Area Tours

To really understand our history, begin your visit at the Old Santee Canal Park. Begun in 1785, this hand-dug engineering marvel coursed 22 miles to connect the Santee and Cooper Rivers. When complete, rice and cotton were no longer hauled the backbreaking journey overland to the tall ships anchored in Charleston harbor.

Carolina Gold rice and SC cotton were the finest in the world, eagerly sought by Europeans who kept their Colonial cousins equally well supplied with fine China, Asian silks inside the Stony Landing house. Its restored interior has enormous hand-hewn timbers and eight foot brick piers.

The Canal Park is also the site of the Berkeley Museum, where the area’s 12,000-year history is traced from Native Americans to the modern era. The Museum focuses on the Revolutionary War exploits of local hero Francis Marion, the father of modern guerrilla warfare, who is buried in the county. It also details the construction of the Civil War torpedo ram named the Little David. Every year the museum hosts the Antique Tractor and Engine Show.

Another must-see for visitors is Cypress Gardens. Used in 1720 for rice cultivation, the old rice reservoir is now referred to as the Cypress Gardens Swamp. It’s been the setting of 21 blockbuster movies, including Cold Mountain, the Notebook, and The Patriot. It has also been used as a backdrop for numerous national television commercials. Visitors can enjoy explore from in flat bottom boats or the many trails. Take a picnic, and explore the grounds, resplendent with thousands of azaleas, camellias, tea olives, winder Daphne, and daffodils. Be sure to save time for the Butterfly House, the Freshwater Aquarium and Reptile Center, the Antique Rose Garden, and the Daylily Display Garden. Rental facilities include a Wedding Gazebo and the Dean Hall Conference Center.

To catch a glimpse of the plantations of Berkeley County how about a scenic ride on the Cooper River with Captain Bo Gator’s Boat Tour, while listening to the history of the Swamp Fox Francis Marion or just looking at a field of water lilies with blue herons and egrets dotting the shore line. Whether it is historical or natural this is a tour you don’t want to miss!

If you want more sunshine, don your walking shoes and hit the Palmetto Trail. Or you may prefer to see it by bike or even by horseback. Campers can trek the two or three day journey around the 26-mile Lake Moultrie Passage or the 27-mile Swamp Fox Passage. There are numerous campsites along the trail.

Look for bald eagles in the National Audubon Society’s Francis Beidler Forest or swooping through the Francis Marion National Forest. Or glide by watercraft down the Blueways kayaking trails.

As you travel Berkeley County, you’ll find fifteen places to stop, pull over and view deer, see wading birds and other waterfowl, or glimpse alligators, turtles, and much of the other wildlife that’s so abundant in Berkeley County.

If all this nature has made you feel like you’re close to Heaven, then visit the monastery at Mepkin Abbey. You’ll find the Trappist monks either praying or working. Some folks come to spend several hours at Mepkin for the purpose of prayer, meditation, quiet, or the seeking of spiritual counsel. After checking in at the Reception Center upon arrival, the Church and Gardens are available for prayer and mediation. Tours are available at 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Mepkin is open six days a week between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday through Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. (Mepkin is closed on Mondays).

Shoppers will like the open air Coastal Carolina Flea Market and the booths by our talented local craftsmen and artists.

Sports enthusiasts will enjoy the world-class competition of the annual Family Circle Cup held on Daniel Island. The Family Circle is the oldest Tier I women’s event in the United States. Every April the greatest international tennis stars come here to compete for one of tennis’s most coveted trophies.

When the weather starts to cool off and the leaves begin changing colors, there’s no better place to spend the evening finding your way through the West Coast Farm Maze. Wander through the 3 acres, but don’t run into a dead end path!

Area Tours

Jefferies Power Station

Generating station for the Santee Cooper lake system. Conducted tours available with prior notification.

Travel South
If you’re thinking that a South Carolina Vacation would do you a world of good, you’d be absolutely right. Here’s why. South Carolina is not just one of the original American Colonies with a rich history and culture shaped by European, African and Caribbean influences. It’s not just sunny beaches, crystal lakes, historic towns, and scenic mountains. It’s not just a “place.” It’s an adventure.