Discover Clemson: Gardens, Waterfront and Culture

When looking for hotels in Clemson, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your trip: the city offers a large botanical garden, waterfront paths, historic sites, museums and arts experiences. This lets you explore Clemson through the subjects that interest you most during your stay—from garden landscapes and nature to history, exhibitions and performances.

Garden Landscapes and Waterfront Paths

The South Carolina Botanical Garden is a 230-acre preserve for biological diversity. Within it, the Natural Heritage Garden features an expansive 10-acre Piedmont Prairie exhibit. Visitors can explore representations of South Carolina’s barrier islands, species-rich longleaf pine savannas, 5,000-year-old shell rings and Piedmont granite outcrops. There are also habitats with carnivorous plants. The themes range from coastal landscapes and geological features to distinctive plant habitats.

There are several options for waterfront paths, each with a different focus: Abernathy Waterfront Park is a nearly 0.5-mile-long linear waterfront park with picnic areas and lake access. The Clemson Dikes have a continuous path running parallel to Lake Hartwell, with expansive lake views. At the Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Complex, next to Lake Hartwell, visitors can go sailing, kayaking, camping, stand-up paddling, volleyball and swimming.

Clemson’s municipal parks also give a sense of the city’s recreational opportunities: the Clemson Parks and Recreation Department manages fourteen parks covering a total area of more than 100 acres. Park amenities include fitness and nature trails, picnic shelters, play structures and a pump track. This information applies to the parks as a whole; the amenities listed are not associated with any one park.

History, Museums and Art

Fort Hill is a registered National Historic Landmark in the center of Clemson University’s campus. The mansion began as a small, four-room house built in 1802. Fort Hill offers tours Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., as well as Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Check the current tour schedule before your visit.

Hanover House is a historic house museum in the South Carolina Botanical Garden. The Clemson Area African American Museum is located in the former Calhoun Colored School, where African American elementary school students in Clemson were taught from 1949 through the 1970s. Its archival collection includes books, documents, artifacts, other cultural objects and oral histories relating to the lives of African Americans in Upstate South Carolina. The museum also presents semi-permanent historical and art history exhibitions, as well as rotating pop-up exhibitions.

The Bob Campbell Geology Museum houses more than 10,000 minerals, rocks and fossils from South Carolina and around the world. It is open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check whether it is closed for university holidays before setting out.

For art, the Lee Gallery presents curated exhibitions featuring artists and works from the region, across the United States and internationally. It also hosts artist presentations and public events. The City of Clemson Arts Center offers arts education for adults and children, as well as programs in various disciplines led by qualified artists. Four studio classrooms are equipped for jewelry making, working with clay, drawing, painting and photography. The Brooks Center for the Performing Arts hosts dance, music and theater artists from across the United States; it also presents outstanding performances by Clemson University students.

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