13 Best Sights in The Midlands and Upstate, South Carolina

South Carolina's only national park is unlike any other—the park is the floodplain of the Congaree River, meaning that throughout the year, the majority of this bottomland forest is a true swamp. The wettest, hardest-to-reach areas survived centuries of logging, leaving towering cypress trees—some of the oldest and largest trees east of the Mississippi River—in the heart of the 27,000-acre park. Access varies by your ambition and tolerance for mud. A 2.6-mile loop via elevated boardwalk is handicap accessible and meanders through perennial swamp, higher pine uplands, and past Weston Lake. Longer trails total 22 miles, allowing for loops and overnight treks into the park, but bring extra socks and boots suitable for wading, especially on the fantastic but especially soggy Oakridge Trail. A potentially drier method of exploring the interior is by kayak or canoe. Local outfitters, including River Runner Outdoor Center and Carolina Outdoor Adventures, run three-hour kayak tours from the Cedar Creek Canoe Access. Or, coordinate a shuttle and canoe rental and paddle Cedar Creek one way, putting in at Bannister Bridge Canoe Access.

Bring binoculars and sharp ears—Congaree hosts a cacophony of birds and wildlife, including otters, wild boar, deer, and woodpeckers. The park also has two primitive campgrounds. Book in advance, especially during the two-week synchronized firefly season in May and June.

Apart from packaged snacks at the visitor center, there are no concessions in the park, and nearby restaurants are limited.

In this urban outdoor oasis, sloping green hills, giant boulders, and winding walkways offer great views of the Reedy River, but the best views of the waterfalls are along the architecturally ingenious Liberty Bridge. The Peace Center amphitheater hosts moonlight movies, Shakespeare plays, and open-air concerts during the year.

This Southern-focused gallery is home to American paintings dating from the colonial era, along with more-modern works by Andy Warhol, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Jasper Johns. It hosts the world's largest public collection of Andrew Wyeth watercolors.

One wing of this 1860 estate is devoted to early regional culture, including Native American artifacts, firearms, an authentically furnished 1808 log cabin, a schoolhouse, and a miniature circus display.

The area's horse farms have produced many national champions. Exhibits include horse-related decorations, paintings, and sculptures, plus racing silks and trophies. The Hall of Fame is on the grounds of the 14-acre Hopelands Gardens, where you can wind along paths past quiet terraces and reflecting pools. There's also a Touch and Scent Trail with Braille plaques.

At 2,100 acres and three times the size of New York's Central Park, this is one of the largest urban forests in the country and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's a popular horseback-riding destination, but the double-track trails are also pleasant for hiking and jogging. Make use of the maps available at the entrances because it's easy to get lost. Note that there are seven entrances to the woods; the ones with the best parking are at 2180 Dibble Road Southwest and 430 South Boundary Road.

A Revolutionary War battle considered an important turning point was fought here on October 7, 1780. Colonial Tories were soundly defeated by ragtag patriot forces from the Southern Appalachians. Visitor center exhibits, dioramas, and an orientation film describe the action.

This museum at the historic Springdale Race Course contains the largest collection of racing memorabilia in the United States. The Equicizer, a training machine used by jockeys for practice, lets you experience the race from the jockey's perspective; don't stay on too long, unless you want to feel the race all day.

Where the Broad and Saluda Rivers form the Congaree River is the site of the city's original waterworks and hydroelectric plant. Interpretive markers describe the area's plant and animal life and tell the history of the buildings. A 2½-mile paved trail weaves between the river and the canal and is filled with runners and walkers.

This collection is housed in the former home of baseball great Joe Jackson, who along with seven other White Sox players, was accused of throwing the 1919 World Series. Though he was found not guilty, Jackson was banned from playing baseball. The museum, which is open only on Saturday from 10 to 2, has records, artifacts, photographs, and a film, along with a library of baseball books donated from fans around the country. At the end of each summer, staffers challenge their peers at Georgia's Ty Cobb Museum to a vintage baseball game.

This glowing optical illusion painted on the wall of the Federal Land Bank Building in 1976 by local artist Blue Sky gives the appearance of a tunnel leading to the mountains. To celebrate the mural's 25th anniversary in 2001, the city hired Blue Sky to create another work in the same parking lot: the world's largest fire hydrant towers 40 feet here.

It's a scenic drive and then an easy hike to these picturesque double falls, where the left and larger of the falls pitches from a height of 75 feet and white water swooshes over wide gray boulders on the right. Don't give in to the temptation to climb the rocks leading to the top of the falls; not only is the view not much better, but also the stones are very slippery. The trail is on public property, a ¼-mile hike one way.

A highlight of this sprawling university is its original campus, founded in 1801. Stroll the historic buildings and gardens of the Horseshoe, or dive into the special collections at the South Caroliniana Library, built in 1840 as the first stand-alone college library in the nation. The McKissick Museum on campus features exhibits on geology, gemstones, and local folklife.