30 six of the best SOUTH CAROLINA 3 2 4
Charleston is South Carolina’s oldest and most beautiful city. Despite fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and war much of it has survived. Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbour is where the first shots of the American Civil War were fired in 1860 and the city’s historic district, which can be toured on foot or by horse- drawn carriage, has many buildings standing from before the late 18th century. SELL IT: The Dixie Finery fly/drive from Travelpack starts from Atlanta and includes Charleston. A nine-day option, costing from £1,359pp, with flights, features three nights in the city for clients to explore its antebellum mansions and Southern charm.
agents.travelpack.co.uk
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Carolina is perfect for a family holiday or relaxing beach getaway. Myrtle Beach is the state’s favourite playground, with a 1.2-mile boardwalk and promenade, beachside amusement parks, piers, a wealth of other attractions and activities galore. Pawleys Island, famed for its rope hammocks, offers a more laid-back and uncommercial ambience, while Hilton Head was named as one of America’s top 10 family beaches. SELL IT: Funway Holidays offers a 14-day South Carolina self-drive tour, priced from £1,299pp, featuring two nights in Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head.
funway4agents.co.uk
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BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS
South Carolina’s scenic north-west takes in part of the Blue Ridge Mountains – the highest point being Sassafras Mountain, at over 3,500 feet. State Highway 11, known as the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway, offers majestic views as it winds for more than
BEACHES With almost 200 miles of pristine beaches, South
CHARLESTON Founded more than 300 years ago,
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100 miles, going through or near eight mountain parks. There are also several
waterfalls along popular upstate hiking trails. Even the historic town of Greenville has a waterfall and
offers activities that include rafting, fishing and hiking. SELL IT: A 12-night South Carolina Discovery fly/drive from America As You Like It costs from £1,115pp including flights, car hire and accommodation, with two nights in Greenville.
americaasyoulikeit.com
are ideal for rice cultivation, much of which was shipped back to England. Grand plantation houses were at the heart of vast estates worked by hundreds of slaves. Many were burnt during the Civil War but some were rebuilt while others survived intact. Drayton Hall is the oldest preserved plantation house in the US open to the public. Magnolia Plantation has beautiful gardens and is still owned by descendants of the original family, while Middleton Place also has gardens and is now a museum showcase of plantation life. SELL IT: An eight-day Southern Charm escorted tour from Charleston to Jacksonville from Collette includes two nights in Charleston, with a visit to Boone Hall, one of America’s oldest working plantations. Prices start at £2,099pp and include return flights, some meals, airport transfers and excursions.
gocollette.com
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dotted along or close to the seaside destination’s 60-mile Grand Strand. Courses range from championship venues by world-renowned architects to great-value layouts where the whole family can play. On Kiawah Island, golfers can take on the famed Ocean Course, the setting for the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 US PGA
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GOLF Myrtle Beach has more than 100 golf courses
PLANTATIONS South Carolina’s lowcountry marshes and swamps
Championship. Hilton Head has another cluster of great courses and there are many more throughout the state, some of them in pristine state parks. SELL IT: Wholesaler Low Country Holidays offers a 14-night Dyeabolical Golf Trail out of Myrtle Beach, featuring rounds on six South Carolina gems designed by Pete Dye. Net prices for October 2015 are $3,214pp for a couples’ package, including accommodation in luxury resorts, 14 days’ Alamo Gold car rental and golf cart fees.
lowcountryholidays.com
slaves brought over to work on the rice plantations and their distinctive culture endures around Charleston and Beaufort, particularly on the Sea Islands. When plantations were abandoned in the late-1800s the Gullah communities became isolated and even today they still retain their heritage and their own language. SELL IT: An eight-day Charleston and Savannah tour through South Carolina from Tauck includes a presentation on Hilton Head Island of Gullah-flavoured folk tales. A creation of Beaufort County Sea Islands’ native Anita Singleton-Prather, based on her grandmother, Aunt Pearlie Sue, takes audiences on a journey from the roots of Gullah history in West Africa. Costing from £1,795pp, the tour excludes flights but includes transfers, accommodation, some meals and admission fees.
tauck.co.uk
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LEARN MORE… South Carolina will partner with Georgia and North Carolina in the autumn to undertake trade training in the UK. The events, which will visit London, Manchester and Ireland, will focus on local cuisine and destination highlights.
discoversouthcarolina.com
GULLAH CULTURE The Gullah people are descendants of African
Southern charm, seaside calm and historic cities await visitors to South
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Carolina. Peter Ellegard picks out the key reasons to sell the Palmetto State
sellingtravel.co.uk
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