10/1/2009 Charleston Travel Examiner: Explore the Lowcountry state and national parks

National Parks: 

• Fort Sumter National Monument: the site of the first shots of the Civil War is visitable by boat, but make sure you go during the fall because there is no covering at the fort, making it painfully hot.


• Charles Pinckney National Historic Site: the well-preserved home of one of the state's founding fathers is in Mt. Pleasant. 

Other National Parks in the state:

• Congaree National Park (Congaree)


• Ninety Six National Historic Site


• Overmountain Victory (mountains near Greenville)


• Kings Mountain N Military Park (Blacksburg)


• Cowpens N Battlefield (Cowpens)


• Gullah Geechee Corridor (Charleston)
  

State Parks: 

• Charles Towne Landing: the re-made site of the first settlement in Charleston now has animals and an archaeological site. 


• Colonial Dorchester: another pre-Revolutionary settlement includes the ruins of an oyster-shell church


• Edisto Beach: the beautiful barrier island has pristine beaches that are mostly unaffected by heavy tourist traffic