Top attractions in South Carolina
12 national parks, ski areas, museums, landmarks and natural wonders in South Carolina, each with when to go, where to stay and what’s nearby. Ranked by how many people look them up and how many visit.
The 12 top attractions in South Carolina
An even mix of how many people read about each place and, where it’s counted, how many visit.
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park🏞 National Historical Park · 4 mi from Charleston, SC815Kvisitors 20257
Ninety Six National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · 8 mi from Greenwood, SC123Kvisitors 20258
Cowpens National Battlefield🏛 National Battlefield · 10 mi from Gaffney, SC175Kvisitors 20259
Kings Mountain National Military Park🏛 National Military Park · 5 mi from Grover, SC176Kvisitors 202510
Beaufort National Cemetery📍 Landmark · 3 mi from Beaufort, SC5.8Kreaders a year11
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · in Mount Pleasant, SC24Kvisitors 202512
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park🏞 National Historical Park · in Beaufort, SC23Kvisitors 2025Photo credits
Angel Oak: Galen Parks Smith, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Congaree National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Brookgreen Gardens: Hisland7, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Castle Pinckney: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0
Best to visit in October
Places with a real season where October is one of the best months: mild weather and, where the Park Service counts visitors, quieter than average.
🏞 National Park · 5 mi from Hopkins, SCCongaree National Park288K visitors (2025) · 47K readers
🏛 Museum · 3 mi from Murrells Inlet, SCBrookgreen Gardens14K readers
📍 Landmark · 4 mi from Mount Pleasant, SCCastle Pinckney9.5K readers🏞 National Historical Park · 4 mi from Charleston, SCFort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park815K visitors (2025) · 3.7K readers🏛 National Battlefield · 10 mi from Gaffney, SCCowpens National Battlefield175K visitors (2025) · 6.9K readers📍 Landmark · 3 mi from Beaufort, SCBeaufort National Cemetery5.8K readers🏛 National Historic Site · in Mount Pleasant, SCCharles Pinckney National Historic Site24K visitors (2025) · 3.7K readersPhoto credits
Congaree National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Brookgreen Gardens: Hisland7, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Castle Pinckney: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0 · Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park: Staib, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cowpens National Battlefield: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Beaufort National Cemetery: Gnhn (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Charles Pinckney National Historic Site: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Most visited
Latest yearly visitor counts (National Park Service, else Wikidata).
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park🏞 National Historical Park · 4 mi from Charleston, SC815K20252Congaree National Park🏞 National Park · 5 mi from Hopkins, SC288K20253Kings Mountain National Military Park🏛 National Military Park · 5 mi from Grover, SC176K20254Cowpens National Battlefield🏛 National Battlefield · 10 mi from Gaffney, SC175K20255Ninety Six National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · 8 mi from Greenwood, SC123K20256Charles Pinckney National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · in Mount Pleasant, SC24K20257Reconstruction Era National Historical Park🏞 National Historical Park · in Beaufort, SC23K2025By type
Attractions in nearby states
Every attraction in South Carolina
12 attractions
Angel Oak🌲 Park & preserve · in Charleston, SC41Kreaders a year2🛶Alcohol and Drug Abuse Lake🛶 Lake · in Columbia, SC38Kreaders a year3Congaree National Park🏞 National Park · 5 mi from Hopkins, SC288Kvisitors 20254Brookgreen Gardens🏛 Museum · 3 mi from Murrells Inlet, SC14Kreaders a year5Castle Pinckney📍 Landmark · 4 mi from Mount Pleasant, SC9.5Kreaders a year6Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park🏞 National Historical Park · 4 mi from Charleston, SC815Kvisitors 20257Ninety Six National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · 8 mi from Greenwood, SC123Kvisitors 20258Cowpens National Battlefield🏛 National Battlefield · 10 mi from Gaffney, SC175Kvisitors 20259Kings Mountain National Military Park🏛 National Military Park · 5 mi from Grover, SC176Kvisitors 202510Beaufort National Cemetery📍 Landmark · 3 mi from Beaufort, SC5.8Kreaders a year11Charles Pinckney National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · in Mount Pleasant, SC24Kvisitors 202512Reconstruction Era National Historical Park🏞 National Historical Park · in Beaufort, SC23Kvisitors 2025How we rank: an even mix of how many people read about each place on Wikipedia (a typical month, so one viral week can’t sway it) and, where it’s counted, how many visit (National Park Service for park units, else Wikidata, last 5 years). Places without a visitor count rank on readers alone. Closed, destroyed and private places stay listed but aren’t ranked. Sources: National Park Service · OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia · photos via Wikimedia Commons.
Attractions in South Carolina
What are the top attractions in South Carolina?
Angel Oak, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Lake, Congaree National Park, Brookgreen Gardens and Castle Pinckney, ranked by how many people read about them and, where counted, how many visit.
What is the most visited attraction in South Carolina?
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, with about 814,658 visitors in 2025 (National Park Service).
How many national parks are in South Carolina?
1 national park (Congaree National Park), plus 6 other National Park Service sites.
Where should I go in South Carolina in October?
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Lake, Congaree National Park and Brookgreen Gardens: October is one of their best months, with mild weather and fewer crowds where the Park Service counts visitors.