Lace up your running shoes for this South Carolina race—and discover even more summertime activities for you and your family to enjoy.

There’s no better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than at the Hilton Head Firecracker 5K (below), which starts in Jarvis Creek Park for a patriotic jog along a scenic stretch of Hilton Head Island. There is a 5K, a children’s fun run and a virtual 5K option. It also pays to register early, as the entry fee (currently $34 for adults and $15 for children) is set to increase on April 28. Participants receive a finisher’s medal, a commemorative T-shirt and complimentary snacks.

Calendar of Events

Mark your calendars for these fun events across the state of South Carolina.

Weekends, May and June
Ag + Art Tour
Each weekend in May and June, farms in South Carolina swing open their barn doors and artists welcome visitors to their workshops to showcase some of the cool innovations, artistry and foodways that are happening in the state’s rural areas. Each farm will offer a unique selection of food items along with art and crafts, all to a soundtrack of lowing cows and local bluegrass.

May 1–4
ArtFields
Each spring, Lake City becomes a living art exhibit as more than 400 art installations are set up in impromptu galleries that range from shops and restaurants to a drive-in movie theater, renovated warehouses and outdoor gardens.

May 10–12
Artisphere
It’s all about creativity at Greenville’s annual celebration of art, which turns 20 this year. Beyond stunning exhibitions of artworks, the city will be filled with live music performances, culinary demonstrations, lots of hands-on art projects for kids and shopping opportunities galore.

May 10–12
Special Olympics 2024 State Summer Games
Founded in 1968, Special Olympics supports more than 5 million athletes with intellectual disabilities around the world. Columbia’s Fort Jackson is the site for South Carolina’s 2024 State Summer Games. Events include bocce (over 21), bowling (under 21), gymnastics, swimming, track and field, powerlifting and softball.

May 18
All Saints Garden Tour
Just in time for peak blooms, take a stroll through some of Hilton Head and Bluffton’s most elegant private gardens. Afterward, stop by the church, where you can purchase cookies, cakes and other goodies baked by parishioners. The annual event supports Lowcountry-area charities supporting hunger, homelessness, aging and literacy needs.

May 22–June 9
Spoleto USA
Founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, Spoleto has become one of America’s premier performing arts festivals. Each year, actors, musicians, poets, storytellers, dancers and other performers gather in Charleston for 17 days of performances in venues throughout the city.

May 23–26
Black Cowboy Festival
Held in Sumter, the Black Cowboy Festival honors the legacy of America’s African American frontiersmen with horsemanship exhibitions, historic programming, line-dancing lessons, equine workshops, mechanical bull rides, live music and food.

May 24–26
The Original Gullah Festival of South Carolina
South Carolina’s Gullah Geechee heritage is based in Beaufort, so it’s no wonder that this commemoration of language, food, dance, culture, crafts, storytelling and, of course, food, is celebrated there each year.

June 6–9
Festival of Flowers
Greenwood comes alive each June with group bike rides; garden and museum tours; theater performances; an auto show; juried art and arts and crafts shows and a street fair complete with live music. The setting, a downtown block planted with lush topiaries, couldn’t be prettier.

June 7–16
Chautauqua History Comes Alive Festival
History is never boring during this five-day festival at Spartanburg’s main library, where storytellers will take on the personas of historical figures and share tales that didn’t always make it into the history books. Expect not just amazing performances but–thanks to Chautauqua’s goal of celebrating critical thought–stimulating conversation about legacies, lore and personalities.

June 14–19
Juneteenth GVL Mega Fest
Though you’ll find plenty of music, dancing, food and shopping at this special celebration in Greenville, the lineup also features inspiring speakers, poetry readings and more, in partnership with the Urban League of the Upstate, The Greenville County Section of National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

June 15–Sept. 8
(Un) Settled: The Landscape in American Art
Drawing inspiration from the aesthetic romanticism of the Hudson River School, this exhibition at the Columbia Museum of Art showcases works by prominent artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Ed Ruscha and Ana Mendieta while delving into the evolving relationship between landscapes and cultural identity.

July 4
Lexington County Peach Festival
While Georgia may feature the peach in its state nickname, South Carolina outshines its neighboring state in shipping the juicy, fuzzy-skinned delights. Ending with fireworks, this fruitful fest in Gilbert comes complete with a peach parade, pageants, a car show and, of course, copious amounts of peach cobbler.

July 4
Salute From the Shore
Prepare for a spectacular aerial display along the coast from Cherry Grove Beach to Bluffton as Independence Day beachgoers keep their eyes on the skies. Last year’s flyover highlights included F-16 Fighting Falcons from Shaw Air Force Base and a C-17 Globemaster 3 from Joint Base Charleston.

July 11–13
SC Festival of Discovery: BBQ & Blues
Uptown Greenwood harmonizes tender brisket cooked low and slow with boogie-woogie and 12-bar blues. Competition barbecue teams dish it out in a Kansas City Barbeque Society BBQ and Hash Cook-Off, while a lineup of blues bands set stages ablaze.

July 12–21
Beaufort Water Festival
The Lettuce City’s annual coastal fiesta is back for its 68th year. Between the children’s toad fishing tournament; the stunt plane air show; and the bed race, in which four runners push one rider on a gurney, there is loads of family-friendly fun on tap.

July 20
Charleston Caribbean Jerk Festival
Jamaican jerk seasoning takes center stage at Riverfront Park in North Charleston at the 9th annual celebration of the spice at the forefront of Caribbean cuisine. Who will claim the title of Top Jerk Chef 2024?

July 27
Sweetgrass Festival
Mount Pleasant’s Memorial Waterfront Park hosts the 20th annual Sweetgrass Festival celebrating the history, traditions and culture of the Gullah Geechee people and highlighting their sweetgrass basket-making artistry.

Aug. 2–Sept. 28
Tell Her About It
Jeff Querin and Stephen Wayne, owners of 34 West Theater Company, star in their newest production, a comedy set to the tunes of Billy Joel, in which three actors play 25 characters. Children under 12 are not permitted in the theater. Performances run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and there’s a showing on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m.

Aug. 3
Rivals in Red
Premier League soccer, which has been attracting a record television audience on this side of the pond, comes to the midlands as Manchester United takes on Liverpool in a friendly at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Aug. 6
Straight No Chaser
Predating Pitch Perfect and The Sing-Off, this nine-man contemporary a cappella group has been blending vocals for over 25 years since they came together in college at Indiana University. Greenville’s Peace Center hosts the lone South Carolina stop on their Summer: The 90s tour.

Aug. 8
Stick Figure
Multi-instrumentalist Scott Woodruff and his band bring their unique brand of contemporary roots reggae to the Holy City as the Sacred Sands Summer Tour rolls into Charleston’s Credit One Stadium. SOJA and Little Stranger are the opening acts.

Aug. 14
Joe Bonamassa
The virtuosic blues musician has been electrifying audiences since 1989 when the then 12-year-old budding guitar hero opened for B.B. King. Experience Bonamassa live at the North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center.

Aug. 30–Sept. 1
Waves of Praise
Gospel fans flock to the Burroughs & Chapin Pavilion Place in Myrtle Beach to hear dozens of national acts as well as local and regional performers.

Sept. 1
Cook Out Southern 500
The NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale hits Darlington Raceway on Labor Day weekend as race fans find out which drivers make the round of 16.

Sept. 6–7
Aiken’s Makin’
Area artisans’ wares take the spotlight at this two-day arts and crafts show in downtown Aiken. The annual event showcases pottery, metalwork, woodcraft, needlework, glass art, handmade toys and more.

Sept. 6–7
South Carolina Apple Festival
Celebrate the orchards of the Upstate as Oconee County’s apple growers come together to kick off the harvest season on Westminster’s Main Street.

Sept. 6–7
Upstate Renaissance Faire
Huzzah, fair maidens, powerful mages and starry-eyed lute strummers! Get your guild together in Greer and make merry in your finest medieval garb—and perhaps prep to venture off on a quest or two.

Sept. 12–Dec. 15
Paul Yanko
The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach is showing works by painter Paul Yanko, a visual arts instructor at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities who creates beguiling abstractions, often within loose grids.

Sept. 14
Football: South Carolina vs. LSU
The LSU Tigers roar into town to tussle with Shane Beamer’s South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium. The head coach looks to put a halt to his team’s seven-game losing streak against LSU, which dates to 2002. (For AAA Member-exclusive discounts on football games and more, visit AAA.com/Tickets.)

Sept. 19–22
Euphoria
Founded by singer/songwriter Edwin McCain and restaurateur Carl Sobocinski nearly 20 years ago, this winning combo of tastings, demos, multicourse dinners and concerts has become a hallmark of Greenville’s fall social calendar.

Sept. 21
Twitty & Lynn
Tre Twitty and Tayla Lynn, grandson and granddaughter of country royalty Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn respectively, keep the spirit of “poppy” and “memaw” alive in a high-energy show at the Alabama Theatre in North Myrtle Beach.

Sept. 21
Football: Clemson vs. NC State
Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers take on the NC State Wolf Pack in their first ACC game of the schedule, and the Tigers are itching to bounce back after a lackluster season. They may have lost 17-24 the last time they played NC State, but they lead them 60-30 in the all-time series. (For AAA Member-exclusive discounts on football games and more, visit AAA.com/Tickets.)

Sept. 24–28
SC Foothills Heritage Fair
The F.A.R.M. Center in Seneca, a 57-acre venue, comes alive with midway rides, rodeo events, livestock shows and loads more wholesome fun at the Upstate’s premiere agricultural fair.