Congaree National Park

A great inland sea of loblolly pines, oaks, cypresses, and gums that spreads through South Carolina, the Congaree National Park is home to some of the largest trees in the US – nay, the world! It’s said that the heftiest specimens of a whopping 15 species reside within, between the snaking boardwalk trails and mosquito-buzzing creeks. You can go a-looking for them on a kayak or a canoe. It’s the way people have been venturing through the hardwood hammocks and swamps for years.

Accessible thanks to its myriad of well-maintained boardwalk trails, the Congaree National Park whisks you into dense thickets of old-growth hardwood hammocks. Families can look for bobcats and fireflies from the paths or hop in a kayak and navigate the forests on the H2O.