Georgetown (South Carolina)

Georgetown, known for being a historic seaport, is nestled between Myrtle Beach and Charleston in South Carolina. It was established in 1732, making it the state’s third oldest city, behind Charleston and Beaufort. The waterfront city is inhabited by many museums, shops, restaurants, and historic attractions. It is best seen by walking and boat tours.

Georgetown, SC

See

There are three major, must-see museums:

• Kaminski House was built in the early 1700s and overlooks Front Street and the Sampit River. It was the residence of three Georgetown mayors and named after one, Harold Kaminski. The inside of the museum includes much of the original flooring and molds, and it also houses many antiques as well as a store. Admission to this museum is only $5.
• The Rice Museum is in the Old Market building, which is known by locals as the town clock because of the clock faces on all four sides of the bell tower. This museum focuses on telling the story of the rice culture in Georgetown through dioramas and films. This museum also contains a gift shop and just opened four permanent exhibits. These all tell stories on different influential parts of Georgetown’s past. The most interesting of these exhibits include one on Miss Ruby Forsythe, who was one of South Carolina’s great educators, and an exhibit on Joseph Hayne Rainey, the first African American to be elected to the U.S. Congress.
• The Georgetown County Museum holds the stories of more than 300 years of Georgetown history. It includes artefacts from local Native American tribes, slave bills, plantation information, paper making tips from pine trees, and letters from Revolutionary War Patriots. This building has the heart and soul of Georgetown history and it would be tragic to miss it.

Also worth visiting are:

• The Strand Theatre in the League of Historic American Theater listings. The box office was built for the 1987 movie Made in Heaven. It is now home to the Swamp Fox Players, a musical group that puts on plays in the historic building.
• The Historic Mansfield Plantation is a historic rice plantation on the banks of the Black River. "The most architecturally intact rice plantation in the USA" is home to the only remaining winnowing barn in all of Georgetown, SC. Slave houses are still standing and being resotred and converted into a museum.

Do

Tours

The best way to experience Georgetown is through walking and boat tours. The best walking tours include historic ones, through museums and old buildings, and ghost tours, through the streets at nighttime. These ghost tours are a huge hit in Georgetown because they are led by a story teller. As the group walks through the dark streets, holding lanterns, the leader tells of the history of Georgetown, including all the ghosts that supposedly reside here. The tour is done as a group and is a great way to understand Georgetown through a fun activity.

Other kinds of tours are boat tours. These tours take place in the marshland and the intracoastal waterways. Participants can experience the city while getting a unique experience because they are learning from a boat. The tours also include different information about Georgetown, which involves tales of plank walking and secrets about pirates and their treasures.

Marinas

The Harborwalk, Boat Shed, Hazzard, and Georgetown Landing Marina are the four major marinas in this city. These marinas are very important to the city because it has most of its travel by water. In fact, it is the second largest seaport in South Carolina, handling more than 960,000 tons of materials a year.

• Harborwalk Marina. Located on the Sampit River where the water is calm. It is only a boardwalk away from the historic district of Georgetown. This marina is surrounded by restaurants, shopping, and many other accommodations. It is equipped with a dock house, laundry facilities, restrooms, and showers. 
• Hazzard Marina. Located on the coast of South Carolina, just minutes away from Georgetown. Hazzard Marina prides themselves on being a full service marine repair and refit facility, using modern techniques and skilled works. 

• Georgetown Landing Marina. The largest marina in the area, providing fuel, Wi-Fi, restrooms, clothes washing facilities, pump outs and a fish cleaning station. 

Buy

The shopping in Georgetown is endless. From the antique stores, specializing in old time furniture and home products, to the retail stores, supplying everything from heels, clothes, make-up, and beauty products to books, gifts, and souvenirs. A simply stroll down Front Street will fill you with many shopping options to satisfy every persons needs.

Eat

There are many restaurants in Georgetown, offering a large variety of cuisines to please everyone. There are five restaurants, however, that stand out as providing the historic theme associated with Georgetown as well as the excellent food that pleases even the locals. Old Fish House, also known as the Big Tuna, Rice Paddy, River Room, Harvest Moon, and Thomas Cafe are all very popular dining choices for local Georgetown residents. These restaurants provide a large variety of foods, including all kinds of seafood, rice creations, burgers, hot dogs, ice cream, coffee, lamb, wine, deep fried foods and sandwiches.

• The River Room. The River Room has served delectable coastal-influenced fare to a tremendous following of loyal patrons since 1984. Moderately-priced lunch selections include World Famous Shrimp and Grits and crunchy Pecan Chicken Salad. For dinner, there's an extensive wine list to go with chef specialties such as Herb-crusted Grouper or McClellanville Crab Cakes. 
• Lands End: On the water, Lands End offers a variety of dishes, including seafood, prime rib, pasta, and sandwiches.
• The Rice Paddy, 732 Front Street, ☎ [phone]. The location inside an old bank exudes Southern charm and hospitable gentility. The Rice Paddy sports burnished wood, exposed brick walls, Oriental rugs, and gorgeous artwork. The food and wine match the romantic setting. Check out the former bank vault that is now a wine cellar. Though their food is expensive, these folks know how to make a mean meal worth the moola. Make a reservation! While the meals are upscale, about any manner of dress would work here except for t-shirts and flip-flops. 

Sleep

• The only waterfront bed and breakfast in Georgetown is the Harbor House. The house was built in 1765, and has since been renovated. The larges rooms provide a harbor view, private bath, telephone, television, and individual thermostat. The cost of staying at this luxurious bed and breakfast includes an open beverage bar, homemade cakes and cookies, afternoon appetizer tray, and a full southern bounteous breakfast.

• There is also the Mansfield Plantation Bed & Breakfast on a historic rice plantation. It is known as one of the most well-preserved antebellum rice plantations in the United States. It sits on 1,000 private acres that take visitors back to pre-Civil War plantation life. The bed and breakfast has 9 private guest rooms and includes a low country breakfast and the chance to explore the fields and bird watch by the Black River.
• Aside from this historic accommodation, Georgetown also offers some hotels such as the Quality Inn and Hampton Inn.

Go next

Routes through Georgetown

Myrtle Beach ← Pawleys Island ←

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→ Mount Pleasant → Charleston