Walk along Falls Park on the Reedy
• Overlook the Reedy River from Liberty Bridge

Farther Afield from Greenville

• The Children's Museum of the Upstate
• Relax at The Red Horse Inn (Landrum, SC)
• Cowpens National Battlefield

Pet-Friendly Hotels - Sunday-Thursday reduced rates

• Beach House Resort
• Sonesta Resort
• Omni Oceanfront Resort

Coligny Beach Park

• pet-friendly
• walking and bike paths
• WiFi
• swings and beach-equipment rentals

Auldbrass Plantation

• Located in Yemassee, SC
• Frank Lloyd Wright constructed home
• Open every two years for tours - it will open again in 2021

Historic Homes

• Tour one, two, or three houses in one day
• Robert Mills House and Hampton-Preston Mansion are across the street from one another
• Woodrow Wilson Family Home - turned museum dedicated to interpreting the post-Civil War Reconstruction period and South Carolina's only remaining presidential site
• Gift Shop at the Robert Mills House
• Robert Mills House - home of the architect who designed the Washington Monument
• Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens - explores the lives of enslaved workers and their planter-class owners
• Mann-Simons Site - Collection of commercial and domestic spaces owned and operated by the same African American family from around 1843 to 1970

State House

• Closed Sunday; open 9am-5pm Monday-Friday and 10am-4pm Saturday
• Located on Gervais St in Columbia
• Tours are given at 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm on Saturdays (except after Thanksgiving and Christmas) after July 12th
• January-May - tours are offered every half hour beginning at 9:30am and ending at 3:30pm (Tours not offered at 12 and 12:30pm)
• June-December - Tours are offered every half hour from 9:30am to 3:30pm except for the 12:30pm tour
• Visitors can tour without a tour using free brochures available in the State House

South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum

• Located on Gervais St in Columbia
• Closed Sunday and Monday
• Open 10am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday
• This exhibit features flags, swords, and other historic artifacts from the Revolutionary War to modern times.

Koger Center

• Previous shows Wicked

Riverbanks Zoo & Botanical Gardens

• Backstage Pass - interact, feed, and learn more about penguins, grizzly bears, river otters, giraffes, and sea lions (additional cost and reservations required)
• Open every day 9am-5pm
• River Zip through the treetops, cross a bridge and zoom 1,000 feet over the scenic Saluda River (additional cost)
• Moonlight Zip - zip through the trees at night (additional cost)
• Waterfall Junction - located with the Botanical Gardens; recommend taking the free tram from the zoo to the top of the hill where the gardens are located - kids can frolic around the 25 foot waterfall and splash zones
• Spots & Stripes Railraod (addition cost)
• Sky-High Safari (additional cost)
• Farmyard Feeding (additional cost)
• Feed the Lorikeets and the Giraffees (additional cost)
• Wild Adventures Rock Wall (additional cost)
• Endangered Species Carousel (additional cost)

Swan Lake Iris Gardens

• Located in Sumter, SC
• No pets allowed
• Watch out for alligators
• Best time to visit - middle/late May-early June

Wells Japanese Gardens

• Located in Newberry, SC
• Exact Street Address is 1608 Lindsay Street

Lexington County Museum

• Consists of 36 historic homes and outbuildings
• Showcases the Colonial and Antebellum period of Lexington County with a focus on the Swiss and German heritage

Peace Center

• Past shows The Lion King, Anastasia, Les Miserables, My Fair Lady, and Aladdin

Greenville Zoo

• Open daily 10am-5pm
• Hours vary in the Spring and Summer
• Closed for two weeks in February

Restaurants (recommend reservations)

• Passerelle Bistro - French cuisine in the heart of Falls Park on the Reedy
• Jianna - Modern Italian food across the street from Falls Park on the Reedy

The Children's Museum of the Upstate

• Spartanburg location is meant for children 5 years and younger
• Greenville location is meant for children of all ages
• Open Tuesday-Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday 11am-5pm
• Closed Monday

Cowpens National Battlefield

• Revolutionary War battle site - led to the defeat and surrender of the British commander Lord Earl Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia in October 1781
• This specific battle was fought on January 17, 1781
• Open 9am-5pm daily
• Located in Gaffney, SC