2 Best Sights in The Midlands and Upstate, South Carolina

This 107-acre outdoor museum complex and Revolutionary War historic site emphasizes the period surrounding the British occupation of 1780. Several structures dot the site, including the 1789 Craven House, the Blacksmith Shed, and the Kershaw House, a reconstruction of the circa-1770 home of Camden's founder, Joseph Kershaw, which also served as Cornwallis's headquarters; it's furnished with period pieces. Recently relocated here is the Bonds Conway House, a circa-1812 structure with impressive woodwork that was built by the first African American in Camden to buy his freedom. It now serves as the home of the Kershaw County Historical Society. The grounds also include a nature trail, fortifications, powder magazine, picnic area, and a crafts shop. Guided tours are at 10:30 and 2:30.

Home to James Hammond, who is credited with being first to declare that "cotton is king," this wood-frame house remained in the family until 1975. The 13,000-square-foot mansion (which now sits on 369 acres) remains just as it was, down to the 19th-century books on the carved shelves. Exhibits in and around the former slave quarters contain photograph and textile exhibits that help visitors to understand the lives of the enslaved families that lived here and the atrocities they suffered. Once you've toured the house, be sure to explore the grounds on the 1-mile trail.