Beautiful rehabilitated gardens are the highlight of this unusual state park, 4 miles southwest of Charleston. Louis Simpson, a shipping and lumber magnate, was exploring for new stands of lumber in 1905 when he discovered this wildly eroded headland.
After buying the 320 acres for $4000 he built a three-story mansion, complete with formal gardens. It burned down in 1921. A trail leads to an observation building on the cliffs where the mansion once stood, then continues to the beach. Don't miss stopping at the Simpson Reef Viewpoint a mile southwest of the park, to spot migrating birds and whales, plus a variety of pinnipeds.
