(This article by Colorado-based writer Judy Christie originally appeared in the June 2025 issue of Military Officer, a magazine available to all MOAA Premium and Life members. Learn more about the magazine here; learn more about joining MOAA here.)

If South Carolina is not on your radar for the 250th celebration of American independence, it should be. The state is home to more than 200 battle sites from the Revolutionary War.

“There’s so much history in Charleston at this particular time in the celebration of our country’s birthday,” said former Army Capt. Linda Sharp Caldwell, who serves as president of MOAA’s South Carolina Council of Chapters. “It’s just a nice destination: The food’s great, and it’s good for families.”

According to Susan Davis Faulkner, regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution in South Carolina, 2026 will be a notable year.

“Those interested in embracing our history during the American Revolutionary War are wise to have their sights on events in South Carolina. When it comes to places to visit to embrace anything Revolutionary War at any time of the year, it is Camden,” Faulker said.

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Celebrations are in the works, said Rickie Good, director of both the Revolutionary War Visitor Center and the Camden Archives and Museum.

“The Revolutionary War Visitor Center in Camden is a great place to learn about and commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Camden was a vital British post during the Southern Campaign,” Good explained.

For its part, Camden Battlefield is one of the most well-preserved Revolutionary War battlefields and offers some free self-guided tours, or you can book a guided tour online.

A weeklong observance will take place in June 2026, including events across the state in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, according to Brooks Hearn, a spokesperson for the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission. Carolina Day, commemorated annually since 1777, will take place that month to celebrate the patriots at Fort Sullivan (now Fort Moultrie) who defied British naval forces in a crucial Revolutionary War victory June 28, 1776. Learn more by visiting SouthCarolina250.com.

Something Extra: The Liberty Trail, dedicated to preserving battleground sites, offers an app for a driving tour, with stops connecting visitors to extraordinary events that took place nearly 250 years ago.