Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve Named South Carolina's Top Spot for Nature Therapy

(Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Evanoco)

A Mission for Michael carried out a survey of 3,017 respondents, asking locals nation-wide about the spots where they go to when seeking solitude – their favorite spot to breathe, reflect, and recharge. Below are excerpts collected from this survey and descriptions of the winning locations provided by A Mission for Michael.

When asked where they go to truly unwind, South Carolinians named these two spots as the most relaxing in the state:

#1 Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve (Edisto Island)This place feels haunted - in the most beautiful way. Weathered oaks, abandoned plantations, and a remote beach where driftwood stands like sculpture. No development, no distractions. Just wind in the palmettos and the steady hush of waves. You feel like a guest here – and that brings its own kind of calm.

#2 Jones Gap State Park (Blue Ridge Escarpment)Less popular than nearby Caesars Head, Jones Gap offers fern-lined trails, clear mountain streams, and waterfall stops with barely another person in sight. The Middle Saluda River flows with a quiet persistence, and the trails feel soft underfoot. It’s a place for long walks, longer pauses, and total reset.

Across other parts of the country, some of the stand out choices were:

Kokeʻe State Park (Kauaʻi), HawaiiJust past Waimea Canyon, Kokeʻe’s high-elevation trails lead into native forest where the air is pine-scented and cool. It’s quiet up here – not because people aren’t around, but because even the birdsong is soft. There are overlooks where the cliffs drop straight into clouds, and moments where the only sound is the wind through the trees. It’s not just scenic – it’s deeply grounding.

Sykes Hot Springs (Big Sur backcountry), CaliforniaIf you're willing to hike 10 miles through towering redwoods and along cliffside paths, you're rewarded with a hot spring pool carved into stone – overlooking a remote river bend deep in the Ventana Wilderness. No roads, no cell signal, no crowds. Just steaming water, misty forest air, and the feeling that you’ve earned every second of peace.

Mount Pleasant Scenic Area (George Washington National Forest), VirginiaLess trafficked than nearby Mount Rogers or McAfee Knob, this double-summit hike delivers sweeping Appalachian views with fewer footsteps around you. Wild blueberries in season, golden leaves in fall – and that still mountain air that makes even the wind feel intentional.

Stone Mountain Loop (Wilkes County), North CarolinaMost visitors stop at the exposed granite dome, but if you walk the full loop, you’ll pass cascading streams, deep forest, and meadow clearings that feel plucked from a painting. The trail is just hard enough to quiet the mind, and the mix of textures – stone, stream, sky – offers peace that unfolds slowly.

Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area (Lake Michigan shoreline), MichiganThis federally designated wilderness hugs a pristine stretch of Lake Michigan, complete with rolling dunes, pine woods, and zero development. A short hike through the sand gets you to the water’s edge, where it’s just you, the wind, and the steady crash of freshwater waves. It’s wild, remote, and deeply calming.

Drift Creek Falls (Coastal Range), OregonMost waterfall trails in Oregon draw a crowd – not this one. Drift Creek offers a quiet path through coastal forest to a suspension bridge overlooking a tall, narrow waterfall tucked in a mossy gorge. The sound of the falls mixes with birdsong and breeze, and the air smells like pine and stone. Go midweek and it’s just you and the trees.

Infographic showing the top spots for solitude in each state

“For many people, spending time in quiet, grounding places can be an incredibly powerful way to manage everyday stress,” says Anand Mehta (LMFT), Executive Director at A Mission for Michael. “Of course, not everyone needs clinical support, but for those who do, we’re here. And for those who don’t, places like these can still offer meaningful relief.”

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