The Santee Delta region along US-17 between Georgetown and Charleston once held dozens of large and hugely profitable plantations. One of the best preserved of these is now the Hampton Plantation State Park (Thurs.–Mon. 9 am–6 pm; free), located 15 miles south of Georgetown, two miles west of US-17. Spreading out along the northern edge of Francis Marion National Forest, the 320-acre grounds feature a white wooden Greek Revival manor house (tours Thurs.–Mon. 1–4 pm; $4) that once welcomed George Washington. The manor house was later home to Archibald Rutledge, poet laureate of South Carolina from 1934 until his death in 1973.
South from Hampton Plantation along US-17, a small sign marks the turn-off to the quaint Lowcountry fishing village of McClellanville (pop. 383). A short drive past moss-draped oak trees brings you to the town dock, where a substantial portion of South Carolina’s shrimp and crab catch gets unloaded and shipped to market.
