Known for its subtropical beaches, stately plantations, sea islands and "low and slow" barbecue, South Carolina gives visitors plenty to be excited about. While many travelers stick to the state's coastal regions, the inland areas offer a wealth of attractions as well.
We asked a panel of South Carolina travel writers and photographers to nominate their favorite attractions in the state, and for the past four weeks, 10Best readers have been voting for their favorites.
The top 10 winners in the category Best South Carolina Attraction are as follows:
- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden - Columbia
- Greenville County Museum of Art - Greenville
- Middleton Place - Charleston
- Brookgreen Gardens - Murrells Inlet
- Falls Park on the Reedy - Greenville
- South Carolina State Museum - Columbia
- Fort Sumter National Monument - Charleston
- USS Yorktown - Mount Pleasant
- BMW Performance Driving School - Greer
- Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & SkyWheel - Myrtle Beach
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Katie McElveen, Renata Parker, Ramsey Qubein (RamseyQ.com), Lynn and Cele Seldon (www.seldonink.com), Travis Seward, Kristy Tolley and Maggie Tuten Tyner were chosen based on their knowledge and experience of travel in South Carolina.
Congratulations to all these winning attractions.
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The Experts
Katie McElveen
Travel and lifestyle writer Katie McElveen... Read More
Travel and lifestyle writer Katie McElveen discovered the joy of wandering when, as a teenager, she made a wrong turn in rural South Carolina on the way to a family vacation and ended up taking back roads all the way to the beach. Since then, she hasn’t stopped exploring, although now she always travels with a map and more than $3.00 in cash. In addition to Columbia Living, Katie has shared her discoveries in magazines such as Real Simple, USA TODAY, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, Islands, Global Traveler, Charleston Living, Wilmington Magazine and AAA Go.
Katie McElveen
Travel and lifestyle writer Katie McElveen discovered the joy of wandering when, as a teenager, she made a wrong turn in rural South Carolina on the way to a family vacation and ended up taking back roads all the way to the beach. Since then, she hasn’t stopped exploring, although now she always travels with a map and more than $3.00 in cash. In addition to Columbia Living, Katie has shared her discoveries in magazines such as Real Simple, USA TODAY, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, Islands, Global Traveler, Charleston Living, Wilmington Magazine and AAA Go.
Renata Parker
Renata Parker is the destinations and dining out... Read More
Renata Parker is the destinations and dining out feature writer and photographer for TALK magazine, a luxury lifestyle magazine published in Greenville, South Carolina, #yeahTHATgreenville. With over 250+ published features, she has traveled to and covered a number of restaurants, resorts, spas, and travel destinations worldwide. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Renata Parker
Renata Parker is the destinations and dining out feature writer and photographer for TALK magazine, a luxury lifestyle magazine published in Greenville, South Carolina, #yeahTHATgreenville. With over 250+ published features, she has traveled to and covered a number of restaurants, resorts, spas, and travel destinations worldwide. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Ramsey Qubein
Ramsey Qubein covers the hotel, cruise and airline... Read More
Ramsey Qubein covers the hotel, cruise and airline industry from every corner of the globe for numerous publications including USAToday.com, AFAR, Business Traveler, Airways and Northstar Travel Media. He has traveled to 166 countries and lived abroad in both Madrid and Paris, but makes the Carolinas his permanent home. Ramsey is highly recognized as an expert in travel loyalty programs, business travel and the luxury travel segment and flies more than 400,000 miles per year and estimates he has circumnavigated the globe over 500 times. Follow his travels on Twitter and Instagram as DailyTravelTips, or read his latest articles on his website RamseyQ.com.
Ramsey Qubein
Ramsey Qubein covers the hotel, cruise and airline industry from every corner of the globe for numerous publications including USAToday.com, AFAR, Business Traveler, Airways and Northstar Travel Media. He has traveled to 166 countries and lived abroad in both Madrid and Paris, but makes the Carolinas his permanent home. Ramsey is highly recognized as an expert in travel loyalty programs, business travel and the luxury travel segment and flies more than 400,000 miles per year and estimates he has circumnavigated the globe over 500 times. Follow his travels on Twitter and Instagram as DailyTravelTips, or read his latest articles on his website RamseyQ.com.
Lynn and Cele Seldon
Lynn and Cele Seldon make up the team that is... Read More
Lynn and Cele Seldon make up the team that is Seldon Ink and have spent more than 25 years covering all aspects of culinary and travel writing. With a keen focus on the Southeast and a particular love of the Carolinas, they have written dozens of magazine and newspaper articles about the area and have become self-professed experts along the way. Their work has appeared in Southern Living, Taste of the South, The Local Palate, Cruise Travel, South Carolina Living, South Carolina Magazine, TrailBlazer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Charlotte Observer, various in-flight publications and many AAA magazines. They are also the authors of 100 Things To Do In Charleston Before You Die from Reedy Press. Follow along on their adventures at www.seldonink.com or @seldonink.
Lynn and Cele Seldon
Lynn and Cele Seldon make up the team that is Seldon Ink and have spent more than 25 years covering all aspects of culinary and travel writing. With a keen focus on the Southeast and a particular love of the Carolinas, they have written dozens of magazine and newspaper articles about the area and have become self-professed experts along the way. Their work has appeared in Southern Living, Taste of the South, The Local Palate, Cruise Travel, South Carolina Living, South Carolina Magazine, TrailBlazer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Charlotte Observer, various in-flight publications and many AAA magazines. They are also the authors of 100 Things To Do In Charleston Before You Die from Reedy Press. Follow along on their adventures at www.seldonink.com or @seldonink.
Travis Seward
Travis has more than a decade of experience in... Read More
Travis has more than a decade of experience in print and online travel publishing. Outside of work, he indulges in various creative projects, enjoys theater and the arts, hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains and frequently visits Charleston and the South Carolina coast. But food is his passion! Whether at home or away, you’ll find him planning a meal, baking for friends, tracking down a hole-in-the wall ethnic restaurant or sipping champagne before savoring a seven-course tasting menu.
Travis Seward
Travis has more than a decade of experience in print and online travel publishing. Outside of work, he indulges in various creative projects, enjoys theater and the arts, hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains and frequently visits Charleston and the South Carolina coast. But food is his passion! Whether at home or away, you’ll find him planning a meal, baking for friends, tracking down a hole-in-the wall ethnic restaurant or sipping champagne before savoring a seven-course tasting menu.
Kristy Tolley
Kristy Tolley is the editor of GO Magazine and... Read More
Kristy Tolley is the editor of GO Magazine and Traveler, AAA Carolinas’ member and travel publications. Previously, she was a freelance travel writer and copywriter for businesses in the travel and hospitality industries for over 18 years. She never passes up an opportunity to visit new destinations anywhere in the world, but road trips throughout North Carolina and South Carolina have been the source of some of her fondest adventures. Follow her shenanigans on Instagram and Twitter.
Kristy Tolley
Kristy Tolley is the editor of GO Magazine and Traveler, AAA Carolinas’ member and travel publications. Previously, she was a freelance travel writer and copywriter for businesses in the travel and hospitality industries for over 18 years. She never passes up an opportunity to visit new destinations anywhere in the world, but road trips throughout North Carolina and South Carolina have been the source of some of her fondest adventures. Follow her shenanigans on Instagram and Twitter.
Maggie Tuten Tyner
Maggie wasn't born in Greenville, S.C., but she... Read More
Maggie wasn't born in Greenville, S.C., but she was certainly raised here, having called this her home for the last 20+ years. She even graduated from local Furman University and went to work as an editor for 10Best shortly thereafter. Her daydreams come mainly in the form of screenplays and novels, and her free time is spent watching movies, enjoying the gorgeous surrounding foothills or exploring the Greenville food scene – almost always alongside her husband.
Maggie Tuten Tyner
Maggie wasn't born in Greenville, S.C., but she was certainly raised here, having called this her home for the last 20+ years. She even graduated from local Furman University and went to work as an editor for 10Best shortly thereafter. Her daydreams come mainly in the form of screenplays and novels, and her free time is spent watching movies, enjoying the gorgeous surrounding foothills or exploring the Greenville food scene – almost always alongside her husband.
