12 Coolest South Carolina Towns For A Summer Vacation In 2025
Like the unexpected treasures in a box of chocolates, the coolest South Carolina towns to visit in 2025 are perfect for a summer vacation due to their flavorful mix of culture, history, and natural features. From iconic film locations to pivotal moments in American history, these charming and awesome small towns have borne the scars of slavery and plantation life, but now celebrate the vibrant cultures like the Gullah/Geechee whose African heritage remains deeply rooted in communities such as Beaufort and Georgetown. Elsewhere, peaceful coastal spots like Edisto Beach, Folly Beach, and Isle of Palms represent the cool and calming vacation spots that will keep you active and enthusiastic this summer. Each of these South Carolina towns is among the coolest for a summer vacation in 2025, so give yourself a break by exploring these dynamic destinations this year.
Beaufort
Nestled on Port Royal Island along South Carolina’s pristine coastline, Beaufort is a cool small town brimming with history and Southern elegance. Nearly three centuries old and about an hour away from Savannah, Georgia, this Lowcountry destination boasts a remarkably preserved historic district filled with antebellum mansions, ancient church ruins, and quiet streets. Landmarks like the Beaufort Arsenal, also known as the Beaufort History Museum, highlight the history of the Craven Street home, now famously known as “Secession House,” whose meetings contributed to the end of American slavery during the American Civil War. Other fascinating landmarks include picturesque homes featured in movies like Forrest Gump and The Big Chill, providing a cinematic and nostalgic experience for movie fans and visitors alike.
Beaufort is also a cornerstone of the Gullah/Geechee culture, with nearby Saint Helena Island offering deep insights into this African-American heritage, and through landmarks like the Harriet Tubman Monument, so named after Harriet Tubman, who contributed much to the abolitionist movement. For scenic views, visitors can admire the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park and the iconic Woods Memorial Bridge. For more immersion into history, you can visit Fort Fremont and Fort Frederick, which are derelict military barracks with many things to tell. When it is time to rest, Beaufort’s elegant inns like the Rhett House Inn and City Loft Hotel provide innumerable accommodations for your daily and nightly needs.
Georgetown
Situated between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, Georgetown exudes a distinctive maritime enchantment with many enriching features and attractions. As South Carolina’s third-oldest community, Georgetown’s waterfront wonders invite visitors to explore many fascinating museums and historic landmarks, among them the Georgetown County Museum, where you can uncover tales of the town’s colonial past and its contributions to the American Revolutionary War. In contrast, the quirky Rice Museum delves into Georgetown’s agricultural significance as it produced rice and other staple crops in the past. The Kaminski House Museum, meanwhile, features antique furnishings from England and the US in the 18th and 19th centuries. Finally, the Gullah Museum shines a light on the local Gullah/Geechee people’s enduring traditions.
Five rivers (the Black, Great Pee Dee, Waccamaw, Sampit, and Little Pee Dee) converge in Georgetown, offering incredible boating, fishing, and nature exploration opportunities. You can certainly feel fulfillment and oneness with the outdoors when venturing into the Francis Marion National Forest and the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center. If, on the other hand, you wish to spend your nights somewhere comfortable in this riverside retreat, you can seek rooms in one of Georgetown’s accommodating lodgings like the George Hotel or the Baxter’s Brewhouse Inn.
Bluffton
Bluffton, a cultural centerpiece of the South Carolina Lowcountry, is one of the coolest small towns located on the banks of the May River. This summertime destination once served as a summer retreat for plantation owners, but today it serves a more diverse and dynamic spectrum of people without bias or restraint. Strolling through the Old Town Bluffton Historic District is one of the best ways to learn more about Bluffton’s ambiguous history, as visitors can discover quaint galleries, local boutiques, and historical landmarks like the Heyward House Museum, the latter offering a window into Bluffton’s antebellum past.
Events are abundant in Bluffton, particularly with the May River Shrimp Festival in July and the Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival each October. Bluffton also serves as a gateway to Hilton Head Island, a remarkable little island that hosted the Hilton Head Island Jam in September, an annual musical celebration expressing the songwriting talents in South Carolina. Just halfway between Beaufort and Savannah, Georgia, there is no end to enjoyment in this cool summertime town known as Bluffton.
Newberry
Just under an hour from the big city of Columbia, the charmingly cool town of Newberry welcomes visitors with a panoply of treats and treasures. Known affectionately as the “City of Friendly Folks,” Newberry is home to many friendly activities and attractions, both natural and cultural. Among the natural wonders to admire in Newberry is the Sumter National Forest, where hiking, biking, and wildlife spotting are popular pastimes.
As for the culture, you can find the town’s centerpiece within the beautifully restored Newberry Opera House, a 19th-century edifice that now hosts performances ranging from classical music to comedy acts. Throughout the year, the town buzzes with events, especially its lively Oktoberfest celebration that transforms the streets into avenues full of life and laughter. At the Wells Japanese Garden, you can marvel at the botanical beauty of the setup, while Carter & Holmes Orchids showcases one of the largest orchid collections in the region.
Travelers Rest
Tucked in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Travelers Rest lives up to its name by offering weary adventurers a peaceful yet invigorating vacation in the cool days and nights of summer. This small town, just nine miles north of Greenville, has been a historically famous resting point for Native Americans and pioneers, which is celebrated at the Travelers Rest Historical Museum. The breathtaking and invigorating landscapes of nearby Caesars Head State Park and the Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve are some of the best places worth exploring, especially since the latter is home to South Carolina’s oldest stone bridge. Cyclists and walkers alike often flock to the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail, a 22-mile greenway that winds through downtown and beyond.
Meanwhile, amateur historians can appreciate the Dicey Langston monument, a historic icon honoring a courageous teenage spy who served in the American Revolutionary War. When it is time to unwind, welcoming accommodations like Swamp Rabbit Inn and Hotel Domestique give visitors plenty of daily and nightly amenities for every traveler.
Edisto Beach
Tucked away on the scenic Edisto Island, the identically named Edisto Beach is a peaceful coastal summer retreat that remains delightfully underdeveloped and family-friendly. With over four miles of uncrowded shoreline, it is the perfect spot for beachcombing, swimming, and simply soaking up the serene views of the Atlantic Ocean. The area is part of a thriving sea turtle conservation program, and during nesting season, lucky visitors may catch a glimpse of loggerhead turtles laying eggs in the sand.
Similarly, travelers will be smitten by the wild beauty of the Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve, where maritime forests, historic ruins, and tidal creeks create a pristinely preserved landscape for hiking and photography. Likewise, the Edisto Island Serpentarium offers immersive programs and lessons on the native reptile species prospering in Edisto Beach. Finally, the diverse habitats of the ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge are open to all explorers eager for more outdoor adventures.
Aiken
Famous for its equestrian culture, Aiken is a refined South Carolina town just 20 miles from Augusta, Georgia. It boasts an exciting and adrenaline-rushing culture of horse racing, with many examples of Gilded Age architecture and antebellum charm, which you can appreciate at the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum. Additionally, the Aiken Steeplechase events showcase the speed and endurance of Aiken’s horses, held each spring and fall (the Imperial Cup and the Holiday, respectively, occur in March and October).
Beyond the stables, Aiken’s history is on full display at the Aiken County Historical Museum, housed in a historic mansion. Moreover, the Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site reveals the complex legacy of slavery in the South. For a relaxing afternoon, you can stroll through the 2,100-acre Hitchcock Woods, one of the largest urban forests in the US. You can also saunter through the manicured pathways of Hopelands Gardens. When the day ends, visitors to Aiken can relax and recharge for a new day in fine lodgings like The Willcox and Carriage House Inn.
Walhalla
Cradled in the northwest corner of South Carolina, Walhalla (meaning “Garden of the Gods” in German, or Germany’s counterpart to Scandinavia’s Valhalla) lives up to its poetic name with many heavenly splendors. Founded by immigrants from Germany in the 19th century on land formerly owned by the Cherokee, Walhalla stands as a gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains, with numerous scenic escapes and vistas into the heart of the state’s Upcountry.
Adventurers will find plenty to explore at Stumphouse Mountain Park, home to stunning waterfalls like Issaqueena Falls and a historic railroad tunnel carved through the mountainside. Lake Keowee's crystalline and clean waters beckon to kayakers, fishers, and swimmers. The town's heritage is preserved at the Oconee Station State Historic Site, a former frontier outpost. Likewise, the Cherokee Museum of South Carolina honors the region’s Native American heritage. Per the traditions of its German heritage, Walhalla celebrates the spirited Oktoberfest celebration every fall. Quaint lodgings such as Rodeway Inn & Suites will ensure you have a safe and comfortable vacation in the Garden of the Gods, Walhalla.
Anderson
Positioned between Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, the cool town of Anderson is a welcoming and charming summer destination known for its innovation, hospitality, and historical charms along the Savannah River. Often called the “Electric City” for its early adoption of hydroelectric power, Anderson proudly honors this legacy with a statue of engineer William Church Whitner, whose ingenuity brought electricity to the region.
Visitors can learn more about Anderson’s local history at the Anderson County Museum, where exhibits highlight everything from Native American heritage to textile industry milestones. Outdoor wonderlands such as Sadlers Creek State Park provide a peaceful and cool setting on the shores of Lake Hartwell, ideal for cooling down in the summer. Most importantly, lovable and affable accommodations like The Bleckley Inn maintain the right amount of security and sanctity to make Anderson one of the best and coolest towns for a summer vacation.
Landrum
Resting near the North Carolina border, Landrum is a riveting gateway community to South Carolina’s antique and natural beauties. Renowned for its sweeping views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and pastoral horse farms on rolling hills, Landrum’s main highlight is the Poinsett Bridge, built in 1820 and believed to be the oldest surviving bridge in South Carolina. When traversing through this historic route, you can hike or ride on horseback through the Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve as well as the Blue Wall Preserve, both of which showcase the region’s biodiversity.
The nearby Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE) offers horseback riding trails and birdwatching spots for everyone eager to gallop through the meadows around Landrum. With a heritage rooted in early settlers from Pennsylvania and Virginia, this border town continues to welcome visitors with its cool antique wonders and natural features.
Isle of Palms
Isle of Palms provides a six-mile stretch of luxurious white sand beaches and waterfront wonders just a few miles and minutes away from the big city of Charleston. Located on the barrier island of the same name, Isle of Palms is not only a great spot for you to see various shapes and sizes of palm trees by the Atlantic Ocean, but also a popular nesting ground for sea turtles. The oceanfront Isle of Palms County Park contains picnic areas and playgrounds along the beach for everyone to have a merry and cool experience in South Carolina this summer. In the neighboring Sullivan’s Island, you can find the ruins and remnants of Fort Moultrie, a site of important battles during the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War.
The best attractions in Isle of Palms are the several dozen lodgings and inns that have transformed Isle of Palms into a thriving bedroom community and getaway location for all, and you can certainly find a decent room for the cool days and nights at either the Wild Dunes Resort, The Beach Blessing Isle of Palms, or The Palms Oceanfront Hotel among many others.
Folly Beach
It is no folly to enjoy a nifty and nice summer vacation in the cool South Carolina town of Folly Beach. On the opposite side of the Folly Island Channel and a few miles from both Charleston and Isle of Palms, Folly Beach is another exquisite and rejuvenating getaway into the coastal wonders of the Atlantic Ocean. The Folly Beach Pier extends over 1,000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean, making it one of the longest piers on the East Coast. A diversity of souvenir shops and surfing stores can be perused along Center Street for equipment you might need to maximize your enjoyment on Folly Beach’s beaches.
Meanwhile, at Folly Beach County Park, you can enjoy nice leisurely things in several picnic areas and see a pelican rookery. Finally, the Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve has views of Morris Island Lighthouse, a historic landmark that was completed in 1876 and continues to guide ships to safe harbor. With riverways and waterways crisscrossing the town, Folly Beach is a truly captivating and enchanting destination for watery wonders in South Carolina. Most of all, you can enhance your experience once you have booked a room at either the Vera Hotel, The Rathershacks, or the Water’s Edge Inn for a fun and comfortable summer vacation in Folly Beach.
Named after King Charles I (“Carolus” in Latin), South Carolina has thrived as an enduring and endearing state with many beachside attractions and culturally enriching landscapes worth exploring. From quiet coastal enclaves to vibrant mountain hamlets, the coolest South Carolina small towns are all perfect for a summer vacation in 2025. Between marveling at the wildlife on Edisto Beach, sipping local wine in Newberry, or exploring the foothills around Landrum, these communities in the Palmetto State are brimming with adventure and excitement that you can experience this summer. With every visit, the coolest South Carolina towns for a summer vacation in 2025 will reveal a new story, a new memory, and a new experience to cherish long after you have finished your trip.
