Another Roadside Attraction Geotrail

South Carolina - Tomb, Memorial, and Musem honoring Dr. McNair

There is nothing better than a good road trip: driving down the open road, eating at tiny roadside diners, going 150 miles out of the way to take a selfie in front of … the Peachoid water tower! Oh Say, can you see … me with the world’s largest frying pan?

This geotrail honors those unique, odd, bizarre, fun, historic, campy, weird, and just downright interesting roadside attractions in North and South Carolina. The caches aren’t meant to be hard, it is a power-trail after all. None of the caches are hidden at the posted locations - but answer the question correctly and you will have a working set of coordinates. All of the hides are preform bottles.

Dr. Robert McNair was one of the seven American heroes who perished aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1986.  McNair had previously logged over 191 hours in space on a Challenger mission before taking his final flight.  McNair was a renowned laser physicist, a fifth-degree black belt, a saxophonist and composer, as well as a husband and father. The monument, park, and museum honor the life and accomplishments of the astronaut who was only 35 when the tragedy occurred.  The memorial contains inscriptions outlining many of McNair’s achievements.  His tomb is flanked by the American and South Carolina flags, while the Christian flag stands in the center.  A gas-lit eternal flame protected within a lamp flickers before the tomb and the sepulcher is surrounded by water.   The nearby museum is housed in a building that bears a story from McNair’s boyhood in the segregated South.  Once the public library, this building was the site where a nine year old McNair attempted to check out science books in 1959.  The librarian denied McNair the books based on his race.  In an act of peaceful defiance, the young McNair told the librarian he would patiently wait.  The librarian called the police. The police persuaded the librarian to check out the books to McNair.  Today, the library that once tried to prohibit McNair from checking out books stands as a museum in his honor.

N 34 29.ABC W 79 15.431

Where can you visit the Astronaut's Tomb?

A. Florence, SC - 444

B. Jefferson, SC - 753

C. Georgetown, SC - 111

D. Lake City, SC - 988