This year my home state of South Carolina is celebrating its 250th anniversary. Planning a vacation with all the celebrations should be simple. Yeah, right. There’s always too much to choose from. I thought as I planned I could also see what types of literature might lend themselves to exploring my state’s history.

In the Hello U.S.A series I found celebrations for each month in different parts of the state. January was the Cowpens Battleground. There’s always a reenactment there; though it’s not in the book, there’s another reenactment at Walnut Grove Plantation in the fall. In May, Beaufort celebrates with a Gullah Festival. Have you ever heard someone speak Gullah? And in August, Georgetown moves further into SC history with the Blue and Gray Festival.

Food is always an important part of any state’s history. I love cooking in an open hearth or over a campfire. One of the books also features Benne cookies brought to SC from Africa. I noticed there is a Peach Festival and a Chitlin Strut. Not sure I want to try chitlins but why not be adventurous?

Kate Salley Palmer is a SC author who wrote Frances Marion and the Legend of the Swamp Fox. This unique picture book for ages 8-12 takes readers into the swamps of SC with Frances Marion. There’s a state park by that name located in Huger, SC. That will be a great place to hike but I better take the insect repellent.

Then there’s Ford the Pacholet by Richard C. Meehan, Jr. It’s a novel for ages 10-18. You won’t find the name Pacholet on any map but you will find Pacolet. Pacolet is a river and a mill town in the Upstate. The book features adventure, romance and the Catawba tribe during the Revolutionary War.

Now it’s time to go explore. Were plantation houses first built as log cabins? Are there battlefields in my county or neighboring counties? What would a soldier have to know to forage for food during the war or his family at home? Is there a good place to find arrowheads? (Try looking in freshly turned fields along old trails and wagon roads. The Blackstock is a notable one in my area. It goes from the mountains to the sea.)I wonder what songs were sung around campfires? What are brush arbors and who led the revivals? Where are the old cemeteries located with Revolutionary and Civil War veterans?

There’s so much to do and so much to see. What if I could time travel? Since I’m doing project-based learning perhaps I could write a piece pretending I traveled to Cowpens during the battle. I’d probably have to dig a little deeper to learn more of life in the 1700s.

I just ran across information on a famous pirate who was hanged in Charlestown in the 1700’s!

What direction should I go? Does it matter? There’s a lifetime of exploring out there.

Gail Cartee has her exploration vacation plans in hand.

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