Colleton County brings together river and wetland landscapes, arts and crafts, and a layered history. When planning your trip, it helps to distinguish between the different highlights: visitor centers focus on exhibits and art, while trails and river activities offer other ways to explore the landscape. This makes it easy to plan your stay around your own interests, without trying to squeeze every stop into a single day.
Art, Nature and History
The Walterboro Wildlife Center is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Its exhibit hall explains the important role of wetlands in the Lowcountry and shows the habitats they provide for numerous plant and animal species. The South Carolina Artisans Center is free to visit and is open to visitors Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It showcases work by more than 300 artists from the Carolinas, with a focus on traditional and Indigenous folk art as well as contemporary crafts. The center also offers year-round educational programs, such as craft demonstrations and art classes. If you are planning a visit, check the opening hours again before your trip.
The Colleton Farmers Market in Walterboro offers another kind of experience, with locally grown foods and traditional handcrafted products. Those interested in the region's history will find two very different memorial sites. The Tuskegee Airmen Memorial is part of Walterboro Army Airfield Memorial Park and honors the courage and dedication of the first African American military aviators in the United States. The Bedon-Lucas House, meanwhile, is one of the few surviving High Houses in Colleton County. Built in 1820 for Richard Bedon, it is attributed to New York architect N. Y. Perry. The specific details about the year it was built, its commissioner and its architect bring the house's history to life, while the memorial commemorates a group of aviators.
River Trails and Wetlands
Colleton State Park provides access to the Edisto River and is the starting point for the river's canoe and kayak trail. In the ACE Basin, you can paddle past cypress trees. These activities give the water a different role from the one it plays in the exhibits: it becomes part of a paddling trip and part of the landscape you see along the way.
The Edisto Nature Trail passes through pine forest, maritime forest, and cypress and tupelo swamps. Long, shallow phosphate pits dug for phosphate mining are visible along the trail. One section follows a boardwalk for about 15 minutes to a landing with views of the Edisto River. This time estimate applies to the section described. The Cypress Swamp Trail is 0.3 miles long and runs through a biodiverse wetland inhabited by birds, reptiles, fish and insects. Alongside paddling opportunities, there are also different nature trails to choose from: from a described trail section with river views to a short nature trail whose length is specified.
Edisto Island and Highway 174
Edisto is one of South Carolina's largest barrier islands. The island lies about 45 miles south of Charleston and east of Walterboro. Historic Highway 174 crosses Edisto Island through landscapes lined with old oak trees, unspoiled marshlands and farmland. As a scenic byway, SC Highway 174 leads to Edisto Beach. The landscapes along the route and its destination offer a distinct perspective on the island by road, different from the river trails and historic sites.
At Edisto Beach State Park, the Environmental Learning Center features fossils, live animals and exhibits about Edisto Island, the park and the ACE Basin. Together with the information about Highway 174, this offers another way to explore the area's natural and cultural history. You can take account of the place names and activities that matter to your plans and prepare your visits using the stated opening hours or trail lengths.
Discover more destinations: Walterboro, Union County, Williamsburg County, Spartanburg, Barnwell County, Newberry County, Georgetown, Florence
For the main travel overview: South Carolina.
