10 Nature & Wildlife Areas in South Carolina That You Shouldn't Miss

Programs are offered Thursdays and Saturdays at 10:30am. Admission includes an impressive and awe-inspiring flight demonstration as well as a virtually guided walking tour of our resident bird aviaries. The Avian Conservation Center is a 501(c)3 registered non-profit whose mission is to serve as a unique and permanent resource for educational, avian health, conservation and research initiatives. Annual memberships are available.

Considered one of the most outstanding gifts to wildlife conservation in North America, the Yawkey Wildlife Center (YWC) was willed to the State of South Carolina in 1976 by the late Thomas A. Yawkey as a wildlife preserve and research area. The property is owned and managed by the SC Department of Natural Resources. The YWC includes North and South Islands, and most of Cat Island, three coastal islands located at the mouth of Winyah Bay in Georgetown County. Composed of approximately 24,000 acres of marsh, managed wetlands, upland longleaf pine forests, beaches and maritime forests, the property is dedicated as a wildlife preserve, research area and waterfowl refuge. In 1977 the YWC was dedicated as a Heritage Preserve under the Heritage Trust Program. Visitation is by appointment only and reservations are required.

Bee City is family owned and operated. Our family started Bee City over 30 years ago, with the love of honeybees and a passion for educating people about the importance of the honeybee. We have evolved to a one of kind hands on zoo that is interactive and educational. We pride ourselves in offering the best experiences for you and your family, the highest quality honey products and providing excellent customer service. Whether it is providing childhood memories that will last a lifetime, or a chance to escape from the craziness of life; the interactions are soothing for the soul of, both the humans and the furry and not so furry animals.

Walk through mushy swamps on elevated boardwalks at this 400-acre nature preserve.

A 60-acre preserve where visitors observe many wildlife habitats.

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is home to nearly 2,000 animals that represent more than 350 species from around the world. A visit to the Zoo will play host to an array of wild adventures from a diving expedition on a Pacific coral reef to a safari through the plains of Africa to an interactive Outback encounter with a flock of sociable lorikeets. The Botanical Garden boasts 70-acres of unparalleled beauty and is considered one of the America's best public gardens. Dramatic and themed gardens showcase more than 4,300 species of native and exotic plants, providing a living classroom for gardeners and non-gardeners alike. The Garden also is the gateway to natural river views and spectacular valley overlooks. In addition, guests can view structural remains dating back to the early 1800s with South Carolina's textile industry and the Civil War.

Encompassing four islands and 4,000 acres, the refuge aims to preserve and protect endangered natural habitats and species. At 1,200 acres, Pinckney is the largest of the refuge's islands and the only one open to the public.

T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station is quite possibly the country's only FREE living tiger museum. Located inside Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, SC, it offers families the opportunity to see tigers up close, through glass, absolutely free of charge. For those interested in meeting a tiger or an ape in person, we offer (for a fee)the opportunity to pose with one of the animal ambassadors for a photo. The animals spend only a couple hours per day, in the late afternoon, at T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station and funding generated from our photos and gift shop sales help support various wildlife conservation projects we conduct worldwide through our Rare Species Fund. We are open from mid-March to mid-October and hours of operation can be found by calling our listed telephone number.