Best Road Trip Routes in South Carolina

South Carolina's compact size makes it possible to drive from Blue Ridge mountain overlooks to Atlantic beachfront in a single day, and the state's best road trips lean directly into that sea-to-mountain range.

The Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway

Running roughly 130 miles along the base of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, this byway connects Table Rock, Caesars Head, and several of the Upstate's best waterfalls into a single scenic drive through South Carolina's mountain corner.

Charleston to Beaufort Coastal Route

Driving south from Charleston through the Sea Islands to Beaufort takes travelers through some of the best-preserved Lowcountry scenery in the state, past marshland, historic plantations, and small coastal towns tied to Gullah Geechee culture and history.

Historic Midlands Loop

A route connecting Columbia, Camden — one of the oldest inland towns in the state — and Ninety Six National Historic Site links South Carolina's Revolutionary War history with its early inland settlement pattern, well away from the more heavily touristed coast.

Grand Strand Coastal Drive

Following the coastline through Myrtle Beach and the broader Grand Strand shows off South Carolina's beach-tourism economy at full scale, with wide beaches, golf courses, and family entertainment stretching across roughly 60 miles of shoreline.

Ashley River Road

Just outside Charleston, Ashley River Road connects three of the state's most significant plantation sites — Magnolia, Middleton Place, and Drayton Hall — into a short but historically dense drive through the Lowcountry's plantation-era landscape.

Why South Carolina Road Trips Work

Few states let a single road trip move as dramatically between mountain overlook and Atlantic beachfront as South Carolina does, and that sea-to-mountain range is the clearest argument for driving the state rather than sticking to one region.