Sightseeing Sunday: Weird Things to Do in South Carolina
Looking for weird things to do in South Carolina? We’ve been collecting roadside oddities, oversized objects, offbeat attractions, and stops that make you wonder who approved the budget and whether they deserve a raise.
Fun Facts About South Carolina
Morgan Island, just off the coast of Beaufort, is home to more than 3,500 free-roaming rhesus monkeys. You can’t visit the island, but yes, South Carolina has a monkey island.
The Angel Oak on Johns Island is estimated to be between 400 and 500 years old, with some estimates reaching 1,500. Its branches shade more than 17,000 square feet.
Ridgeway is home to a tiny brick building that once claimed the title of World’s Smallest Police Station.
South Carolina has a UFO Welcome Center in Bowman, because apparently even aliens deserve a proper roadside stop.
South Carolina brings giant peaches, homemade UFO landing zones, kazoo factories, creative reuse shops, waterfall trails, seafood tours, and at least one Food Network stop we actually tracked down. Some of these we’ve explored ourselves, others are still sitting on the list. When we’ve been somewhere, the link takes you to our own photos and details. Otherwise, it points to an official site when we can find one.
South Carolina Weirdness, Town by Town
Showing 15 of 15 stops
Beaufort
The Kazoobie Kazoo Museum — A kazoo factory and museum. Yes, we went. Yes, it was exactly the kind of stop that belongs on this site. Factory ToursMuseums
Bowman
UFO Welcome Center — A homemade roadside structure built to welcome alien visitors. Naturally, it belongs here. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Columbia
Columbia SC Public Art Guide — Murals, sculptures, and an interactive art hunt scattered across downtown. Weird Roadside & OdditiesMuseums
World's Largest Fire Hydrant — Busted Plug Plaza, now located at McClam & Associates property off I-20. There are a few giant fire hydrant claims out there, so we’ll call this one exactly what it is: massive, weird, and very much on the list. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Coward
Lynches River County Park — A county park with trails, boardwalks, nature center stops, and enough outdoorsy energy to balance out the giant peach. Parks, Caves & TrailsNot visited yet
Charleston
Landing Brave Whispering Giant — Whispering Giant #23 on Peter Toth’s Trail of the Whispering Giants at Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Dillon
South of the Border — The Mexican-themed roadside pit stop that's been luring travelers off I-95 for decades. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Gaffney
Harold's Restaurant — A Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives stop we actually visited, complete with Food Network bragging rights and very small-town diner energy. FoodTV Legends
World's Largest Peach — The Peachoid water tower on Peachoid Road, because South Carolina apparently looked at a regular water tower and said, “Make it fruit.” Weird Roadside & Oddities
Green Pond
Lowcountry Oyster Company — A Lowcountry oyster farm and seafood stop. Their tour page was being difficult, but the place still earned a spot on the list. Factory ToursFoodNot visited yet
Greenville
ReCraft Creative Reuse — A creative reuse shop filled with secondhand art supplies, craft materials, and future project chaos waiting to happen. Creative ReuseNot visited yet
Spartanburg
BMW Zentrum — A museum and visitor center at BMW's Spartanburg plant, because sometimes the behind-the-scenes stop is full of very shiny cars. Factory ToursNot visited yet
Summerville
World's Largest Sweet Tea — A giant sweet tea pitcher sculpture, which feels like a very South Carolina thing to make enormous. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Wadmalaw Island
Charleston Tea Garden — The only large-scale tea plantation in North America, which makes it a local legend and a behind-the-scenes stop rolled into one. Factory ToursFoodNot visited yet
Walhalla
Station Cove Falls — A waterfall trail near Oconee Station State Historic Site. Short hike, pretty payoff, and officially on the South Carolina list. Parks, Caves & TrailsNot visited yet
Plan Your South Carolina Road Trip
We’re always adding new weird things to do in South Carolina to this list, so check back for our latest road trip finds, roadside discoveries, and questionable detours.
Where to next? Explore more regional weird in our Southeast roadside attractions guide, check out our complete roadside attractions by state guide, get our best tips for traveling with pets, or head back to the Right at the Light homepage.
Interactive Map: Weird Roadside Stops We’re Tracking
This map includes weird roadside attractions, big-rig friendly stops, and places still on our running road trip list across the country.