Nature

ACE Basin Watch birds—including bald eagles and wood storks—fish for flounder and shrimp, paddle salt-marsh creeks, and sign up for educational cruises at this 135,000-acre estuarine nature reserve named for the rivers that comprise it: the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto. ACE Basin Reserve, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Charleston, SC; +1 843 953 9001.

Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest Explore the world's biggest remaining virgin stand of bald cypress and tupelo gum trees, tour a swamp by canoe, experience nocturnal nature on night walks, and learn about South Carolina's flora and fauna. 336 Sanctuary Rd., Harleyville, SC; +1 843 462 2150. Fee.

Caesars Head State Park Take in the views along the Blue Ridge Escarpment. Autumn brings colorful foliage and a chance to see soaring, migrating hawks, falcons, and eagles as part of the Hawk Watch program. The popular Caesars Head trail leads to a suspension bridge overlooking the 420-foot Raven Cliff Falls. Located 30 miles west of Greenville, SC, off Hwy. 276; +1 864 836 6115. Fee.

Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge Experience 45,000 acres of the vanishing longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem at this national refuge. Take the nine-mile auto-tour road, then hike trails, or bike dirt roads. Climb two observation towers to look for endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers, wild turkeys, river otters, beavers, and other fauna, then fish some of the refuge's 30 ponds and lakes. Located four miles north of McBee on U.S. Hwy. 1; +1 843 335 8401.

Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway Drive or bike this 112-mile-long road that cuts through the Nantahala and Sumter National Forests along the Blue Ridge escarpment, tracing routes once used by Cherokees and colonial fur traders. See waterfalls, swim in lakes, hike trails, picnic on view-affording outcrops, pick peaches in the summertime at the orchards, and explore picturesque state parks. Running from Gaffney, SC, to just over the Georgia border.

Congaree National Park South Carolina's only national park is considered the largest remnant of old-growth floodplain forest in North America. Gaze at the Spanish moss hanging from the trees that hold national and local records for their height. Stroll along the boardwalk, bird-watch, and kayak. Take I-77, exit 5.

Hilton Head Sun, sail, swim, and seek shells on miles of beaches; play golf; watch for wood storks and other birds at three nature preserves; kayak quiet inlets; dine on gourmet cuisine; and shop on this cosmopolitan, 12-mile-long residential resort island in the state's southernmost corner. Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce, 1 Chamber Dr., Hilton Head Island, SC; 800 523 3373.

Huntington Beach State Park Cast a line and fish from one of the jetties. Visit Atalaya, a Moorish-style castle on the grounds of the park built by local workers hired by New York philanthropists Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington in the 1930s, who also created adjacent Brookgreen Gardens. Get up-close-and-personal with endangered species at the Environmental Education Center. Located 80 miles from Charleston, SC off Hwy. 17; + 1 843 237 4440. Fee.

Hunting Island State Park Beachcomb for shells, bike eight miles of trails, go fishing, view marsh wildlife, visit a historic lighthouse, and float around a lagoon in this popular state park. 2555 Sea Island Pkwy., Hunting Island, SC; +1 843 838 2011. Fee.

Kiawah Island Bike, swim, golf, play tennis, fish, and just plain relax on this upscale resort island just south of Charleston. Town of Kiawah Island, SC; +1 843 768 9166.

Pawleys Island Go crabbing, catch fish, swim, swing in hammocks, play golf and tennis, bike, canoe, or just relax on the quiet beaches of this barrier island that is one of the oldest summer resorts on the East Coast. Town of Pawleys Island, SC; +1 843 237 1698.