Lowcountry oaks, Ashley River plantations and Congaree

Route description

Leave Charleston on US-17 south and turn onto SC-174, a road shaded by live oaks and Spanish moss, for the drive across the ACE Basin marshes to Edisto Beach, about 1.5 hours. Edisto has no high-rises and few chain stores, and the state park has campsites both behind the beach and in the maritime forest. Walk the trail to the Spanish Mount shell midden, then look for fossils and shark teeth along the tide line.

Return toward Charleston and cross onto Johns Island for the Angel Oak, a live oak whose huge limbs rest on the ground. It stands in a small city park with limited parking and opening hours, so avoid midday on weekends. From Johns Island head back through West Ashley to the Ashley River Road, SC-61, which runs northwest past the old plantations under a canopy of oaks.

Drayton Hall and Middleton Place lie a few miles apart on SC-61, with Magnolia Plantation between them. Each needs two to three hours, and each explains how the rice fortunes behind these houses depended on enslaved Africans. SC-61 is narrow and winding with few shoulders, so drive it slowly, especially in a motorhome, and use the parking areas at each site rather than stopping on the road.

From Middleton continue up SC-61 and I-26 toward Columbia, then follow SC-48, Bluff Road, southeast to Congaree National Park, about two hours in all. The 2.6-mile boardwalk loop crosses a floodplain forest of giant cypress and loblolly pines; after heavy rain parts of it may flood. Entry is free, and the synchronous fireflies draw crowds in late May and early June. Finish in Columbia, the state capital.