ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve ACE Basin is one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the East Coast. It's named for the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers, which meander past cypress swamps, historic plantation homes, old rice fields and abundant tidal marshes to meet at South Carolina's biologically rich St. Helena Sound.The ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve protects the natural beauty, abundant wildlife and unique cultural heritage of the area. In addition, the reserve preserves habitat for many endangered or threatened species, such as shortnose sturgeon, wood storks, loggerhead sea turtles and bald eagles.
ACE Basin NWR The ACE Basin is one of the largest undeveloped wetland ecosystems remaining on the Atlantic coast. The refuge is part of the ACE Basin Project, a partnership among the FWS, South Carolina DNR, Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, and private landowners to preserve and enhance the 350,000 acre ACE Basin area. The refuge has two units, one on the Edisto and the other on the Combahee River. Presently at 11,019 acres, the refuge may encompass 18,000 acres upon completion of additional purchases. The enormous natural values found on the refuge today are still here because past private landowners tended the area so wisely. Undeveloped and unpolluted, the habitat remains diverse and extremely productive. Part of the historical values of the ACE Basin were also protected. The refuge office, a former rice plantation house built in 1828, is one of only three antebellum mansions that survived the civil war in the ACE Basin area. Former owners ensured it would be preserved by placing it on the National Register of Historical Places.
Cape Romain NWR Cape Romain NWR harbors the largest wintering populations of American oystercatchers and marbled godwits in the U.S., and is an International Site for shorebirds. It has the largest loggerhead sea turtle rookery in the U.S. outside Florida, averaging 1,000 nests per year. The refuge also has one of the largest Eastern brown pelican and least tern rookeries in the State. Bulls Island is a propagation site for the endangered red wolf. The bulk of the refuge is a designated wilderness area. The refuge is also within the Carolinian Biosphere Reserve, and contains several Public Use and Research Natural Areas. Important habitats are provided for many migratory birds and both Federally and State endangered or threatened species, including the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, red wolf, wood stork, American alligator, osprey, glossy ibis, American kestrel, loggerhead sea turtles, and least tern. The Sewee Environmental Education Center is a joint facility with the Francis Marion NF that features natural history displays, walking trails, a red wolf viewing area and a raptor exhibition area.
Carolina Sandhills NWR Carolina Sandhills NWR is a demonstration site for land management practices which preserve and enhance the longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem. Numerous small creeks & tributaries flow through the refuge. Several bottomland hardwood species & dense stands of evergreen shrubs occur along these streams forming pocosin areas throughout the refuge. Thirty man-made lakes & ponds & over 1,200 acres of fallow fields, forest openings, & cultivated fields contribute to the diverse habitat found here. Approximately 190 species of birds, 42 species of reptiles, 25 species of amphibians, & innumerable species of plants occur on the refuge. Species of interest include the red-cockaded woodpecker, pine barrens treefrog, Bachman's sparrow, white wicky, Well's pixie moss, & several species of pitcher plants & sundews. The refuge supports an estimated 125 clusters of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker,the largest population found on any refuge unit in the nation. Many of the refuge's program activities (research, prescribed burning, timber harvest prescriptions, artificial cavity installation, translocating juvenile birds, etc.) are aimed at creating & maintaining optimum habitat conditions & aiding in recovery efforts for the red-cockaded woodpecker.
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site The historic site was established to interpret Charles Pinckney's plantation Snee Farm, his role in the development of the United States Constitution and the transition of the United States from a group of colonies to a young nation. Interpretive exhibits, located in a house built circa 1828 but which is not Pinckney related, highlight these areas as well as the influences of African-Americans in the development of Snee Farm.
Cherokee Foothills Scenic Byway Following an ancient Cherokee path, this beautiful two-lane road leaves I-85 at Gaffney, makes a 130-mile arc through peach orchards and villages, past Cowpens Battlefield, past several state parks, and over Lake Keowee to meet I-85 again.
