Although less ornate than most of the mansions found in the Charleston area, the main house at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens is still worthy of a visit but the real draw here is the French-style garden and its inhabitants. Alligators, turtles and otters share the Audubon Swamp Garden and the on-site petting zoo and horticultural maze is a great place to bring the kids.
Other notable historic houses to consider are The Aiken-Rhett House Museum, the Nathaniel Russell House Museum and Middleton Place.
Beaches
Kick off your sight-seeing shoes and head for the sand at friendly Folly Beach. Just 12 miles south of downtown, the area’s most popular beach draws everyone – families, teens and couples, locals and visitors and is the perfect place to soak up some South Carolina sun. Surf the break, fish the pier or stroll the shoreline admiring the rentable ocean-front beach houses perched atop the sand dunes overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
The beach on Sullivan’s Island is another popular spot, both for its quiet natural beauty as well as its history. Stationed on the island’s Fort Moultrie in the 1820’s, acclaimed writer Edgar Allan Poe used the island’s setting as the backdrop for his short story ‘The Gold Bug’ and his stay here is celebrated by the popular drinking hole, Poe’s Tavern. Other points of interest include America’s last built lighthouse which offers an annual open-house tour for visitors throughout the month of May.
The Isle of Palms promises seemingly endless beaches and does not disappoint. Rent a beach house, enjoy an intimate inn or book a stay at the island’s famous Wild Dunes Resort. While more family oriented than Folly Beach, the 7 miles of shoreline just 16 miles east of the city is also a hot spot for golf enthusiasts with two Tom Fazio designed golf courses to tee off on.
Golf
From true links style to low-country forest and several oceanfront gems, Charleston and the surrounding area is packed with a variety of courses (about 20 of them) to suit just about every taste and skill level.
The Wild Dunes Resort on the Isle of Palms offers players two challenging courses, Harbor Course and the Links Course. While the former is a Tom Fazio-designed course and presents hazards such as marshes, lagoons and the Intracoastal Waterway, the latter is one of the most scenic in the entire country, bordered by centuries-old oak trees, massive dunes and marshland.
Edging the Wando River and Horlbeck Creek, the legendary Arnold Palmer-designed course at RiverTowne is blessed with picturesque fairways surrounded by towering pines and challenging yet ultra-scenic finishing holes.
The historic Country Club of Charleston was founded in 1786 and is the oldest course in the United States. Unfortunately, you’ll have to buddy up with a member as the highly exclusive course is only open to members and their guests.
To book your South Carolina holiday using Porter Airlines’ new non-stop service, call a Flight Centre Airfare Expert today at 1877 967 5302 or visit a Flight Centre location near you.