I absolutely adore art in all of its many forms. In fact, I have been known to dabble myself. However, graffiti belongs in a class by itself. There are those who have the mindset that graffiti is just an eyesore and trashes the community, but that mindset needs to be set aside. Graffiti is becoming an ever popular way to spruce up certain areas of the city and in some instances, these pieces belong in museums. Here are 21 pieces that should be in a museum!
Every single one of these pieces is found in Charleston. Geoff Richardson founded the Charleston Art Outdoor Initiative in 2011 and started with some artists in Alycia Alley. Since then it has grown to other parts of Charleston. I want to just shout out to some of the artists of these pieces: Douglas Panzone, Ben Sellers, Patch Whiskey, Rodney Junior Duran, Molly Rose Freeman, Sarah Mathilda Stewart, Ishmael, and Sean Williams. Thank you so much for sharing the beauty.
Housed In A Historic Sinclair Service Station, This Small-Town Museum In South Carolina Is A True Hidden Gem
The Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage in Ridgeland, South Carolina, offers unique cultural and historical exhibits and workshops in a restored historic filling station.
Millions of people flock to South Carolina’s scenic lowcountry each year, primarily to enjoy its world-famous beaches. Golfing is another draw for visitors as well as boating, fishing, and cultural tourism. For those looking to dive into the lowcountry culture of this incredible state, there’s an amazing unique museum in South Carolina that offers an impressive array of opportunities.
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This unique museum is located on South Jacob Smart Boulevard, which is just off I-95 in Ridgeland, a small town with a 2021 population of 3,683. It's housed in a restored historic filling station, which was built in 1937 by the Sinclair Oil Corporation. The road it sits by was the primary coastal route in South Carolina until the construction of Interstate 95.
Ridgeland is convenient to some of the most popular lowcountry spots for tourists, with about a two-hour drive from Charleston and only about 40 miles from Hilton Head Island.
The museum's founder, Danny Morris, owned several convenience store gas stations, which was why the location for the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage was a perfect fit. Pictured here is an old photo of the first Handy Dan's, which was in his hometown of Tillman, just about eight miles west of Ridgeland. The museum was established to carry out his dream of creating a place where history and culture would uplift future generations.
One of the ways this specialty museum achieves its mission is through fascinating, relevant exhibits. This one was on display during Black History Month in 2022, a poignant portrayal of the bitter struggles endured by many prior to the end of the Civil War.
Soul of the South was a musical journey exploring the influences that Native Americans, enslaved Africans, and the European colonizers in the lowcountry had on different genres of music: gospel, jazz, blues, musical theater, and rock and roll.
Lowcountry cuisine is a tremendous and important part of the region's history, as during colonial times the absence of refrigeration for inland communities meant they were unable to enjoy the seafood that was so abundant along the coastal areas. This exhibit put a spotlight on this part of lowcountry culture that can now be experienced anywhere. Yet, it's always more delicious when fresh, one of benefits of traveling to South Carolina's beautiful lowcountry!
And then, there are also amazing classes and workshops offered by this gem of a museum. This one focused on owls, of which there are less than a dozen species in the state.
There are many more types of snakes to be found, though, so a program on venomous snakes is particularly helpful, especially as you're out and about immersing yourself in nature while here!
No matter the time of year, there's always something interesting and fun going on at this incredible place, and another wonderful thing to love about it is admission is free! Visit the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage website and the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage Facebook page for details on current exhibits and upcoming workshops so that you can plan your visit accordingly.
Have you ever been to another amazing unique museum in South Carolina? What did you like most about it? What are your thoughts about this one?
Since 1950, South Carolina has been an important part of automobile racing history, with the town of Darlington becoming the home of NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway, the Darlington Raceway (which we’re so proud of we included it as one of our top reasons living in South Carolina is the best!). It became notorious as "The track too tough to tame," due to its challenges as a fast, unforgiving, and treacherous track, showing no mercy for even the slightest on-track errors in judgment. In another part of the state, we’ve got a fascinating auto museum in South Carolina that, surprisingly, most have probably never even heard of.
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Located on Manatee Court in Greer, The Ultimate Driving Museum is operated by the BMW Car Club of America Foundation and is focused on the preservation of BMW history.
The 1974 BMW E09 3.0 CSL was on display as part of the Power of M exhibit. Each of the vehicles in that exhibit has its own page on the museum website with specs and a fascinating audio tour.
In 2021, the museum had some special visitors: the Legendary Jochen Neerpasch and the BMW Junior Team at the time who signed new prints done by Mitu Adrian Valentin from Romania!
Dr. Christian Zschocke has loaned these E3s for the exhibit. They have traveled from Germany to tour the United States, the first time all four vehicles have been shown together in the country and the only showing on the East Coast. The Wundercar Collection will leave The Ultimate Driving Museum in early March to travel to the prestigious Petersen Automotive Museum in California.
Are you a car or racing enthusiast or do you have one in your life who would love to visit this auto museum in South Carolina? What’s their favorite type of car or who is their favorite race car driver? Share with us in the comments section below!
