Set your sights on South Carolina attractions

With all the options, the toughest part is deciding where to go.

Here’s a quick look at some of the newest and most exciting South Carolina tourist attractions:

Take a ride on the SkyWheel

The latest addition to the Oceanfront Boardwalk and Promenade in Myrtle Beach is taking the fun and excitement of the Grand Strand to new heights. The SkyWheel Ferris wheel offers visitors a new perspective of the South Carolina coast. The ride towers nearly 200 feet above the ground, providing an unbeatable view of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s the largest of its kind east of the Mississippi River and features over 1 million LED lights and 42 climate-controlled gondolas.

Experience an upside down adventure

After you put your feet back on solid ground, head over to Broadway at the Beach for an afternoon at Myrtle Beach’s WonderWorks amusement park. The building may look strange at first, but don’t be alarmed. The exterior of the 10 story facility is uniquely constructed to appear to be upside down. Inside, the park offers an affordable family-friendly experience to explore the world in innovative ways. With over 100 hands-on and interactive exhibits, you’ll be able to learn what it feels like to lay on a bed of nails, throw a pitch to a Major League Baseball player and more.

SC State Farmers Market

The new South Carolina State Farmers Market sets a new standard for a cherished American tradition. The state-of-the-art marketplace will provide South Carolina's agricultural community a one-of-a-kind showcase, while offering area residents an attractive combination of shopping, dining and entertainment. Located on Highway 321 (Charleston Highway) in Lexington County near Dixiana within 1.5 miles of both I-26 and I-77 the new market will feature a children's play area, a 150-seat exhibition kitchen, a 400-seat outdoor amphitheater, a specialty foods shop, school bus drop-off area, an RV park, a fish market, a meat market, bakery and several restaurants. The site will also be home to South Carolina Department of Agriculture laboratories, a 200-seat conference center and offices.

Learning from history

 
The Old Slave Mart Museum in Charleston has reopened to rave reviews and is quickly becoming one of the most visited South Carolina tourist attractions The museum recounts the story of Charleston’s role as an urban slave-trading center during the domestic slave trade. The Old Slave Mart Museum’s permanent exhibit speaks to the stories, the contributions and the legacies of those who shaped the outcome of the domestic slave trade. Various narratives are presented in different media (personal letters, oral histories, documents, audio, video and artifacts) to provide a sense of those who passed through the mart, where they lived and how you can find their various legacies today.

At the Benjamin Mays Historic Site you can tour Dr. Benjamin Mays’ childhood home. A former sharecropper’s son, Mays became president of Morehouse College and was a key mentor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The historic site will also include an interactive visitor’s center and schoolhouse.