Home › Open Data › South Carolina Family Day-Out Cost Index
A family of four gets into 31 of the 87 South Carolina places that publish a price for free (36%). Where there is a charge, the median day out is $21.50 for admission and published parking. The median state park visit is $8; a paid attraction, $66.
- Free for a family3136% of priced places
- Median paid day$21.502 adults, 2 kids
- Paid attractions$66median
- No price published12left out, not guessed
What This Page Is For
Use it to: find free and low-cost days out, compare what a day costs by type of place, and see what the priciest outings add up to. Build your own day with the day-out cost calculator.
Where the figures come from: each place’s official page as recorded in our attractions, attraction-cost and places datasets, read on or before October 26, 2026. We count admission for two adults and two children (ages 8 and 12) plus parking where it is published. Food, fuel, tours and add-ons are left out.
Reuse: the facts on this page can be repeated anywhere. The tables and wording are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit to It’s South Carolina and a link to this page, including by AI assistants and researchers.
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit to It’s South Carolina and a link to this page.
The Ten Priciest Family Days Out
| Place | Town | Family of four |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Sumter ferry (Fort Sumter Tours) | Charleston | $146.28 |
| Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum | Mount Pleasant | $127 |
| Riverbanks Zoo and Garden | Columbia | $108.80 |
| Middleton Place | Charleston | $100 |
| Drayton Hall | Charleston | $90 |
| Boone Hall Plantation | Mount Pleasant | $84 |
| Myrtle Beach SkyWheel | Myrtle Beach | $83.96 |
| The Children's Museum of the Upstate (Greenville) | Greenville | $80 |
| Brookgreen Gardens | Murrells Inlet | $78 |
| International African American Museum | Charleston | $66 |
What a Family Day Out Costs, Place by Place
| Place | Family of four | Prices as published | Which price we used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum Aiken | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free admission |
| Angel Oak Tree (Angel Oak Park) Johns Island | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free admission |
| Barnwell State Park Blackville | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Battle of Rivers Bridge State Historic Site Ehrhardt | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission; tours or house admission cost extra |
| Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Mount Pleasant | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Cheraw State Park Cheraw | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Colleton State Park Walterboro | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Congaree National Park Hopkins | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Cowpens National Battlefield Gaffney | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Edisto Memorial Gardens Orangeburg | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free admission |
| Falls Park on the Reedy Greenville | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking free or included | free; street parking 2 hours free (garages charge) |
| Florence County Museum Florence | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free admission |
| Goodale State Park Camden | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Greenville County Museum of Art Greenville | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free admission |
| Hampton Plantation State Historic Site McClellanville | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission; tours or house admission cost extra |
| Hickory Knob State Resort Park McCormick | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Keowee-Toxaway State Park Sunset | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Kings Mountain National Military Park Blacksburg | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Lake Warren State Park Hampton | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Lee State Park Bishopville | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Little Pee Dee State Park Dillon | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| May Forest State Park Charleston | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Ninety Six National Historic Site Ninety Six | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Oconee Station State Historic Site Walhalla | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Palmetto Trail Awendaw | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free public trail |
| Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Beaufort | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site Beech Island | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission; tours or house admission cost extra |
| Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site Union | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission; tours or house admission cost extra |
| South Carolina Botanical Garden Clemson | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | grounds free; parking fee not stated |
| Swan Lake Iris Gardens Sumter | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking free or included | admission and parking free |
| Woods Bay State Park Olanta | $0 | Free Adult $0 / child $0 Parking not published | free day admission |
| Aiken State Park Windsor | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Andrew Jackson State Park Lancaster | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Baker Creek State Park McCormick | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site Clinton | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Black River State Park Salters | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Caesars Head State Park Cleveland | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Calhoun Falls State Park Calhoun Falls | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Chester State Park Chester | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site Summerville | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Croft State Park Spartanburg | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| H. Cooper Black Jr. Memorial Field Trial and Recreation Area Cheraw | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Hamilton Branch State Park Plum Branch | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Kings Mountain State Park Blacksburg | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Lake Greenwood State Park Ninety Six | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Lake Hartwell State Park Fair Play | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Lake Wateree State Park Winnsboro | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Poinsett State Park Wedgefield | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Sadlers Creek State Park Anderson | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Santee State Park Santee | $8 | Published Adult $3 / child $1 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Oconee State Park Mountain Rest | $16 | Published Adult $5 / child $3 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Dreher Island State Park Prosperity | $19 | Published Adult $6 / child $3.50 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Givhans Ferry State Park Ridgeville | $19 | Published Adult $6 / child $3.50 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Jones Gap State Park Marietta | $19 | Published Adult $6 / child $3.50 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Landsford Canal State Park Catawba | $19 | Published Adult $6 / child $3.50 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Paris Mountain State Park Greenville | $19 | Published Adult $6 / child $3.50 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Pine Island State Park Columbia | $19 | Published Adult $6 / child $3.50 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Sesquicentennial State Park Columbia | $19 | Published Adult $6 / child $3.50 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Table Rock State Park Pickens | $19 | Published Adult $6 / child $3.50 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Devils Fork State Park Salem | $24 | Published Adult $8 / child $4 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Edisto Beach State Park Edisto Island | $24 | Published Adult $8 / child $4 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Hunting Island State Park Hunting Island | $24 | Published Adult $8 / child $4 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Huntington Beach State Park Murrells Inlet | $24 | Published Adult $8 / child $4 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Myrtle Beach State Park Myrtle Beach | $24 | Published Adult $8 / child $4 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Ramsey Grove State Park Georgetown | $24 | Published Adult $8 / child $4 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| St. Phillips Island State Park Hunting Island | $24 | Published Adult $8 / child $4 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Cypress Gardens Moncks Corner | $30 | Published Adult $10 / child $5 Parking free or included | child 6-17; free parking |
| The Rice Museum Georgetown | $36 | Published Adult $12 / child $6 Parking not published | students 6-21; parking not published |
| Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site Charleston | $38 | Published Adult $12 / child $7 Parking not published | day-use admission per person; child rate ages 6-15; no separate parking fee is published |
| Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park Charleston | $40* | Adult price only Adult $10 / child: not published Parking not published | per-person entrance fee; child rate not stated on the page we read |
| The Charleston Museum Charleston | $42 | Published Adult $15 / child $6 Parking not published | museum only (historic houses extra); child 3-12 |
| South Carolina State Museum Columbia | $46 | Published Adult $13 / child $10 Parking not published | general admission without shows; child 3-12 |
| Upcountry History Museum Greenville | $48 | Published Adult $14 / child $10 Parking not published | children 3-18; museum lot for visitors, fee not stated |
| Columbia Museum of Art Columbia | $50 | Published Adult $15 / child $10 Parking not published | youth 7-18; street parking free on weekends only, meters on weekdays |
| Greenville Zoo Greenville | $54 | Published Adult $15 / child $12 Parking free or included | child 3-12; free parking in Cleveland Park |
| EdVenture Children's Museum Columbia | $60 | Published Adult $15 / child $15 Parking not published | same price for children and adults; parking fee not published |
| Gibbes Museum of Art Charleston | $64 | Published Adult $20 / child $12 Parking not published | youth 8-17; no on-site parking (county garage nearby) |
| International African American Museum Charleston | $66 | Published Adult $22.50 / child $10.50 Parking not published | non-SC-resident prices (SC residents pay less); youth 6-16; city garage parking, hourly |
| Brookgreen Gardens Murrells Inlet | $78 | Published Adult $25 / child $14 Parking not published | adult 13-64, child 4-12; tickets good for 7 days; parking fee not published |
| The Children's Museum of the Upstate (Greenville) Greenville | $80 | Published Adult $20 / child $20 Parking not published | same price per person; paid parking deck not run by the museum |
| Myrtle Beach SkyWheel Myrtle Beach | $83.96* | Adult price only Adult $20.99 / child: not published Parking not published | adult ticket only published |
| Boone Hall Plantation Mount Pleasant | $84 | Published Adult $30 / child $12 Parking free or included | adult 13+, child 6-12; parking included with admission |
| Drayton Hall Charleston | $90 | Published Adult $30 / child $15 Parking not published | online prices (on-site $35 and $18); youth 7-15; parking fee not published |
| Middleton Place Charleston | $100 | Published Adult $35 / child $15 Parking not published | adult 14+, child 6-13; parking fee not published |
| Riverbanks Zoo and Garden Columbia | $108.80 | Published Adult $27.95 / child $24.95 Parking $3 | online prices (ticket window $30.95, $27.95 and $6 parking); child 2-12 |
| Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum Mount Pleasant | $127 | Published Adult $28 / child $23 Parking $25 | online prices; child 6-12; parking is separate: $5.50 an hour, $25 daily maximum (the maximum is used here) |
| Fort Sumter ferry (Fort Sumter Tours) Charleston | $146.28 | Published Adult $45.58 / child $27.56 Parking not published | ferry tour incl. 6% booking fee; child 4-11; parking not stated |
| Alligator Adventure North Myrtle Beach | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking not published | prices sit behind a booking widget |
| Foothills Trail Pickens | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking not published | admission not published on the official site |
| Hopelands Gardens Aiken | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking not published | admission not published on the official site |
| Magnolia Plantation and Gardens Charleston | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking not published | admission not published on the official site |
| Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail Spartanburg | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking not published | admission not published on the official site |
| Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade Myrtle Beach | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking not published | admission not published on the official site |
| Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail Greenville | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking not published | admission not published on the official site |
| Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking free or included | admission not published on the official site |
| South Carolina Aquarium Charleston | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking not published | admission not published on the official site |
| Three Rivers Greenway Columbia | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking free or included | free parking at access points; no admission statement published |
| West Ashley Greenway Charleston | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking not published | admission not published on the official site |
| WonderWorks Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach | not published | Not published Adult: not published / child: not published Parking not published | prices sit behind a booking widget |
No rows match.
* Only an adult price is published, so the children are counted at the adult rate.
How We Built It
- The family: two adults and two children aged 8 and 12, the regular-day general admission, and the online price where a place sells cheaper online (each row says which).
- Parking is added only where the place publishes a figure. State parks charge per person at the gate and publish no separate parking fee.
- Not published means left out, not estimated. Places that sell tickets only through a booking widget are counted in the table and kept out of the median.
- The median is over places that charge, using family admission plus published parking.
What We Could Not Confirm
Not confirmed: we looked for these on official pages and did not find them. Check with the town or operator before you rely on them.
- Alligator Adventure: prices sit behind a booking widget.
- Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade: admission not published on the official site.
- Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach: admission not published on the official site.
- South Carolina Aquarium: admission not published on the official site.
- WonderWorks Myrtle Beach: prices sit behind a booking widget.
- Hopelands Gardens: admission not published on the official site.
- Magnolia Plantation and Gardens: admission not published on the official site.
- Foothills Trail: admission not published on the official site.
- Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail: admission not published on the official site.
- Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail: admission not published on the official site.
- Three Rivers Greenway: free parking at access points; no admission statement published.
- West Ashley Greenway: admission not published on the official site.
FAQ
How much does a family day out in South Carolina cost?
The median is $21.50 for two adults and two children where there is a charge, and 31 places publish free admission.
What are the cheapest days out in South Carolina?
The free ones: 31 places, including Angel Oak Tree (Angel Oak Park), Falls Park on the Reedy, Edisto Memorial Gardens, South Carolina Botanical Garden, Swan Lake Iris Gardens, Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum, Florence County Museum, Greenville County Museum of Art. Most state parks cost a family under $25.
What is the most expensive family day out?
Fort Sumter ferry (Fort Sumter Tours) at $146.28 for a family of four, then Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum ($127).
Does this include food and gas?
No. Only admission and published parking; food, fuel, lodging and add-ons are choices, not the price of getting in.
Related: day-out cost calculator, attraction transparency index, attraction admission and parking, free things to do.
Sources
- Our attractions dataset (admission, parking, official links)
- Our attraction costs dataset
- Our places dataset (state and national parks)
- South Carolina State Parks (admission on each park page)
Read on October 26, 2026. Each row links to the official page its prices come from. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's South Carolina, “South Carolina Family Day-Out Cost Index”, itssouthcarolina.com/data/sc-family-day-out-cost-index/ (updated ). By the It's South Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.