Spend a few minutes admiring a map of South Carolina and you will get a clear picture that the state is primed for outdoor activities. br>
South Carolina is situated on the country’s southeastern edge, with 187 miles of coastline as well as numerous lakes, streams and mountains scattered throughout, not to mention large bustling metros and quaint, rural villages offering their own unique take on outdoor experiences.
“We have the mountains and the coast and everything in between,” says Margaret Wallace, director of sales for the Rock Hill/York County CVB. “We have a wide variety of outdoor adventure. We have white-water rafting in the northwest corner of the state, we have a lot of fishing, and we have golfing along the coast.”
South Carolina couldn’t be better suited for visiting groups interested in discovering the outdoors, due in part to its comfortable year-round climate. Warm summers and mild winters with average highs of around 60 degrees translate into outdoor fun, especially when it comes to one of the state’s most well-known pastimes: golf.
“Between Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head and Charleston, they say you could play golf for three months straight and never play the same course,” says Suzanne Wallace, director of sales for the Charleston Area CVB.
Yet the Palmetto State is also a perfect fit for those outdoor adventurers who don’t aspire to become the next Tiger Woods.
The state’s variety of terrain, from rivers to mountains to forests and beyond, provides endless walking, hiking and biking trails, as well as opportunities for rock climbing and white-water rafting.
Along South Carolina’s coast, visitors will find communities ranging from modern Myrtle Beach and historic Charleston to the oceanfront oasis of Hilton Head Island, all offering water-based activities such as kayaking, boating and fishing.
Heading inland, destinations ranging from the state capital of Columbia to Rock Hill and Greenville also entertain groups with outdoor diversions, including a variety of parks suitable for events and team-building options such as ropes courses.
Coastal South Carolina
Groups visiting Charleston needn’t look far for a unique outdoor experience.
A simple stroll down King Street is a refreshing experience, and attendees can set their eyes on a bevy of pastel-colored historic homes while listening to carriage-pulling Clydesdale horses trotting along brick-lined pathways.
Wallace says groups can easily incorporate the beauty of Charleston into any outdoor activity.
“We have all kinds of things to offer,” she says. “Groups can have a scavenger hunt and put their teams on horse and carriages, which is fun.”
Numerous outdoor options showcase the historical charm of Charleston.
Spiritline Cruises, which takes visitors by boat from Charleston’s Liberty Square to Fort Sumter for a tour of the Civil War battleground, is available for private charters and dinner cruises.
Groups can also host outdoor events at historic venues such as the Legare-Waring House, Drayton Hall and Boone Hall Plantation in nearby Mount Pleasant.
Several of Charleston’s meetings-friendly hotels also offer their own take on outdoor experiences, including the Doubletree Guest Suites Charleston–Historic District, which welcomes groups of up to 120 people in its outdoor courtyard; Charleston Place, featuring a garden and terrace that is available for group events; and the Francis Marion Hotel, which often hosts outdoor events across the street from the property in Marion Square Park.
Meanwhile, Charleston is just minutes from Seabrook Island, Isle of Palms and Kiawah Island, three idyllic locales offering an array of alfresco fun.
Marty Couch, director of sales for Kiawah Island Golf Resort, says Kiawah Island is a haven for outdoor adventure, with two tennis facilities, five golf courses and an abundance of wildlife.
“Kiawah is an island that is not commercialized,” he says, adding that groups often enjoy participating in wildlife-watching tours. “The natural beauty is absolutely fabulous. It is not uncommon to be golfing and see a deer running along the marsh.”
Outdoor group events such as oyster roasts can be enjoyed on the grand lawn at the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island or at Mingo Point, situated on the banks of the Kiawah River.
Wild Dunes Resort on the Isle of Palms offers seaside pavilions perfect for receptions or seated dinners, as well as golf and tennis facilities, and the Seabrook Island Club can host outdoor events in its Sunset Pavilion.
Just two hours south, Hilton Head Island provides a serene experience for visitors, says Jack Reed, director of sales for the Hilton Head Island Visitor and Convention Bureau.
“When you are on Hilton Head, you are really enjoying where you are and are not really hit in the face by commercialism,” he says. “All of the developments are strict on signage and there is no neon.”
Beyond its relaxing atmosphere, Reed says the island lends itself to outside enjoyment in a variety of ways.
“Once you are here, it is the beach,” he says, adding that ocean kayaking is a visitor favorite and the island also has “over 15 miles of freshwater lagoons where you can kayak, 20 golf courses, 300 tennis courses, and over 70 miles of paved walking, jogging and biking trails.”
Groups can also play where they meet when staying at properties such as the Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa, which offers beach Olympics as a team-building option; the Crowne Plaza Hilton Head Island Beach Resort, which can organize tennis and golf tournaments at the nearby Shipyard Golf Club and Van der Meer Shipyard Racquet Club; The Sea Pines Resort, which offers a team-building ropes course for groups; and Daufuskie Island Resort & Breathe Spa, which often entertains groups with horseback riding trail tours and group bonfires on the beach.
At the northern end of South Carolina’s Atlantic coastline is Myrtle Beach, where an exciting assortment of diversions can be found, according to Danna Lilly, director of sales for the Myrtle Beach Area CVB.
“It is really not a matter of what you can do, but a matter of how do you fit it all in when you are in Myrtle Beach,” Lilly says.
In addition to beach activities, attendees can combine retail therapy and outdoor fun with a visit to Broadway at the Beach, a 350-acre, open-air shopping, dining and entertainment complex, or head to Dragon’s Liar Fantasy Golf for a game of miniature golf.
Like its coastal sister cities, several of Myrtle Beach’s well-appointed properties offer a variety of outdoor options for groups.
Grande Shores Ocean Resort often hosts beachfront group cookouts and receptions on its rooftop deck; The Crown Reef Resort at South Beach offers groups three outdoor gazebos for alfresco events as well as a pool deck for gatherings; and even the Myrtle Beach Convention Center has outdoor space for groups at its plaza, available for dinners, concerts and meetings.
About 25 miles south of Myrtle Beach is Pawleys Island, home to Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club as well as Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort, both offering space to meet as well as popular green fairways where attendees can play a round after meetings.
Inland South Carolina
Columbia offers options for laid-back and adventurous attendees, with everything from inviting and relaxing outdoor venues to rafting through town on the Congaree River.
“More than 25 of our meeting and event venues have outdoor options,” says Kelly Barbrey, director of sales for the Columbia Metropolitan CVB, adding that the area’s year-round mild climate lends itself nicely to such venues. “You can meet here in November and spill out onto a patio for an event.”
Venues range from the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, where events can be held on the property’s garden terrace, to picnic pavilions at the Environmental Education Center in Saluda Shoals Park and the popular Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, where planners can arrange to have buffet stations placed around the zoo for group events.
Barbrey says outdoor events can also incorporate the area’s history.
“Columbia has a number of historic homes that have been renovated and have been very well received for an off-site reception,” she says, highlighting popular options such as the Seibels House and Garden as well as the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion, where groups can host events on the property’s grounds.
Situated about 100 miles northwest of Columbia is the scenic city of Greenville, home to Falls Park, an outdoor space with the 60-foot Reedy River Falls and the pedestrian-friendly Liberty Bridge.
Ryan Herron, director of sales for the Greenville CVB, says the park is a favorite group event site.
“People really flock to that area,” he says. “There are a lot of unique areas where you can put up tents. Sometimes people do seminars on wine or cooking demos.”
Another option for groups is to visit the BMW Performance Driving School, located only minutes away in the town of Greer and offering team-building car races as well as spaces to meet in its Zentrum facility.
Nearby in Clemson, groups looking for a fresh-air experience can hike or host a picnic at the Lake Issaqueena Recreation Area or play a round of golf at the Walker Course at Clemson University.
York County, with Rock Hill as its largest community, attracts many outdoor-loving visitors, especially from mid-May through the end of June, when groups can rent canoes and boat along the Catawba River, watching the annual bloom of spider lilies.
The Anne Springs Close Greenway offers horseback riding and space for groups of up to 400 people at its Dairy Barn.
Rounding out the state is Spartanburg, where groups can host outdoor events at a variety of venues, such as the Spartanburg Marriott at Renaissance Park, which offers an outdoor balcony for up to 600 people; Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve, a 10-acre garden where groups can host tented events as well as enjoy a hike along the ground’s trails; and the Woodfin Ridge Golf Club and Community, where planers can organize golf tournaments and tented events.
For More Info
Charleston Area CVB 843.853.8000
www.charlestoncvb.com
Columbia Metropolitan CVB 803.545.0000
www.columbiacvb.com
Greenville CVB 864.421.0000
www.greatergreenville.com
Hilton Head Island Visitor
and Convention Bureau 843.785.3673
www.hiltonheadisland.org
Myrtle Beach Area CVB 843.448.1629
www.myrtlebeachinfo.com
Rock Hill/York County CVB 803.329.5200
www.visityorkcounty.com
Spartanburg CVB 864.594.5050
www.visitspartanburg.com
