The small state of
South Carolina is dominated by agriculture, with rolling hills and fertile farmland making up the interior and attractive plantations along the coast. The flat plains and the undulating pastoral landscapes hold little of interest for the visitor; the South Carolina coast is the true jewel of the state and has most of the attractions.
Miles of white sandy seashore stretch from the
Grand Strand in the north to the mouth of the
Savannah River in the south. The glitzy heart of the coast is the popular tourist resort of
Myrtle Beach that is famous for its family entertainment,
amusement park attractions and recreational activities, especially golf. A string of resorts are dotted along the coast to historic
Georgetown, sitting between the carnival atmosphere of Myrtle Beach and the old port grandeur of
Charleston, one of the most elegant cities in the country. South of Charleston the coastline breaks up into small marshy islands that preserve traces of the Gullah culture. These Sea Islands are home to black communities, descendants of the West African slaves brought to the plantations who were given land when they were freed in 1865, and who speak a dialect known as Gullah that is unique to the African-Americans of the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia.
South Carolina, nicknamed the 'palmetto state', has a rich history that is documented in the beautiful historic district of Charleston, Civil War sites, including
Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, and the restored plantation estates. In the 1800s the state depended heavily on slave labor to work the plantations, and as a result was the first state to secede from the Union and was a leader in the dispute over slavery.
