11 Day Trips From Charleston That Are Worth the Drive
Charleston, South Carolina, is conveniently located near more than a dozen points of interest.
If you’re planning a trip to the Holy City or are a local, you might want to consider taking a day trip to nearby Savannah, Myrtle Beach, or Hilton Head.
These day trips from Charleston are within a few hours’ drive from the city and each destination offers plenty of history, culture, food, and fun in the sun.
How to Plan a Day Trip From Charleston
When planning a day trip from Charleston, you’ll want to consider your departure time, traffic, the length of the journey, which activities you’ll enjoy once you’re there, and any stops you want to make along the way.
Here are some tips to make the most of your trip.
Plan Your Departure Time
Most of the day trips on this list are a two-to-three-hour drive from Charleston; however, you’ll want to consider traffic times, rest stops, and sightseeing when planning your departure time.
If you plan to leave or return to Charleston during rush hour, travel times could be increased by as long as an hour.
Check trip-planning tools, such as Google Maps, if you want the most accurate drive times.
Choose Your Lowcountry Activities
We’ve included a few ideas for activities for each day trip on this list, yet you might want to research a few activities on your own, too.
Most of the Charleston day trip destinations on this list offer popular activities, such as beaches, historical sites, and popular restaurants.
If you’re not sure what to do during your day trip from Charleston, you may want to book a private tour. Our guides can create a personal itinerary for your group, based on your interests.
Research Food and Rest Stops
Most of the day trips on this list are only a few hours from Charleston, yet there are a lot of points of interest between the Holy City and the destinations on this list!
You may want to stop along the way, check out some local shops, and grab a bite to eat.
Of course, you may just want to get out of the car and stretch your legs for a few minutes, too.
Check the Weather
If you’re planning on taking a day trip from Charleston to a local beach, plantation, or garden, you may want to check the weather before you jump in the car.
South Carolina winters are generally mild, but the summers can be hot and humid; autumn is our rainy season, so you may want to check the weather a few times before planning a beach trip from September through November.
11 Best Day Trips From Charleston, SC
Charleston is conveniently located close to many resorts, beaches, and other points of interest, so there are plenty of side quests to take if you’re visiting the Holy City.
Here are the 11 best day trips from Charleston, how long it takes to get to each destination, and some of the most popular attractions to visit.
1. Savannah
Savannah is possibly one of the most popular day trips from Charleston. Only about a two-hour drive from the Holy City, Savannah offers its own unique architectural and culinary styles that you can experience in one day.
If you want to experience more than simply beautiful buildings and she-crab bisque (though we wouldn’t blame you if your interests stopped here), there are plenty of historical sites, including parks, churches, and gardens to explore.
Want to go it alone? Our Savannah Day Trip self-guided tour is the perfect place to start.
2. Myrtle Beach
Need to get out of the city for a day? Charleston is known for its beautiful beaches. But sometimes you just need one with a boardwalk and rides, too.
It takes just over two hours to drive to Myrtle Beach from Charleston. Head up in the morning and you can take a walk along the boardwalk, get a suntan on the beach, ride an old wooden rollercoaster, enjoy the sunset from the SkyWheel — and still make it back to Charleston in time for bed.
Other activities we recommend?
Take a self-guided food tour through Barefoot Landing, cuddle with live tigers at the Preservation Station, and play a round of golf at one of Myrtle Beach’s many greens.
3. Hilton Head
Another popular day trip from Charleston, SC, that’s only a two-hour drive from the city is Hilton Head.
If the idea of spending the day at a crowded amusement park makes you bristle, Hilton Head might be the spot for you.
Make a beeline to this Lowcountry island if you’re into exploring lighthouses, coastal museums, and wildlife. It’s also a popular destination for golf enthusiasts.
From sea kayaking to bicycling to art galleries, Hilton Head has it all. It was also named “No. 1 Island in the Continental U.S.” by “Travel+Leisure Magazine.”
4. Beaufort
Only 90 minutes south of Charleston is Port Royal Island, where you’ll find Beaufort, a haven for antebellum architecture.
One of the most famous antebellum mansions is the Verdier House. The structure that houses this museum (also known as the Lafayette Building) was built in 1804 by French Huguenot, John Mark Verdier. Inside, you’ll find furniture and architectural details that tell the story of the wealthy planters of the South in the 19th century. There’s also a scaled model here of the local historic district.
If you need to stretch your legs after your journey to Beaufort, make your first stop the Spanish Moss Trail. This 10-mile trail connects Beaufort to nearby Port Royal, a town where you’ll find fishing, nature preserves, and pristine sandy beaches.
5. Kiawah Island
Golf enthusiasts flock to Kiawah Island for some of the best greens on the East Coast.
Home to the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, this island is only about an hour’s drive from Charleston.
If you’re not into putting around (pun intended!), you could always take a day trip to Kiawah Island to check out the wildlife at Beachwalker Park or the Heron Park Nature Center, where you could spot animals, such as alligators, bobcats, deer, and dolphins.
6. Edisto Beach
If you want to take a beach-themed day trip from Charleston but don’t love the idea of a crowded boardwalk or rides, check out Edisto Beach, which is only an hour and fifteen-minute drive from the city.
Edisto has a quieter vibe than Myrtle Beach and Folly Beach. It was also one of the filming locations for the movie, The Notebook.
If you want to head here, just know that there is an admission fee, which costs $8 for adults and $4 for children, ages six and up.
7. Georgetown
If your idea of a Charleston day trip is taking a drive to a seaside village, Georgetown is the destination for you.
Only a ninety-minute drive (or train ride!) from Charleston, Georgetown offers plenty of history in an idyllic setting.
Georgetown is the third-oldest city in South Carolina, so it’s a magnet for history buffs. It’s also home to the Rice Museum, the South Carolina Maritime Museum, and the Gullah Museum.
8. Columbia
If you’re trying to knock a few state capitals off your bucket list, take a day trip from Charleston to Columbia, South Carolina’s capital city.
Only a two-hour drive from Charleston, Columbia is a much larger city and moves at a quicker pace.
Some of the biggest draws here include the South Carolina State Museum, the Columbia Museum of Art, Congaree National Park, and Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.
9. Augusta
Augusta is one of the few destinations on this list that isn’t in South Carolina! Only a three-hour drive from Charleston, Augusta is located just across the border in Georgia.
You could easily take a day trip from Charleston to Augusta, but if you don’t want to spend six hours in the car, round trip, you could also just spend the night.
Some of Augusta’s most popular attractions include Phinizy Swamp Nature Park, the Morris Museum of Art, and the Augusta Museum of History.
10. Cypress Gardens
One of the most stunning nature preserves in South Carolina is Cypress Gardens, which is only a forty-five-minute drive from Charleston.
Movie buffs will recognize the gardens from their favorite films, including The Notebook, The Tempest, and Cold Mountain.
The entrance fee costs only $10 and offers access to the gardens for the entire day.
You could also book a guided swamp boat tour for $5 per person, or you could take an unguided tour for free.
11. South Carolina Plantations
You might not need an entire day to explore Charleston’s plantations (though we do recommend budgeting at least an entire day if you plan on visiting more than one).
The 60-minute roundtrip drive to Drayton Hall, Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Place, or Boone Hall won’t take too much time from your busy schedule. Yet, these plantations are so steeped in Charleston’s history that you’ll want to budget enough time to see everything, including the main houses, slaves’ quarters, and the grounds.
If you only have enough time to visit one, we’d recommend Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. The main house is one of the few original plantation homes that still stand in the Charleston area (most others burned in the Civil War or were destroyed in the 1886 earthquake). The gardens are the oldest public gardens in the U.S.
Overnight Trips From Charleston
If you have a little extra time to explore, you might want to head to one of these destinations that sit slightly further away on the map.
Both Asheville and Macon are about a four-hour drive from Charleston; if you leave at about 6 a.m., you can easily arrive by 10 a.m.; leaving around 6 p.m. will get you back by 10 p.m. This gives you plenty of time to explore — but you’ll probably want to plan a spa or beach day after to unwind from the long trip.
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is one of the most stunning cities in the Carolinas. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, you’ll see plenty of greenery and wildlife here.
One of the biggest attractions is the Biltmore, a Renaissance Revival-style mansion and the largest home built by the Vanderbilt family. You can tour the 250-room house and the 8,000-acre estate.
Afterward, head to Downtown, where you can check out American art at the Asheville Art Museum before grabbing a bite to eat at one of the city’s many cafes and restaurants. Asheville is known for its elevated southern comfort food.
Macon, Georgia
There are plenty of reasons to visit Macon; soul food, archeological sites, and history museums abound here.
Your first stop in Macon should be the Ocmulgee National Monument, which contains earthen mounds that date back to 1,000 AD. Your second stop should most definitely be the Tubman Museum, one of the largest preservations of African-American art, culture, and history in the nation.
Your third stop? Lunch.
Macon is known for its soul food, and you’ll find some of the best fried chicken, black-eyed peas, and collard greens in Georgia here.
The Allman Brothers Band Museum, Otis Redding Foundation, and Mini Museum draw music lovers from all over the world.
If you want to stay the night (and we’d recommend doing so if you want time to see everything here), you can soak up some history at the Burke Mansion or 1842 Inn.