Chumley Cope

Operating since 2004, Explore Up Close specializes in small group travel featuring local history and culture. Launched in 2021 the travel series “Exploring South Carolina” has organized over a dozen trips featuring the history and heritage of South Carolina’s small towns through backroads travel. Organized for a maximum of 18 people, these trips coordinate with local historic sites and their staff, historical societies and museums. The jury appreciated the intent and execution of the program and its coordination with local experts, featuring places often overlooked by mass tourism.