Travel is transforming in 2020. Most significantly, there’s been a major uptick in road trips, with travelers choosing rural destinations as opposed to large cities. And those road trippers are booking remote/boutique lodging and vacation rentals instead of hotels.
South Carolina is ideal for travelers looking for a unique experience at an off-the-grid destination, with a ready escape to the outdoors where they can safely social distance. Check out five one-of-a-kind vacation rentals in South Carolina (in places you may not have heard of!) where travelers can check all of those boxes for a secluded escape.
Clevedale Inn’s Mack Rail Cabin Car (Spartanburg): Take a trip back to when people traveled in style and elegance. Clevedale Inn and Historic Gardens’ historic 1947 Mack Rail caboose car has been transformed into a modern queen bedroom suite sitting on authentic train tracks. The car has a wooden interior and a custom bed tucked in the bay window. There are window curtains for privacy – an authentic feature from cars of the time – and a sitting area perfect for reading or conversation. The luxury conductor’s bathroom is filled with the scent of cedar wood and offers its own shower, as well as a deck and private garden access.
The Clarendon Club (Santee): A family owned retreat, The Clarendon Club offers private home-style lodging in a very remote and rural setting. Guests can gather under a very spacious pavilion while enjoying skeet shooting, swimming in a private pool or hiking on designated trails. Guests can also reserve private duck hunts on nearby ponds in the fall. Nearby, Santee State Park is perfect for kayaking, fishing, hiking trails and more.
The 1873 Lighthouse (Daufuskie Island): Between 1873 to the 1930s, this 40-foot lighthouse tower served mariners traveling around the northern tip of Daufuskie Island. After falling into disrepair, the Lighthouse was restored in the 1980s. Today, it serves as a guesthouse with two bedrooms, kitchen, dining room and porch overlooking Calibogue Sound. The island is only accessible by ferry and the main mode of transportation on-island is by golf cart — South Carolina seclusion at its best.
Edisto River Treehouses (Canadys): For a true Swiss Family Robinson experience, head to the heart of South Carolina’s ACE Basin. Located on the banks of the Edisto River, three treehouses await after a 13-mile kayak paddle (it’s a lazy river, so even novices can make their way). Watch for wildlife including hawks, alligators, turtles and even endangered species — like the Peregrine falcon, Red-cockaded Woodpecker and the wood stork. During the day, enjoy picnics along the shore, fishing, kayaking and swimming in the fresh, spring-fed water. You can also kayak about 10 miles downriver to Walterboro to sample the legendary Dukes Barbeque. And from there drive the 20-minutes to Breland Hill Strawberry Barn and pick your own berries or purchase fresh cucumbers, butter beans, sweet corn and more to take back with you to enjoy in your treehouse.
THE STELLA VISTA Romantic Mountain Treehouse (Walhalla): Climb up the ships ladder through a hidden door to this luxury romantic treehouse on the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Guests have the entire treehouse and surrounding wooded area to explore, with another treehouse just down the trail if you have other guests accompanying you (The Bella Luna). The Stella Visita is just minutes from beautiful waterfalls, hiking trails, the iconic Stumphouse Tunnel and the new Stumphouse Mountain Bike Park – perfect if you’re taking a road trip off National Scenic Byway 11 (there are over a dozen must-see roadside attractions and state parks off this highway!).