Bee City - Cottageville, SC - An Education on Honeybees

Only three miles west of Givhans State Park, Bee City is located at 1066 Holly Ridge Lane in Cottageville, South Carolina. The purpose of Bee City is to educate people of all ages regarding the importance of honeybees. Visitors are able to get a close look at the different types of honeybees. They are able to see the drones, the workers, and the queen bee.

Admission to Bee City is $3 for anyone over the age of 3. Children age 3 and under receive free admission. Bee City's regular hours of operation are 9:00am-5:00pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. On Fridays and Saturdays, Bee City is open from 9:00am to 6:00pm. Bee City is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Bee City welcomes individuals and small groups. Bee City is also a field trip destination. The classroom at Bee City has learning materials and beekeeping equipment. In addition, the classroom features a glass observation bee hive. Field trips require 15 or more people, and the field trip fee is $4 per person. Field trips include Bee City's educational program and access to Bee City's Petting Zoo.

Bee City has additional field trips that allow visitors to make their own products, and visitors can take their products home with them. Guests can bottle honey, make beeswax figurines from melted beeswax, or make honeycomb candles. Fees for these types of field trips can vary. Information on fees can be obtained by calling 843-835-5912.

The Petting Zoo is a hands-on experience. Visitors can feed llamas, alpacas, sheep, goats, deer, ringtail lemurs, and monkeys. The Petting Zoo is also home to serval cats, cavies, coatmundis, and wallabies. Farm animals, such as donkeys, chickens, horses, quail, pheasants, and turkeys can be seen as well.

Bee City's Nature Center features most of the different snakes that live in South Carolina. The Nature Center is home to other animals as well, such as lizards, turtles, and frogs. An ornamental fish pond contains goldfish and koi fish.

On the third Thursday of the month, the Lowcountry Beekeepers use Bee City as a meeting place. At meetings, members discuss beekeeping chores, address problems, and discuss their interests. The group meets every month, except for the month of July.

Bee City Cafy serves a variety of food items. There is a kid's menu. Sandwiches, desserts, seafood, sides, and combos are offered. Everything sold in cafy is homemade. Picnic tables are available for guests to use. Visitors can bring bagged lunches if they prefer. The picnic tables are available to all guests, regardless of whether they have purchased food or brought their food with them. Special field trip menus are also available. Food ordered from the field trip menu must be ordered at least 24 hours in advance.

The Gift Shop at Bee City features honey, beeswax, and bee pollen that have been produced locally. Products sold in the shop are homemade. The store sells skin cream, lotion, and lip balm that have all been made with beeswax. Some of the store's specialties are spun honey, honeycomb, and chocolate covered honey. The store also features beeswax figurines and beeswax candles.

Additional information about Bee City, field trips, products sold, the Petting Zoo, or the Nature Center can be obtained by calling 843-835-5912 during normal Bee City hours.