History you can experience firsthand

One notable historical discovery in Berkeley is Fort Fair Lawn: it preserves one of only two intact forts from the American Revolutionary War era in South Carolina. The tour follows a 1.75-mile network of trails, with interpretive signs and an interpretive center to accompany your visit. Picnic facilities are also available.

Old Santee Canal Park recalls the construction of the first true canal in America. The park is also home to Stony Landing House, built in 1843. Four miles of boardwalks wind through the quiet backwaters of Biggin Creek and the surrounding swamp. This site brings together the canal’s history, a historic building and the swamp landscape, offering different points of interest for visitors.

At the Berkeley County Museum in Moncks Corner, you can explore 300 years of Berkeley County history. Permanent and rotating exhibits, educational programs and genealogical research services offer a variety of ways to engage: explore history through the exhibits or delve into family history. Admission to the museum is free.

Tours at Mepkin Abbey offer a different perspective, explaining monastic life. While the museum covers the history of Berkeley County, these tours focus on life in the monastery.

Waterways, Swamps and Nature Watching

The Berkeley Blueways network includes 31 kayak routes and more than 270 miles of paddling opportunities. Named endpoints can also help you choose a specific route: the Quinby Creek / Huger Creek paddle route begins at Ralph Hamer Sr. Landing and ends at Huger Recreation Area Landing. Alongside an overview of the larger network, this provides a route with clearly identified start and end points.

On foot, you can explore the Swamp Fox Passage on the Palmetto Trail: at about 47 miles, it is the trail’s longest section. In Francis Marion National Forest, it passes through four distinct ecosystems—swamps, longleaf pine forests, savannas and cypress ponds. Three access points make it possible to take either a long hike or shorter day trips. Near trail marker 43, the Swamp Fox Passage also provides access to the Wadboo Creek Canoe Trail.

Cypress Gardens also brings together a variety of nature experiences. The Butterfly House is a climate-controlled greenhouse where hundreds of butterflies fly freely. The Swamparium showcases fish, amphibians and reptiles native to the local swamps and waters. On Swamp Boat Adventures, you can paddle along marked paths, depending on local conditions, and look out for alligators, birds, turtles, water lilies and other swamp wildlife and plants.

“Cypress Gardens: Lights, Camera, Action” adds a film-history perspective: the attraction takes you to filming locations for well-known movies and TV series at Cypress Gardens and shares their film history. Discoveries here range from regional history and monastic life to paddling routes, swamp ecosystems and film history—topics you can explore in different ways depending on your interests.

Explore more destinations: Goose Creek, Moncks Corner, Hanahan, St. Stephen, Cherokee County, Beaufort, Marlboro County, Jasper County.

For the main travel overview: South Carolina.