This National Historic Site is free! There's a 1-mile paved trail with occasional informational…read moresigns to guide you through the historic site, as well as a log cabin you can look into, clean bathrooms, and a visitors center with a few displays, a small theatre, and gift shop. We were visitors but it appeared several locals come here to take a walk or walk their dogs as well. Highly recommend visiting if in the area.

Good site to learn a little about the revolutionary war. There were many battles in SC. Ninety Six…read morewas a small settlement and the fort was controlled by the British. The wooden parts of the fort are gone but the earthworks are still there. The main pathway is about a mile long and is paved so it's easy walking. There are some slight inclines and declines but with the pavement it should still be wheelchair accessible as well.

Cedar Falls Park has two entrances. One side has a playground and an event area, the other side is…read morethe falls and a partially paved hiking trail. We didn't realize the two sides of this park until we had started walking. We started out on the playground side. So, It worked out well there's a nice riverside trail between the park and the falls. It's not a difficult walk, but it can be hazardous if it's recently rained.

Great place for a family hike, or a peaceful stroll! This…read morecounty park is on the site of a 19th century mill and you can enjoy the ruins, the remnants of the dam and the waterfalls. Great picnic or family spot too! My small kids had no problem making it through. There are multiple spots to access the trails and two playgrounds, bench swings, picnic tables, park benches all along the trail and restrooms. You can take the nature trail and enjoy the shaded hike. The only issue I had is that you can lose the trail near the edge of the park. If you hit the power lines, you've gone too far! Great place!

Such a nice trail for walking, running or biking. Reminds me of Silver Comet Trail, how it goes…read morethrough the backyards of older neighborhoods. The spur down by the river was the trip's highlight. Quite lovely. This trail has all needed amenities... bathrooms, bike tire inflation stations, good signage, and nicely paved asphalt.

The greenway in runs right to the ritzy waterfront area, but there several miles of it. It is…read morepaved, and while on occasions it passes sports facilities or people's backyards, it is generally quite green. It is usually well-attended and I have not had any safety concerns; it certainly feels better than comparable areas on the other side of the river. There are plenty of bikers, but the trail is generally wide enough not to present any major issues of overcrowding. It's definitely a good way to get a taste of the environment without driving too far from the city.

This is a really beautiful monument, and I'm glad that I stopped to take the time to check it out…read more I loved how the sculptures making up the monument seemingly came to life, and depicted everything from the African slave trade, all the way up to the current African-American experience in the US. In my opinion, it's important not to shy away from the ugly parts of our history as a state and a nation, and this monument does a great job of illustrating those moments with grace and class, as well as highlighting the achievements and contributions of African-Americans in the US and the state of South Carolina. If you're ever near the state capital for any reason, I'd strongly encourage you to take a few minutes to stop and check out this amazing monument.

For those of you who don't know about this monument. It's a very impotant part of African American…read morehistory because it's the first monument of it's kind on any state house grounds in the USA. It captures African American History from times of slavery. Where we were carried over on boats from different regions in Africa (Ghana, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Senegal) up until present day where it shows us making strides in various prominent industries. There is a big lack of places where you can go to absorb African American history and culture, and it's nice to see more and more places popping up in the last couple of decades that aim to change that. (The museum in Philly, the new Smithsonian in DC, etc.) It was an honor to witness this memorial and take pictures in front of it.

Big thanks to Richard R. for adding this one that did not come up in the usual searches and yet, it…read morewas the main reason I passed through the DuPont Forest. I love bridges and I love covered bridges even more! And wow, thanks for the amazing writeup of all the drama on this property that was an eye-opener. I parked the van at the High Falls Trailhead (there are restrooms and even a wifi here!) and made my way along the trail to the bridge. It's about 0.75 of a mile on a path through the woods. I am apparently not as delicious as usual as I earned zero mosquito bites despite sweating a lot in the humidity. I'd call this walk "easy plus." The bridge itself is impressive and quite modern. And I would suggest not missing the nearby Falls though I was simply too tired and it was getting too late for me. I'll need to plan better next time! The walk back was much easier as I opted to take the gravel road that is easy and smooth, but only open for emergency vehicles and the forest rangers. I would rate the hike as "easy" for 0.6 miles though not wheelchairable. You can ask the rangers for access by vehicle for handicapped but they're only open regular hours. [Review 20030 overall - 3463 in North Carolina - 1005 of 2023.]

High Falls Covered Bridge (also known as Buck Forest Covered Bridge) is one of my favorite bridges…read morein the Southern United States. It is a modern structure that has an interesting history. It is an example of the power of the people versus the dollar power of a developer. HISTORY In 1999, Sterling Diagnostic Imaging decided to sell their interest in the land that holds Triple Falls and High Falls, two of the most gorgeous waterfalls you will ever visit this side of the Mississippi. For reasons still unknown, the company decided to use an unusual bidding method by choosing to keep the bidding private and secretive. The State offered up a bid in efforts to save the land for public use, but Sterling announced a developer by the name of Jim Anthony won with a bid of 6.35 million. The developer initially announced in the Hendersonville Times News that he had no plans to develop the land, but instead wanted to use it as a private retreat. However, it soon became apparent Anthony was indeed planning a massive upscale gated community. The fact that the deed he purchased from Sterling Diagnostics stating the land could not be used for residential purposes at the Transylvania Courthouse did not seem to matter. It was later discovered the complex legal agreement between the two was unenforceable and the battle began between the state and Anthony. Anthony proceeded to begin building the roads and this gorgeous covered bridge as part of his planned community, but thankfully he was ultimately defeated. On October 23, 2000 Governor Jim Hunt and the Council of State unanimously voted to invoke eminent domain on the tract of land owned by developer Anthony. In many ways Anthony still won big, because the State paid him 24.5 million dollars in an out of court settlement. WOW! The Falls opened to the public on December 17, 2000. Since then, the entire 2200 acres has been integrated into Dupont State Forest. [History Reference: Romantic Asheville - "How Dupont State Forest was saved"] FINAL THOUGHTS Aside from being one of the most beautiful covered bridges you will ever see, it also is part of a trail system that includes arguably the most beautiful waterfalls in the South. If that is not enough of a reason to come here, let me give you movie fans one more reason. Many scenes from the 1st Hunger Games were filmed right here in this forest. The scene were Katniss finds Peeta camouflaged in the ground at the waterfall is located on the second tier of Triple Falls... just a half mile downstream of High Falls Covered Bridge. Movie scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxvyMiwhJWw Year Built: 2000 Obvious materials: Wood, stone, concrete Spans over: Little River at the top of High Falls Location: Dupont State Forest @ Buck Forest Road

I was enjoying a walk at the botanical gardens and saw the sign near where I'd parked. It's a…read moresteady, mild incline 1/2 mile up and down a gravel road to the viewpoints. Not by any means the prettiest trek, but lovely views at the top of course. I did encounter sections of monster mosquitos about 3/4 the way up and around the rocky viewing areas. I didn't arrive at sunset or rise, so I can't account for that aspect. But I found some of the other viewpoints in the area equally pretty, so I probably wouldn't go out of my way for these. And, I enjoyed the setting of the botanical preserve trails below much better. Still yet, I'm sure it would've been a different experience during the right time of day.

Loved this place! It's a half mile walk in a gravel road but to be able to watch the sunset was so…read morebeautiful!! Will definitely be back.

I organized a tour for my sister's 30th birthday and they couldn't have spoken more highly of the…read moreexperience! Her and her fiancé were a little nervous going in, but came back raving about how great it was. Booking was simple and straightforward, and the pricing is more than fair! Definitely recommend!

Do not waste your time, the owner is a know it all jerk and has no social skills or ability to…read moreplan. He left us high and dry on a 16th birthday and could care less.

I will admit that I did not know the "name" of this bridge despite having walked across it…read morecountless times, although it has only been known by this name for the past couple of years. It's not the expansive Liberty Bridge that is most commonly associated with the Reedy River downtown, but it is a convenient and heavily foot-trafficked crossing just up the river that many people recognize. It's located parallel to Main Street and can be accessed by stairs on either side. The bright green bridge connects with the Swamp Rabbit Trail on one side and the sidewalks that go through the Wyche Pavilion and Peace Center amphitheater on the other. The bridge crosses over the Reedy right where there are concrete structures, looking somewhat like a dam, that are part of an old railroad trestle. The water spills over here providing lots of white noise, especially in combination with the other nearby water features and wall fountains.

This bridge was an educational experience for me. But not until the first time I finally paused to…read moretake in the signage. Eugenia Duke began her path to fame in 1917 by making sandwiches in her home kitchen to sell to the army during WWI. Her sandwiches were good but it was all about the Mayo. Years later at the urging the of those soldiers, she began bottling it in 1923. Knowing this makes me an even bigger fan of Duke's mayonnaise. Oh, wait. The icon bridge is pretty cool, too.

This is a fairly remote site, and the roads were not in good condition when I arrived, with a…read morebridge out to the north that would require a major detour. The site itself had a history that wasn't quite what I expected; after its days as a working plantation, it was rented to sharecroppers for many years before the area was bought by the National Forest Service and a large number of trees were planted with the intent to create a new forest (a success, by the looks of things), and the site of this mansion was later made into a park. Wandering around the site was free; a guided tour of the mansion itself did cost some money. The site was the home of a governor shortly before the Civil War, so the focus is on Civil War history. I had the run of the place given the frigid weather, and I found the historical context interesting, though there seemed to be a lot of gaps in recorded history and a lot of speculation in the responses I got. Nonetheless, you'd still get an interesting and nuanced picture even with the uncertainty. There were some small trails, but I didn't quite make it to the river. Without the tour, there wasn't really enough to be worth driving an hour or more to get here (and I was puzzled that some people apparently left without seeing the mansion). It wasn't the best SC park I've been to, but they've all been interesting.

Got a tour of the mansion from Nate - he was a great guide. Very knowledgeable, eager to answer my…read morequestions. This site is on the smaller side of other plantations I've visited. With the tour, you could walk and see the whole of the grounds within 1.5, 2hrs. I've never been disappointed with a SC Parks employee-led tour. It's worth buying the state parks annual pass if you're into history, want to support the parks, and take advantage of all the tours included in the annual pass.

Very cool urban "archaeological" find...nobody but locals "in the know" seem to be aware it's even…read morethere! Found out about it from the very nice & informative bartender at Dust Off Brewing (check out doing to the YoCo Brew Trail; check into 6 breweries on the app & get a t-shirt). He couldn't quite remember how to get to it, but after some intensive research, found the geo coordinates. That was honestly the only way to find this place, plus a little guts & guesswork. You can quasi see some portion of the rockwork of the ruinous remains from the paved Riverwalk trail. The "easiest" way to get to the ruins is to follow the Riverwalk Piedmont Medical Center Trail to just before mile marker 1.25; you will see this steep wooden thing with awkwardly placed planks. You basically have to rock-wall climb your way up. From there you are on a mountain biking trail. Follow the arrows for just over a quarter mile and you will see some indicators of the ruins before they open up in front of you. You will most likely have the place to yourself. Really cool to wander around and take it all in. Just be careful with holes and don't walk on or within the actual ruins as they are pretty sketch & unsteady. There are spiders, snakes, and flying insects galore, so put on repellent and stay vigilant cuz it is deep woods! You can either get back down the way you came; I found this gray rock slope that I found easier to navigate than sliding down the wood thing I climbed up. Either way, really neat find and I'm so glad I explored to find it! The paved walkway along the Catawba is also a nice walk to and from!