Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [84]
Audubon Swamp Garden
A black water swamp with cypress gum and tupelo trees. 800-367-3517; www.magnoliaplantation.com; 3550 Ashley River Rd, Charleston; swamp tour adult/child $7/6; 8am-5:30pm;
Cypress Gardens
A family-friendly, all-in-one swamp tour destination. 843-553-0515; www.cypressgardens.info; 3030 Cypress Gardens Rd, Moncks Corner; adult/child $10/5; 9am-5pm;
Harry Hampton Visitor Center at Congaree National Park
A cadre of information about Congaree National Park leading to miles of elevated trails. 803-776-4396; www.nps.gov/cong; 100 National Park Rd, Hopkins; admission free; 8:30am-5pm, to 7pm Fri & Sat summer;
Mepkin Abbey
Walk the garden or stay for a personal retreat. 843-761-8509; www.mepkinabbey.org; 1098 Mepkin Abbey Rd, Moncks Corner; tour adult/student & child $5/free; 9am-4:30pm Tue-Sat, 1-4:30pm Sun, docent-led tours 11:30am & 3pm Mon-Sat, 11:30am Sun;
Nature Adventures Outfitters
Experience wetlands, swamps and floodplains on a guided tour, overnight trip or 3-day retreat. 800-673-0679; www.natureadventuresoutfitters.com; 1900 Iron Swamp Rd, Awendaw; kayak tours adult/child from $39/27; 7am-7pm;
Santee State Park
Fishing, boating, hiking and relaxing are the most popular pastimes here. 866-345-PARK; www.southcarolinaparks.com; 251 State Park Rd, Santee; admission free;
EAT
SeeWee Restaurant
Over 50 years of serving up fried seafood, she-crab soup and grape Nehi sodas. 843-928-3609; www.seeweerestaurant.com; 4808 Hwy 17 N, Awendaw; mains $5-19; 11am-9pm Mon-Thu, 11am-9:30pm Fri, 8am-9:30pm Sat, 11am-3pm Sun;
Sweatman’s Bar-b-que
Fall-off-the-bone good ‘cue, but remember it’s only open Friday and Saturday (plus closed for holidays in August). 803-492-7543; 1313 Gemini Blvd, Hwy 453, Holly Hill; buffet $8; 11:30am-9pm Fri & Sat;
SLEEP
Congaree National Park campgrounds
Bare-bones camping under Spanish mossed-draped cypresses. 803-776-4396; www.nps.gov/cong; 100 National Park Rd, Hopkins; campsite free; 9am-5pm;
Cypress View Campground
Reserve popular swamp-front cabins and campsites at Santee State Park far in advance. 866-345-PARK; www.southcarolinaparks.com; 251 State Park Rd, Santee; campsite $15, rondette $80-120;
USEFUL WEBSITES
www.audubon.org
www.southcarolinaparks.com
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LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
TRIP
21 A Charleston Walk Back in Time
22 Ashley River Plantations
24 Myrtle Beach & the Grand Strand opposite
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Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP 24
Myrtle Beach & the Grand Strand
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WHY GO Driving the 60-mile stretch of South Carolina shore known as the Grand Strand is like taking a tour through time. On the northern end, the thumping, neon-lit nightclubs of Myrtle Beach are pure 21st-century excess. Further south, tranquil Pawleys Island and Georgetown retain their 19th-century rhythms.
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TIME
3 - 4 days
DISTANCE
65 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
May - Sep
START
Calabash, NC
END
Georgetown, SC
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Start your Grand Strand tour just over the North Carolina border in the town of Calabash, so famous for its fried seafood that “Calabash-style” dishes can be found at buffets throughout the Southeast. In a small, featureless bunker, Seafood Hut serves huge, cheap platters of briny fried oysters, popcorn shrimp and deviled crab, with dozens of crispy, sweetish hush puppies in a basket on the side. Wash it all down with some sugary tea then cruise the gift shops for starfish paperweights and ships in bottles.
A little further south, the high-rise condos of Myrtle Beach waver in the heat like mirages. Believe it or not, Myrtle Beach was once a low-key vacation spot where a working-class family could rent a cabin and spend the summer swimming, eating saltwater taffy and listening to the old band organ at the Pavilion. These days, most of the waving palmetto trees and family-run motels