5 S.C. cities offer visitors much to enjoy

Editor's Note: We brought you our Top 10 outdoor getaways, and now we are bringing you our Top 5 destination cities in South Carolina (if you want to leave Charleston.)

Hatfields and McCoys. Yankees and Red Sox. Macy's and Gimbels. Uptown and Downtown. Natural rivals, all.

Allowing for the enduring competition between Charleston and Columbia, even the staunchest Holy City advocate would have to admit (OK, under duress) that the state capital also has its charms.

Give the place its due.

1. Columbia

The Capital City heads our list of South Carolina's Top 5 City Getaways (excluding the Greater Charleston area, of course), thanks in no small measure to the Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Garden, a sanctuary for more than 2,000 animals and a 70-acre botanical garden widely regarded as one of the Southeast's finest. 500 Wildlife Parkway, 803-779-8717, www.riverbanks.org.

There also is the South Carolina State Museum at 301 Gervais St., 803-898-4921; Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St., 803-799-2810; USC Melton Memorial Observatory at 1429 Greene St., 803-777-4180; the S.C. Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum at 301 Gervais St., 803-737-8095; the McKissick Museum at 816 Bull St. 803-777-7251; EdVenture, said to be the Southeast's largest children's museum at 211 Gervais St., 803-779-3100; and the Nickelodeon Theatre, the Columbia Film Society's temple to international and independent cinema, 937 Main St., 803-254-8234.

Performances by the South Carolina Philharmonic continue, and the annual S.C. Book Festival downtown attracts authors and book sellers from throughout the South.

Apart from the yearly State Fair ( www.scstatefair.org ), annual festivals include the Columbia Blues Festival ( www.wordofmouthproductions.org ), Indie Grits Film Festival ( www.indiegrits.com ) and Columbia International Festival ( www.cif online.org ).

Lake Murray is only 15 minutes away, but walkers, runners and cyclists get a by-the-water fix as close as the West Columbia Riverwalk or the Three Rivers Greenway.

For more information: www.columbiacvb.com .

2. Greenville

The signature image of this city may be Falls Park on the Reedy (www.fallspark.com) and the Liberty Bridge, a 355-foot pedestrian walkway overlooking the downtown waterfall. Falls Park, a "tribute" to the river, offers scenic overlooks, nature trails, a pond and landscaped gardens, all accessed at South Main Street and Camperdown Way.

Heritage Green ( http://heritagegreensc.com ) is an urban arts and cultural campus on College Street downtown. For more than 40 years it has been home to the Greenville County Museum of Art ( www.greenvillemuseum.org ) and the Greenville Little Theatre (www.greenvillelittletheatre.org). It also harbors the Upcountry History Museum ( www.upcountryhistory.org ) and The Children's Museum.

Principal museums also include the American Legion War Museum at 430 North Main St., 864-271-2000, www.americanlegion3warmuseum.com ; the Greenville Cultural Exchange Center, an African-American history museum and culture center at 700 Arlington Ave., 864-232-9162, www.greenvillesc.gov ; the Museum & Gallery at Bob Jones University at 1700 Wade Hampton Blvd., 864-770-1331, www.bjumg.org ; and the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and

Baseball Library at 356 Field St., 864-235-6280, www.shoelessjoejackson.org .

The city sports live performance venues such as the Peace Center for the Performing Arts ( www.peacecenter.org ), home of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, at 300 South Main St., 864-232-0344, www.greenvillesymphony.org ; Centre Stage at 501 River St., 864-233-6733, www.centrestage.org ; the Bi-Lo Center, a sports and entertainment arena at 650 North Academy St., 864-241-3800, www.bilocenter.com ; the Carolina Ballet Theatre, 864-467-3000, www.carolinaballet.org ; and the South Carolina Children's Theatre at 153 Augusta St., 864-235-2885, www.scchildrenstheatre.org .

Then there's the Greenville Zoo at 150 Cleveland Park Drive, 864-467-4350, www.greenvillezoo.com ; the Roper Mountain Science Center, which contains the largest planetarium in South Carolina and the seventh-largest telescope in the nation, at 402 Roper Mountain Road, 864-355-8900, www.ropermountain.org ; and Art Crossing at Riverplace, a downtown aggregate of artists' studios.

Annual festivals include the National Cycling Championships; the dual food-and-wine festivals Euphoria and Fall for Greenville; and the Upcountry Shakespeare Festival.

3. Beaufort

On the cusp of its 300th birthday (in 2011), Beaufort continues to grow -- but not too much -- and enhance its low-key appeal.

It's Charleston on a smaller scale, a stroller's delight, easier to navigate and less touristy. Walking or biking through its historic neighborhoods, one does not feel accompanied by a legion of fellow travelers.

Shopping, dining and taking in the evening's live music, on and off the main drag, may be the chief occupation of visitors, but many punctuate their stay with guided boat and kayak tours, boat rentals and charters, biking, horseback riding, fishing, sailing, shrimping and crabbing.

The town centerpiece is shady, relaxing Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park along the Beaufort River, which seems always to have a breeze blowing in. From the vantage point of the park (seated, of course, in one of its popular swings) one can spy the western tip of Lady's Island, the eastern side of Port Royal Island and the northern tip of Parris Island. There's also a stage for performances, a pavilion and picnicking spots.

Regattas are a year-round feature, while the Old Theater does stage some periodic chamber music, bluegrass and local repertory productions. Also growing in stature is the annual Beaufort International Film Festival (Feb. 16-20, 2011, www.beaufortfilmfestival.com ). Beginning in the 1980s with "The Big Chill," Beaufort has provided the backdrop for a number of notable feature films shot wholly or in part in its environs, among them "Forrest Gump," "The Prince of Tides," "The Great Santini" and "Platoon." Buffs can locate where scenes were shot and where cast and crew hung out during their stays.

Of particular note is the National Cemetery at Beaufort. The original interments were of men who died in nearby Union Army hospitals. Battle casualties from around the area were also reinterred in the cemetery, including more than 100 Confederate soldiers. The cemetery now has interments from every major American conflict, including the Spanish-American War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War.

The Federal-style John Mark Verdier House at 801 Bay St., now home to a museum, was constructed in 1805 and commandeered by Union officers as their headquarters during the Civil War. 843-379-6335, www.historicbeaufort.org .

The Lowcountry Estuarium at 1402 Paris Ave. in Port Royal is a learning center that focuses on discovery of our varied coastal environments. 843-524-6600, www.lowcountryestuarium.org .

Also check out the gallery at ARTworks, home of the Arts Council of Beaufort County at 2127 Boundary St. 843-379-2787, www.beaufortcountyarts.com .

4. Myrtle Beach

It's more than a beach, of course. And while neon and dazzle may or may not be your cup of tea, or some attractions to everyone's taste, it is impossible to deny that this anchor of the Grand Strand offers no end of things to do. And some folks, kids particularly, thrive on being part of the throng.

Golf courses? Merely 102, at last count. And 50 miniature golf courses as well. Then there's the 350-acre shopping and entertainment complex Broadway at the Beach, seven theaters offering live entertainment, 300 outlet stores and 1,700 restaurants. For starters.

The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum showcases 10 galleries of visual arts exhibitions 843-238-2510, www.myrtlebeachartmuseum.org ; while the Children's Museum of South Carolina offers a hands-on experience for curious young minds, 843-946-9469, www.cmsckids.org .

Locomotive enthusiasts may enjoy a look at the restored Historic Myrtle Beach Train Depot, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, 843-918-4906, www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/depot.html .

The year-old Carolina Improv Company presents interactive improv comedy at Uptown at the Myrtle Beach Mall, 843-272-4242, www.carolinaimprov.com .

Completed in May, the new mile-long Oceanfront Boardwalk and Promenade downtown runs between the 14th Avenue North Pier and the Second Avenue North Pier, extending all the way to First Avenue.

Oddities abound at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, but exotica of a different kind dominate at Ripley's Aquarium at Broadway at the Beach, 1-800-734-8888, http://myrtlebeach.ripleyaquariums.com .

Another focal point is the Market Common, an "urban village" sporting six restaurants and approximately 50 retail stores, 843-839-3500, www.marketcommonmb.com .

For more information, log on to www.visitmyrtlebeach.com .

5. Georgetown

Like Beaufort, Georgetown has the virtue of being just a hop, skip and a jump away. Yet it is away.

Located on Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Great Pee Dee, Waccamaw and Sampit rivers, it is the seat of a county that was long a popular resort area.

Some 63 historic homes and other properties fill the Historic District, with plantation, ghost, historic district and other specialty tours to guide visitors to the prime spots.

The Front Street Harborwalk has enduring appeal, and several entertaining boat tours afford a strong sense of the history, flora and fauna of the area. The Harborwalk Festival is one of a number of annual fests and special events.

There's also the Swamp Fox Players, a local theater company at 710 Front St., 843-527-2924, www.swampfoxplayers.com. Museums include the Kaminski House Museum at 1003 Front St., 843-546-7706, www.kaminskihousemuseum.org ; and the Rice Museum at 633 Front St., which highlights Georgetown's multicultural history and the archaeology of plantations.

Close by are Hobcaw Barony at 22 Hobcaw Road 843-546-4623, www.hobcawbarony.org ; and Hopsewee Plantation at 494 Hopsewee Road 843-546-7891, www.hopsewee.com .

Reach Bill Thompson at 937-5707 or bthompson@postandcourier.com.