Late December in coastal SC is likely to be less balmy than most people think! 30F's and 40F's may be the averages; with a 30+ mph wind on a wide flat beach will make every sand dollar you find something to remember!

If you've got a day and a car a drive down the coast on US 17 towards Beaufort is worth it, you can go to MCRD Parris Island. Knowing your appreciation of organized religion you could make a short detour to detour to Yamassee and the ruins of the Old Sheldon Church, burned not once but twice, first by the British in 1779 and then a second time in 1865 by Sherman. Going there at night with a full moon, with the hanging Spanish moss is quite an experience!

The whole Sea Islands area of the coast is a very nice place, good local seafood joints (shrimp, clams, oysters, crabs!), boiled peanuts, indigenous basket artistry, and very interesting Gullah culture. Off the beaten path particularly, I have always found that SC is one of the most welcoming and friendly places and people.

If you get the time Savannah is a great city, the old city and the waterfront are period, if you’re a fan of “the Garden of Good and Evil” that part of the city is great, Fort Pulaski is a great example of a Civil War masonry fort.