9 Amazing South Carolina Day Trips That Are Worth The Drive

There are three international airports in South Carolina: the Charleston International Airport, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in Greer, and Myrtle Beach International Airport. All three of these cities are ideal spots for day trips, with Charleston offering crash courses in maritime history and aquatic life, Greer providing mountaintop views and vintage car museums, and Myrtle Beach providing easy access to Atlantic Ocean beaches.

Of these day trips, all are either right within the airport's city or within an hour's drive. This makes it easy to knock out multiple of these stops during a long weekend stay, such as hitting up Myrtle Beach's thrilling coastline amusement park one day, and a historic beach 30 minutes away the next. For your next flight into South Carolina, here are 9 amazing day trips that are worth the drive.

Starting City: Charleston

South Carolina Aquarium

This nonprofit aquarium in the heart of Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the best first stops when you arrive to learn about the rich maritime wildlife in the state and beyond. Families will enjoy stopping in and seeing the more than 5,000 animals that live here. Just to name a few, there's the river otter, nurse shark, and bright green moray eel. Birds of prey also live at the aquarium, such as Liberty, the resident bald eagle.

The aquarium accommodates all types of people, with the Kids Coast exhibit offering hands-on activities for children, and the Aquarium Aglow holiday events open for adults looking for an illuminating night out. For virtual reality enthusiasts, the aquarium offers an Undersea Explorer VR experience that lets you swim through the ocean with sharks and humpback whales.

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

To the east of Charleston is the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, which offers a treasure trove of US naval history and boats. Its top attraction is the USS Yorktown, a more than 27,000-ton aircraft carrier commissioned in 1943. It was named after another boat of the same name that was sunk during the Battle of Midway in 1942. This ship on display followed in its forebears' footsteps, fighting in multiple Pacific-front battles during World War II.

You can board the Yorktown and see how naval crews lived and fought on the ships, or learn about Medal of Honor recipients at the Medal of Honor Museum housed in the aircraft. Once you step off the USS Yorktown, you can learn about the Vietnam War via The Vietnam Experience, featuring five helicopters from the Vietnam War, a river patrol boat, and weapons from the time.

Kiawah Island

Kiawah Island is an Atlantic barrier island that provides a peaceful beachside and golfing destination less than an hour's drive away from Charleston. On the west end of the island is the Kiawah Beachwalker Park, a beach where the Kiawah River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Here, you can walk over a boardwalk to the swimming area with lifeguards on duty during the summer months.

Bikers and hikers can go out on the 30 miles of paved trails throughout the island, while golfers can head out to one of the many golf courses spread throughout the island. A popular favorite is the Cougar Point Golf Course, a scenic course with marsh vistas and paspalum greens. There's also The Ocean Course, the most challenging on the island because of the ever-present and unpredictable sea breeze.

Starting City: Greer

The Ultimate Driving Museum

This car museum, owned by the BMW Car Club of America Foundation, displays vintage BMW cars and motorcycles spanning the decades. Reviewers have noted that it is among the best collections of BMW vehicles they've ever seen.

The vehicles on the display include lesser-known automobiles such as the 1986 M Cart used as a pit cart for the McLaren North American racing season and the 1970 E9 2800 CS. The museum has a regularly changing set of exhibits, with its next exhibition, BMW M3: 40 Years of Evolution, planned to open in May 2026. These cars are in pristine condition, so guests aren't allowed to touch them, but they may take photos and learn about their unique history, engineering, and design.

Falls Park On The Reedy

Driving 20 minutes from the Greenville-Spartanburg airport to downtown Greenville, you can visit an urban park that feels like it belongs in the woods: the Falls Park on the Reedy. The park has a 345-foot-long suspension bridge, supported by cables on one side, so guests can get an up-close view of Reedy River Falls. This park is considered a central and historic area of the city. Once home to Cherokee Indians, the first settlers to live in the region did so largely because of the waterfall. In the 19th century, facilities for iron, paper, corn, and a sawmill all utilized the water from the Reedy River. Today, a wall from a 1776 grist mill is still preserved.

Throughout the park are several sculptures that celebrate the natural beauty of Greenville, such as Fall Lake Falls, which resembles water flowing into a floating bowl and then cascading onto a surface. Within the park is the French restaurant Passerelle Bistro for you to grab a bite to eat before hitting the road for your next destination.

Caesars Head State Park

The Blue Ridge Mountains cut through South Carolina's border with North Carolina. By driving 55 miles north of Greer, you can reach one of the best mountain views in South Carolina at Caesars Head State Park.

The park gets its name from a granite outcropping called Caesars Head, located along the Blue Ridge Escarpment and visible from an overlook in the park. Exploring the park further takes you through the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, where the Middle Saluda River flows right into the Escarpment and contributes to several waterfalls. One of these is Raven Cliff Falls, a 420-foot waterfall among the tallest in the eastern US. Within the river, anglers can expect to find brook, rainbow, and brown trout. If you plan to fish, you'll need to obtain a South Carolina fishing license before doing so.

Starting City: Myrtle Beach

Family Kingdom Amusement Park

Myrtle Beach is a major tourist destination with its sandy Atlantic beaches, museums, and coastside shopping outlets. For thrill-seeking families, the Family Kingdom Amusement Park is a must-visit. It's one of the largest amusement parks on the Carolina coast, with rides for folks of all ages and heights. Children can ride the Kiddie Tea Cups or the Dragon Coaster, while older children and adults can ride the classic Swamp Fox Roller Coaster, which opened in 1966.

The park has added many new rides in recent years, from The Colossus, which simulates a ship on the high seas, to the 70-foot-tall Flip Side, which flips guests through the air at heights up to 40 feet above the ground. The fastest ride here is the Sling Shot, which shoots guests up 300 feet at over 120 miles per hour.

Huntington Beach State Park

There are many beaches in the middle of Myrtle Beach, but to find the best one, you have to drive a bit out east to Huntington Beach State Park. This park is quieter than the ones in downtown Myrtle Beach, and is home to 3 miles of clean beaches where you can go swimming, surf fishing, or watch wildlife, such as the more than 300 species of birds that come here. The Nature Center at the park provides exhibits on all the birds and marine life you might see here.

The Huntington Beach State Park was given to the state by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington, and their Moorish Revival-style home, Atalaya, is still here. Built in 1931, it borrows heavily from common Moroccan styles and from the Andalusian period of Spanish history, with a square tower and fig vines along its walls.

Waties Island

The barrier island of Waties Island is a largely untouched landscape, making it one of the most private destinations on the South Carolina coast. You'll feel like a true explorer making your way out to this island, which is just past Cherry Grove Beach and is accessible by paddling or kayaking through the marsh or by taking a horse tour from Inlet Point Plantation Stables.

From here, how you choose to explore the island is up to you. You can go birdwatching for bald eagles, blue herons, marsh hens, and more, or you can take out your camera to snap a picture of loggerhead sea turtles and bottlenose dolphins, which swim up to the shore. You can also look for seashells or sand dollars on the pristine beaches. Just remember that this area is protected, so ensure your presence doesn't disturb the valuable ecosystem.

Hit The Beach, Mountains, Or Museums

These day trips offer plenty of options depending on the city you start in. From Charleston, you can see marine life, or maritime military history, or make your way out to a golfer's paradise in Kiawah Island. From Greer, you can easily reach the Blue Ridge Mountains, while Myrtle Beach has close access to sandy beaches, and an undeveloped island ideal for those who really want to get away for their day trip. The next time you fly into South Carolina, consider taking a day or two to see these attractions; it might just become the highlight of your trip.