South Carolina - Cultural Destinations
- By Smithsonian.com
- Smithsonian.com, November 08, 2007, Subscribe
Steeplechase races at the Springdale Race Course in Camden are a national-level equestrian event. Courtesy of the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Aiken-Rhett House
Built in 1818 and expanded and remodeled by Gov. William Aiken Jr., this palatial residence showcases city life in antebellum Charleston. Aiken and his wife traveled to Europe and bought magnificent crystal and bronze chandeliers, classical sculptures and paintings to furnish the house. Many of these objects still remain. The intact work yard is one of the nation's most complete and compelling examples of African-American urban life. Original outbuildings include the kitchens, slave quarters, stables, privies and garden follies.
Andrew Jackson Museum and Andrew Jackson State Park
The Lancaster County museum tells the story of Jackson's boyhood experiences during the Revolutionary War and highlights life in the South Carolina backcountry, from Jackson's birth in 1767 until he left South Carolina in 1784.
Antiquers Haven Museum And Shop
The South's largest collection of antiques. A seven-room house is furnished with 1690 to 1890 period pieces, clothing, toys, guns, and fine china. In the Emporium, read an 1863 newspaper account of the attack on Ft. Sumter. Check out the medicines, fashionable jewelry and salesman samples. There is an 1887 barbershop with its bleeding bowl, a tavern with an 1800 bar and 1860 pool table, and a dentist office with a foot-powered dental drill and folding chair for traveling. Twenty vintage automobiles date from 1904 to 1934.
Catawba Cultural Center
Located in Rock Hill, the center offers exhibits, videos and guided tours about the Catawba Indian Nation. A craft store, which features the distinctive Catawba pottery and nature trail also are open.
Charleston Museum
South Carolina history begins at America's first museum. Since 1773, the Charleston Museum has collected and preserved artifacts pertaining to the cultural and natural history of the Lowcountry. Visitors of all ages will be transported back through time, viewing everything from ancient fossils and an enormous whale skeleton to elegant costumes and Charleston silver. The museum also is noted for its exhibits on African-American history, crafts and slavery.
Children's Museum Of South Carolina
From discovering fossils at the Fossil Hunt to sailing the high seas on the U.S.S. Kids Afloat, all of the exhibits at this Myrtle Beach museum are designed with one thing in mind—fun.
Children's Museum Of The Lowcountry
This interactive children's museums in Charleston offers children ages three months to 12 years and their families the chance to cast nets and count the catch, steer the boat through stormy waters, cook dinner and hear the sounds of ocean life on a 30-foot Shrimping Trawler. Kids can also dress up in Medieval costume in the Castle Stories area or put on puppet shows.
Columbia Museum of Art
The Columbia Museum of Art is South Carolina's premier international art museum with extraordinary collections of European and American fine and decorative art, including an impressive collection of Asian art and famous pieces such as Sandro Botticelli's "Nativity," Canaletto's "View of the Molo" and Claude Monet's "The Seine at Giverny," as well as art glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany
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