Congaree National Park

And sometimes it happens on a day like this, a day that's completely, perfectly sunny.

Today, we're heading into Congaree National Park, one of the largest forests of its kind left on earth, to find out how a forest can flood without a single drop of rain falling on it.

Let's go.

[upbeat music] Welcome to National Park Scouts, the show where curious kids discover America's wildest places.

I'm Jenny.

We're somewhere brand new today, Congaree National Park, right in the middle of South Carolina.

This park protects the largest stretch of old, untouched, hardwood forest left in the entire United States.

Some of the tallest trees east of the Mississippi are standing right here.

It's where you would park if you were going to hike the watery passage of the trail.

It's located between the Poinsett State Park, which is a little over a thousand acres, and the Congaree National Park, which is roughly 27,000 acres.

Shit.

Yeah.

The Angel Oak tree, estimated to be over 400 years old, spreads its massive limbs across a canopy so wide it genuinely feels like walking into its own private forest.

Congaree National Park protects one of the last intact old-growth floodplain forests in the country, with some of the tallest trees in the entire eastern United States rising from the swamp.

The Ace Basin, a vast estuary where three rivers meet the sea, offers pristine wildlife viewing and quiet kayaking most travelers never expect to find in South Carolina.

And, Edisto Island preserves a genuinely slow-paced, undeveloped stretch of coastline that feels like stepping back several decades in time.

Summer is peak beach season all along South Carolina's coast, with Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head both filling up from Memorial Day through Labor Day each year.

Charleston stays busy year-round, though summer brings genuinely hot, humid conditions best paired with early morning sightseeing before the heat builds.

And Congaree National Park's summer-synchronous Firefly event, timed around late spring, draws visitors specifically for that rare natural phenomenon.

Charleston, Hilton Head, and Myrtle Beach all run higher during peak summer season, especially for lodging near the water or the historic district.

Animal Kingdom for $400.

In late spring, Congaree National Park in South Carolina is famous for its nightly display of synchronized bees.

Lauren.

What are hippos? No.

We kind of had to make a choice when we got back or we got to Louisville on Saturday night, this past Saturday.

So we started making our way back from Congaree National Park on Friday.

And then Friday night, we stopped with about five hours left in our trip in Louisville.

And we stayed at a really nice hotel.