by Jayne Cannon

There’s a little-known vacation spot on the South Carolina coast with lots of history, but without typically noxious resort-area crowds and traffic.

Nestled between Charleston and the Grand Strand is the hidden gem of Georgetown, a city that boasts both a colorful past and a modern quality of life that has ranked it among America’s 100 best small towns.

Georgetown is South Carolina's third oldest city, and evidence of the city's pre-Revolutionary War beginnings can be seen everywhere in this community of about 9,000 people.

Elisha Screven laid out the original four-by-eight block plan for the city in 1729, two centuries after the Spanish first sailed into Winyah Bay and briefly settled in the area.

The original town is what is now referred to as the Historic District, and presidents George Washington and James Monroe were among the early visitors.

Today it's home to beautiful old homes and churches, some of which are open to visitors.

The Kaminski House Museum, which belongs to the City of Georgetown, dates from 1770.  Located on Front Street, the museum is home to a large collection of English and American antiques. Tours are conducted hourly. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and $3 for children 6-12. Children five and under are free. AAA discounts are available.

The town's coastal location at the confluence of three rivers - the Great Pee Dee, Waccamaw and Sampit - has played a big part in its history. In the mid 1800s, Georgetown was a center for the cultivation of rice and indigo. Stop in at the Rice Museum for a look at the importance of this crop in Georgetown history, chronicled with a diorama and other exhibits.

In the 1840s, almost half of the country’s rice crop was produced in Georgetown County. The Rice Museum, on Front Street, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed on Sunday and major holidays. Admission is charged.

You can tour of Mansfield Plantation, a rice plantation founded in 1718 and faithfully restored to its antebellum appearance. (Call 866-717-1776).

History buffs will want to see the Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church on Front Street, built in 1750 from brick used as ballast by British ships. The church was held by enemy troops in two wars, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. It’s still an active church and visitors can attend weekly services.
 
The Winyah name crops up again, with the popular Winyah Bay Bed & Breakfast, a AAA Three Diamond-rated accommodation. Other Three Diamond lodging choices are the Hampton Inn Georgetown Marina and Harbor House Bed & Breakfast.

Pirates, including the infamous Blackbeard, also made Georgetown a port of call, preying on the cargo ships that sailed into and out of the harbor. The annual Harbor walk Festival in June pays tribute to the history of Georgetown's waterfront and shows off this revitalized area.

Financier and statesman Bernard Baruch entertained many other famous figures of the 20th century, including President Franklin Roosevelt and English Prime Minister Winston Churchill, at nearby Hob caw Barony.  The 17,500-acre estate and wildlife preserve is available for public tours and also host’s ecology research centers by Clemson University and the University of South Carolina. Another place where the wildlife and history of the area are preserved is Hampton Plantation State Park, the former home of poet Archibald Rutledge.