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Nature Tourism

The South Carolina Lowcountry Region offers a wide variety of activities, including the ACE Basin.  The Basin has 350,000 acres of cypress swamps, saltwater marsh, beach, woodlands and small coastal communities bounded by the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers.

It’s the largest estuary of its kind on the East Coast, home to endangered species as wood storks, short nose sturgeon, loggerhead turtles and bald eagles sharing the bounty of the land and sea with human endeavors such as vegetable farming, shrimping and recreational fishing. If paddling is your passion, Kayak the Combahee River.

Edisto Beach State Park has cabins, an oceanfront campground, nature trail. The  Edisto Interpretative Center offers exhibits and programs.  Nearby is the Edisto Serpentarium which has 1,000 snakes, alligator pits, turtles, lizards, interpretations and natural history artifacts.

Traveling south on U.S. 17 brings you to the small community of Jacksonboro and the Edisto River. Edisto Nature Trail features fauna, flora and historical landmarks such as the old King’s Highway (dating from 1700), old rice field banks and an old phosphate plant site.

Bear Island Wildlife Management Area(WMA) provides a haven for shore and wading birds and self-guided driving trails across old rice fields.  On U.S. 17 is Donnelley WMA in Greenpond – 8,048 acre of wetland and upland habits including rice fields, forested wetland, tidal marsh, and upland forest types.  Both are excellent sites for wildlife viewing.

Travel east toward I-95 to the Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary. The 842-acre Sanctuary features what may be the only “braided creek” swamp accessible to the public.  A network of boardwalks, hiking, biking and canoe trails provide a perfect vantage point to observe the diversity of wildlife inhabiting the black water bottomland. The most historically significant of these paths follows the Colonial-era Charleston-to-Savannah Stagecoach Road still bearing the cypress remnants of long-fallen bridges.

From Walterboro, it’s an easy drive on SC Highway 63 to Hampton and Lake Warren State Park (or via I-95, Exit 38).  The park features picnic facilities, a spacious lake for fishing and boating, and a community building.

The Hampton County park boasts a floodplain forest that supports four species of pines and other large tracts of wetlands and woodlands. These are home to a wide variety of plants and animals including whitetail deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, migratory songbirds, armadillos and American alligators.

In addition to its 200-acre lake, Lake Warren also has two nature trails, playground equipment for an ideal day at the park in South Carolina’s beautiful Lowcountry woodlands.

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Visit the Lowcountry Visitors Center & Museum (Frampton Plantation) to pick up maps and area information.  From the Frampton House, it’s only a 30 minute drive to historic Beaufort and Port Royal.

Driving U.S. 21 will bring you to the most popular state park in South Carolina, Hunting Island State Park, with its miles of beach, campground, cabins, fishing pier, jungle-like interior, interpretive center, historic light house and buildings, and fascinating programs.  The pristine sandy beach, natural setting, and warm Atlantic Ocean make a perfect getaway. Hunting Island features a campground, which has spaces for RV’s and tent campers, as well as a primitive camp site for established groups. The camping area has very easy access to the beach.

The Hunting Island Lighthouse is the only lighthouse open to the public to climb in the State. Get a breathtaking view of the ocean, beach and the marshland.

Fishing is popular in the lagoon, and on the fishing pier which reaches 1120 feet into Fripp Inlet. Located at the pier entrance, is the Nature Center, which has exhibits of the local wildlife and marine life.

With its nature trails, visitor center, natural beach and even a boat landing, Hunting Island State Park, filming location for several major motion pictures (including the Viet Nam scenes in “Forrest Gump”) is not just another beach: it’s a nature and wildlife paradise.

Taking I-95 south to Exit 21 at Ridgeland, you can explore both the Blue Heron Nature Trail and the Blue Heron Learning Center.  This is an easy .6-mile loop trail, which is a combination of recycled rubber, boardwalk, and brick within the garden. You will circle a pond, which is home to fish, turtles, ducks, wading herons, and several assorted alligators, the largest about four feet in length. Depending on the season, you will be treated to a variety of butterflies attracted to flowers in a special butterfly shaped garden. Feeders in a backyard habitat attract birds, and food dispensers on the banks of the pond attract ducks and turtles. Light displays sponsored by local businesses are lit during the holiday season.  The Blue Heron Learning Center has nature displays, meeting rooms, and restrooms.

Not far from Ridgeland is the Webb Wildlife Center, bordering the historical Savannah River. The 5,866 acre wildlife center provide excellent viewing of deer, wild turkeys, bobwhite quail, gray squirrel and many types of birds. Regulated hunting during seasons.

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge located on Hwy 17, north of the Georgia border.  A self-guided 3-mile drive through old rice field dikes provides views of alligators, wading and marsh birds, and old rice fields. The refuge consists of over 29,000 acres of freshwater marshes, tidal rivers and creeks and bottomland hardwoods.

Bluffton is home to the Victoria Bluff Wildlife Management Area where you can enjoy controlled hiking, bird watching, picnicking and camping

Crossing from the mainland to Hilton Head on US 278, you pass the entrance to Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge.  The 4,053 acre refuge includes Pinckney Island, Corn Island, Big and Little Harry Islands, and Buzzard Island. Pinckney is the largest of the islands and the only one open to public use. Nearly 67% of the refuge consists of salt marsh and tidal creeks. A wide variety of land types are found on Pinckney Island alone: salt marsh, forestland, brushland, fallow field and freshwater ponds. In combination, these habitats support a diversity of bird and plant life. Wildlife commonly observed on Pinckney Island include waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, neo-tropical migrants, white-tailed deer and American alligators, with large concentrations of white ibis, herons, and egrets.

On Hilton Head Island, located just is Jarvis Creek Park. You can enjoy freshwater pond fishing, floating dock, playground, grass meadow, picnic facilities, grills, swings, paved pathways, mulched trails and restrooms.  And on the south end of the Island, within Sea Pines Plantation is the 605-acre Sea Pines Forest Preserve has 8 miles of trails that follow ante-bellum rice dikes from the 1840s and old logging trails from the 1950s. Bridle paths, wetland boardwalks, observation decks, bridges, and fishing docks have been added to improve visitor access. The trails are open from sunrise to sunset.  There is a fishing pond and an Indian Shell Ring –early native Indians left their history in large rings of shells. There is a self-guided tour brochure, and guided nature walks are available on a limited schedule.

Nature Tours.  If you are interested in a guided nature tour, please see our TOURS page

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The Lowcountry & Resort Islands Region of South Carolina includes the four, southern-most counties in the state, Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, and Colleton, which are bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the Savannah River and the state of Georgia.

The South Carolina Lowcountry Guidebook is filled with many things to see and do in the beautiful Lowcountry of South Carolina. Please fill out the information and we will send you a FREE GUIDE BOOK.

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