9 Unique Trivia Facts About South Carolina You Might Not Have Heard Before

In 1526, San Miguel de Guadalupe was founded near present-day Georgetown by Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón. The colony only survived three months.

Fort Moultrie was constructed out of palmetto tree trunks on top of sand walls. The cannonballs shot by the British in the first major naval battle of the war bounced off of Fort Moultrie due to the spongey consistency of palmetto trunks, leading to a Patriot victory!

Those trees are found in one of America's least visited national parks, Congaree National Park. This alone makes it bucketlist-worthy, yet, there are many other reasons to visit this hidden gem.

In 1739, Charleston welcomed the first documented shipment of golf clubs, which came from Scotland, and in 1786, the first golf club in the country was founded in Charleston, the South Carolina Golf Club. Harleston Green was the first golf course, located somewhere between Calhoun and Beaufain streets near the Ashley River. Myrtle Beach is considered the mini golf capital of the world, home to more than 50 mini golf courses and the U.S. Pro Mini Golf Association Master's National Championship course.

It's believed to have originated along the Grand Strand (Myrtle Beach area) where the National Shag Dance Competition is held, the longest continuously running shag dance contest in the country. In Edisto Beach, an end of summer festival is held each year known as the Edisto Beach Shag Festival, featuring shag lessons for those who would like to learn the dance.

The third graders attended Woodlands Heights Elementary School in Spartanburg and led their campaign during the 1998-1999 school year. The law was signed by Governor Jim Hodges on June 11, 1999.

He introduced the poinsettia, known in Spanish as the “flor de nochebuena,” or flower of Christmas Eve, to the country when he sent samples of it to his greenhouse in South Carolina in 1825.

The Borden Cremora plant had a problem with its exhaust vents. When the vents clogged, puffs of non-dairy creamer would spew into the air. The problem was fixed, but the company was fined $4,000 for “releasing Cremora beyond plant boundaries”.

Clemson Blue Cheese was rated among the best in the nation at the 15th biennial United States Championship Cheese Contest in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Most people don't know that it was born in the beautiful Stumphouse Tunnel!