25+ Interesting and Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About South Carolina

Best known for mouth-watering food, white sandy beaches, and golf, South Carolina is a small state that packs a big punch. Historical locations (think Civil War and Fort Sumter), live oaks draping Spanish moss, and friendly atmospheres are a few aspects of South Carolina that keep visitors returning year after year.

What Makes South Carolina Famous

• Beaches
• Culinary Scene
• Live Oak Trees with draping Spanish moss
• Palmettos
• America’s only Tea Plantation

Southern hospitality is bred into South Carolina residents and passed down from generation to generation. Friendly store owners, employees, and citizens repeat the state’s famous saying, ‘Bless Your Heart’. Depending on the situation, this phrase can either be a positive statement or a passive-aggressive insult.

South Carolina is the mini-golf capital of the world. Myrtle Beach offers more than 50 mini-golf courses throughout the tourist town. It is also the home of the U.S. Pro Mini Golf Association Master’s National Championship course.

While the state is famous for the creation of sweet, iced tea, there’s actually another beverage that claims the title of official state drink: milk. The state drink can be traced back to one of the many dairies and creameries throughout the state, including Happy Cow Creamery just outside of Greenville.

Regions and Cities

South Carolina contains three main regions: the Lowcountry, the Upcountry, and the Backcountry. Famous for its beaches, historic districts, and beautiful golf courses, its most well-known cities are Charleston, Greenville, Florence, Spartanburg, Columbia, and Myrtle Beach.

Lowcountry

The name “Lowcountry” comes from the landscape of the southern section of South Carolina and northern Georgia. This area includes the coastal region between the salt marshes/sand dunes and Piedmont’s rolling hills.

Lowcountry makes up the southernmost tip of the state, with a large portion sitting at, or below, sea level.

This region features over 350,000 acres and is known as the ACE Basin. One of the largest estuaries on the Atlantic coastline, it is a paradise for outdoorsmen. Perfect for hiking, bird watching, water sports or picnics, ACE Basin has untouched, natural beauty as far as the eye can see.

Some of the cities within the Lowcountry include Beaufort, Charleston, Bamberg, and Hampton. Beaufort is a military town, while Charleston is a foodie’s mecca.

Morgan Island

A short boat ride away from Beaufort’s coastline is a location famous for its ‘monkey business’. This island is home to nearly 4,000 Rhesus monkeys. Residents of the island since 1979, they freely roam about in a natural habitat.

Owned by the National Institute of Health, the company bans visitors from stepping foot on the island, but observing the monkeys from a boat is acceptable. Arrive early in the morning for the best experience. Rhesus monkeys are most active and noisy during this part of the day.

Upcountry

Also known as Upstate South Carolina, this region is located within the northwestern portion of the state. Famous for waterfalls, mountains, and lakes, this region is an outdoor paradise. The clearest lake within the state is Lake Jocassee. Its crystal clear, cool waters create a popular swimming hole.

Stretching over 6,100 miles and 10 counties, this region had a population of 1,487,610 back in 2020. Also known as Charlanta, the Upstate is between Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte.

Some cities within Upcountry include Greenville, which is the largest of the group, along with Abbeville, Clinton, Anderson, and Greenwood.

Backcountry

The term Backcountry dates back to the colonial periods. It was basically unsettled until the middle of the 18th century. The area is roughly 50 miles inland, reaching all the way to the mountains. In 1776, the Cherokee War broke out in this area. The first white people to settle in the Backcountry were ‘uncivilized’, according to the plantation owners in Charleston and the rest of the Lowcountry.

Fast South Carolina Facts

• Nickname: The Palmetto State
• State Birthday: May 23, 1788
• Eighth state to join union.
• Land Area: 32,000 square miles
• Population: five million
• Capital: Columbia
• Largest City: Charleston
• Abbreviation: SC
• Coastline Length: 187 miles
• State Nickname: The Palmetto State
• State bird: Carolina Wren
• State Reptile: loggerhead turtle
• State Amphibian: spotted salamander
• State flower: yellow jasmine
• State fruit: peach
• State Tree: cabbage palmetto (featured on the state flag)
• State Motto: ‘While I Breathe, I Hope’
• State Animal: white-tail deer

The Famous

• The famous pirate, Blackbeard, was originally from the state.
• James Brown, the ‘Godfather of Soul’, was born in Barnswell.
• Charleston inspired Edgar Allen Poe’s The Gold Bug. Poe enlisted in the military and lived at Fort Moultrie for almost a year.
• Before he starred on Criminal Minds, SC native Thomas Gibson took some classes at the College of Charleston. He then attended the Juilliard School.
• Country artist and former leader of the ‘Blowfish’, Darius Rucker was born in Charleston and has made the city proud with his successful music career.

 The Oldest

Known as a living fossil, the Gingko Biloba tree is one of the oldest living tree species that dates back to a time before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. These trees grow on Sumpter Island.

The Angel Oak Tree is also one of the oldest living things in the country. It resides on John’s Island, just a short distance from Charleston. It is estimated to be about 500 years old. The limbs of the tree span 187 feet and its height is an impressive 66.5 feet.

This tree is the oldest living, breathing thing east of the Mississippi River.

The oldest soda in the state is Blenheim Ginger Ale. It has distributed bottles since 1903.

The Largest

• The largest Ginkgo farm in the world lies near Sumter, South Carolina. The Champion trees, the largest specimen of their kind, reside here.
• John’s Island is the largest island in the state.
• The world’s largest sweet tea weighs over 2,500 pounds and stands 15 feet tall.

Firsts

• The first European settlement in North America happened in 1526 in SC.
• South Carolina was one of the 13 original colonies that the British established back in 1663.
• The U.S.’s first ambassador to Mexico was South Carolina native, Joel Roberts Poinsett.
• Ambassador Poinsett introduced the nation’s first Poinsettia plant in 1825 when he shipped specimens to his South Carolina greenhouse.
• During the years leading up to the Civil War, the first state to leave the Union was South Carolina. They rejoined the nation three years after the end of the war, in 1868.
• The first Civil War battle played out in Fort Sumter on April 12-14, 1861. Located on the Charleston Harbor, this battlefield is a popular tourist stop today.
• The first commercial tea farm is in South Carolina, leading to the creation of the southern staple drink.
• The first known golf club shipment arrived in Charleston back in 1739.
• The first golf club in the United States was founded in Charleston in 1786.
• The first golf course in the nation, the Harleston Green, was also in Charleston.

Inventors

Want more South Carolina facts? Two Charleston inventors created soda water in 1810. Simmons and Rundell received a patent for imitation mineral water, which paved the way for soda fountains and soft drinks.

George Washington Murray received patents for a fertilizer distributor and furrow opener, along with the cotton chopper.

Gerald L. Barber is the inventor of free-fall amusement park rides. Additionally, this man from Greenville, South Carolina created of wind turbines and owns the patent.

Another great from Charleston, inventor Ernest Just was born there in 1883. He invented egg fertilization.

The artist of X-Men comic books spent most of his life in Belton, SC.

What Food is South Carolina Best Known For?

Frogmore Stew

Those who haven’t heard of Frogmore Stew would likely think it is some sort of amphibian soup. However, it isn’t named for its ingredients, but rather for the town that created it. Frogmore stew was created in a small fishing community in the Lowcountry. In between Beaufort and Hilton Head, St. Helena Island houses the community of Frogmore. Also called Lowcountry boil or Beaufort stew, the key ingredient in the savory dish is shrimp. Other staple ingredients are corn, sausage, and potatoes.

Shrimp and Grits

The perfect comfort food, shrimp and grits has become an anytime meal over several generations.

Oyster Roasts

Another of South Carolina’s yummy culinary delights is oyster roasts.

Sweet Iced Tea

The birthplace of sweet tea is Summerville, SC. Just outside of Charleston, this town is credited with creating a drink recipe famous throughout the nation. The summertime favorite can be traced back to the 1890s, when Summerville guests purchased the beverage for a reunion of soldiers.

Boiled Peanuts

When they aren’t being dunked into a bottle of Coke, peanuts are boiled and served up at restaurants and gas stations across the state.

Peaches, Please.

It might surprise many that South Carolina actually produces more peaches than Georgia. Even though Georgia proudly features peaches on their license plates, the state’s northern neighbor is just a bit ‘peachier’.

South Carolina takes in three times the number of peaches that Georgia harvests yearly. The fruit has been grown in this state since the 1860s.

Even with an impressive 10,400 tons of peaches in 2017, South Carolina is still second to California, the top peach producer in the United States.

BBQ

While this is always debated, many believe the birth of BBQ happened within the Palmetto State. Legend has it that Native Americans taught the mouthwatering technique to the colonists residing in South Carolina.

Today, South Carolina is the only state in the nation to have four official BBQ sauces. One of them is a mustard-based sauce unique to the state.

A rich history, inventors, and list of ‘firsts’ make the Palmetto State a unique destination. These 25+ South Carolina facts shine a light on what makes the state so wonderful. Though not the largest state in the country, South Carolina is big on history, big on flavor, and big on southern hospitality.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © photo.ua/Shutterstock.com