Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Sumter, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Sumter and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Sumter
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Sumter:
- 33.920313, -80.340142
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Sumter
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Sumter County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Sumter County
- Since Sumter is near Lee County and also Clarendon County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Lee County
- eBird sighting report for Clarendon County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Sumter ...
We found four communities that share the name Sumter.
Within South Carolina, the name Sumter is unique.
Beyond South Carolina, we know of another four communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
Curious and Interesting Names Near Sumter ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Burns Down
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burns Down have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns Down
- Burns Down is located in Sumter County
- Edgewater
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west) - Flowers Heights
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flowers Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowers Heights
- Flowers Heights is located in Sumter County
- Green Acres
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Acres
- Green Acres is located in Sumter County
- Greenwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast) - Iris Heights
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iris Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iris Heights
- Iris Heights is located in Sumter County
- Kingman Heights
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingman Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingman Heights
- Kingman Heights is located in Sumter County
- Mulberry
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north) - Richwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east) - Shady Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shady Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
- Shady Grove is located in Sumter County
- Tiller Circle
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tiller Circle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiller Circle
- Tiller Circle is located in Sumter County
- Walnut Hills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walnut Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hills
- Walnut Hills is located in Sumter County
How Far From Sumter to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a city such as Sumter to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Sumter and extending to:
- Columbia, which is the State Capital of South Carolina, lies 40 miles [64.4 km]<1> to the west (W). If you could walk a straight line from Sumter to Columbia, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take over two days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just about two full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 389 miles [626 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take most of a day, a buggy would take 16 days and walking would take 23 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,256 miles [10,068.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,948 miles [11,181.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,831 miles [7,774.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Sumter: www.sumtersc.gov/
The official website for Sumter County: www.sumtercountysc.org/
The official website for State of South Carolina: https://sc.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sumter) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sumter. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.9203, Longitude: -80.3401 |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <4> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Sumter to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 309.929 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.028 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.694 degrees. |