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Giant objects, odd monuments and things built for no clear reason.
Kershaw, SC
Despite its name, the centerpiece is an exposed granite outcrop of roughly 14 acres rather than forty. Shallow pools on the almost lunar-looking stone support rare plants, while the preserve also contains trails, a waterfall, cave-like formations, and other granite exposures.
Johnsonville, SC
An unusual statue of Revolutionary War commander Francis Marion stands near Johnsonville, depicting the guerrilla leader remembered as the “Swamp Fox.” The figure’s stylized appearance makes the monument considerably stranger than the average military statue.
Gaffney, SC
A 135-foot water tower painted as a gigantic peach looms beside Interstate 85, complete with leaf, stem, and a carefully modeled crease. The Peachoid honors the region’s peach industry and became nationally recognizable after appearing in House of Cards.
Charleston, SC
A genuine basalt column removed from Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway stands thousands of miles away in Charleston. The strange transplanted piece of geology gives visitors a small physical fragment of one of Europe’s most famous natural formations.
Greenville, SC
Behind an antique shop and artist studios sits a chicken coop built to resemble a miniature Southern Greek Revival mansion. Look closely and the formal architecture turns into folk art: golf clubs, alphabet blocks, toy cars, seashells and other found objects are worked into the structure. Because the coop is in the back garden of an operating shop/studio property, visit only during business hours and respect any access restrictions.
North Charleston, SC
The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley became the first combat submarine to sink an enemy warship and then vanished with its crew in 1864. After being recovered from the ocean floor in 2000, the real vessel was placed in a conservation tank where weekend visitors can see it alongside recovered artifacts.
Clinton, SC
A short trail leads to a broad horseshoe-shaped waterfall inside a Revolutionary War historic site. The unusual combination of battlefield interpretation and a photogenic curved cascade makes it more than a standard history stop.
Columbia, SC
A large metal hand forms the American Sign Language gesture for “I love you” near Columbia’s convention-center district. Its oversized scale makes the familiar hand sign into a quick, unmistakable downtown photo stop.
Hilton Head Island, SC
A huge bronze Neptune towers over Shelter Cove Harbour while also functioning as part of a working sundial. The sculpture’s scale, trident, and unusual practical purpose make it far stranger than a standard waterfront monument.
Columbia, SC
A brick building sprouts an enormous three-dimensional face assembled directly into its masonry. The strange expression and exaggerated features make the head look as though a giant stone creature is pushing outward through the wall.
Moncks Corner, SC
The public grounds of this working Trappist monastery contain a series of unusual oak-wood sculptures incorporated into the abbey landscape. Mepkin's own visitor map identifies the sculptures as a point of interest alongside its gardens, cemeteries, labyrinth and historic sites. The coordinates route to the Reception Center parking area; visitors should obtain a map there and respect all areas marked for monastic or limited access.
Moncks Corner, SC
The grounds of this Trappist monastery contain large sculptural figures carved directly from dead or damaged trees. Faces, religious imagery, and other forms emerge from trunks around the property, adding an unexpected folk-art layer to the quiet abbey landscape. Oddity listing: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/location/sc/all
Greenville, SC
Nine tiny bronze mice are hidden along several blocks of downtown Greenville’s Main Street. The sculptures were inspired by the children’s book Goodnight Moon and create a miniature scavenger hunt that rewards travelers for paying attention to curbs, planters, and storefronts.
Morgan Island, SC
Thousands of free-ranging rhesus macaques live on this isolated Lowcountry island, earning it the nickname Monkey Island. The colony exists for research purposes, and the island is not open to public landing; travelers should view it only legally from the water and keep their distance.
Myrtle Beach, SC
A giant minotaur-like figure named Goff presides over the wildly themed Mt. Atlanticus miniature golf complex. Its mythological creatures, faux ruins, towers, and rooftop course turn a beach-town mini-golf stop into a deliberately surreal environment.
Greer, SC
A striking Marian shrine created by South Carolina’s Vietnamese Catholic community includes a large statue of Our Lady of La Vang and landscaped devotional spaces. The elaborate monument looks unexpectedly transported from a major pilgrimage site into suburban Upstate South Carolina.
Seabrook, SC
Founded in 1970, Oyotunji was created as a Yoruba cultural and religious community in rural South Carolina. Shrines, ceremonial spaces, traditional artwork, festivals, and an unusual political structure make the village unlike virtually any other community in the United States.
Bishopville, SC
Self-taught artist Pearl Fryar transformed rescued and discarded shrubs into hundreds of sweeping, abstract topiary sculptures across his three-acre yard. Fryar died in April 2026, but the nonprofit preserving his work continues to operate the garden as a free public attraction and living memorial.
Landrum, SC
Built in 1820, this stone bridge features a distinctive Gothic arch and is commonly identified as South Carolina’s oldest surviving bridge. Its isolated forest setting has also accumulated ghost stories and legends involving unexplained lights and sounds.
Columbia, SC
This unusually severe-looking monument incorporates a fragment associated with Hanoi’s infamous Hỏa Lò Prison, nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton” by American prisoners of war. The memorial honors South Carolinians held captive during the Vietnam War.
Columbia, SC
A spherical blue water tank at Columbia’s wastewater facility wears a huge white line-art smile. Security fencing prevents close access, but the absurdly cheerful face remains visible from the public approach along Simon Tree Lane.
Hamer, SC
This sprawling Interstate 95 tourist complex is impossible to miss thanks to its giant sombrero tower, neon signs, oversized animals, fiberglass figures, shops, motel, and aggressively kitschy Mexican-themed architecture. Decades of highway advertising make the attraction part roadside stop and part surreal landmark.
Monetta, SC
Originally opened in 1951, this rural drive-in theater was revived after years of closure and now operates multiple screens. A giant peach structure houses projection equipment and concessions, giving the already nostalgic theater an unmistakably South Carolina roadside centerpiece.
Myrtle Beach, SC
Opened in 1946, this enormous oceanfront souvenir store is a maze of rooms crammed with seashells, odd gifts, statues, toys, pirate merchandise, fossils, and beach kitsch. Its sprawling inventory and decades-old atmosphere make shopping here feel like exploring a commercial cabinet of curiosities.
