Think Carolina and images of wealthy planters, rice fields, marshy land, and Low Country cooking come to mind. Whether by horse-drawn carriage, on a harbor cruise, or on foot, Charleston is renowned as America’s most beautifully preserved city. It was originally founded to serve as a port for prosperous South Carolina rice planters to move their goods to England and they spared no expense on the massive homes they built in which to spend the “social season,” trying to out do one another. You can almost envision Scarlett gliding down the steps of a mansion, far from the cares of the world, as the lovely daughters got ready for a high season ball. Meandering through the cobblestone streets, you can bask in sea breezes, discover antique shops, galleries, and boutiques, and be enticed by delicious fresh seafood. The most visited historic city in the United States is as genteel as it gets. Yet, South Carolina is so much more than history. Further north of the rich riches, Upcountry South Carolina is hilly, cooler, and covered with forests. Life is more like Blue Ridge than aristocratic. Spartanburg and Greenville have undergone absolute transformations into sophisticated cities surrounding the BMW manufacturing plant. The four districts of the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor: The Low Country, the Edgefield District, which produced 10 Governors, and several national leaders, Rivers, Rails and Crossroads, and Upcountry, spans plantations to mill villages from Charleston to Greenville. Traversing the swamps on boardwalks, dikes, and bridges and meandering historic homes built as early as the 1670s, takes you through the history of the area from settlement to today. Deep in a rural area, find a shaded porch to sit on and listen to timeless stories coming right from the soul of the storyteller. Smell the honeysuckle in a delightful garden beside a river flowing as slow as molasses and life moving about that fast too. Pull up a rocking chair, settle in, and enjoy.