South Carolina S 1016: Lake Murray Country Tourism District

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 1016 Text of Previous Version (Mar. 17, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 1016

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A senate RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR the Lake Murray Country 
Tourism District upon the occasion of its forty-fifth Anniversary.

Whereas, the members of 
the South Carolina Senate are pleased to recognize the Lake Murray Country 
Tourism District upon the occasion of its forty-fifth anniversary on April 1, 
2026; and

Whereas, the Lake 
Murray Country Tourism District was established on April 1, 1981, and 
represents Lexington, Newberry, Richland and Saluda counties. It is one of the eleven 
tourism regions in the State and works in coordination with the South Carolina 
Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism; and

Whereas, the Lake 
Murray Country Tourism District relocated and restored the Historic Lorick 
Plantation House in 1995 to serve as the Capital City/Lake Murray Visitor 
Center and later expanded the facility to include a museum highlighting the 
four-county tourism region; and

Whereas, the tourism 
district is known for being the creator of numerous community events, including 
Lake Murray's Independence Day Celebration which was named a "Top 20 Event in 
the Southeast" by the Southeastern Tourism Society in 1994; and

Whereas, the Lake 
Murray Country Tourism District is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 
2009 South Carolina Governor's Cup on tourism for hosting the Forrest Wood Cup 
in August 2008; the 2015, 2018, and 2019 Champions of Economic Impact in Sports 
Tourism Award; the 2023 Communicator Award for the "Come Alive" television commercial; 
and the 2025 Telly Award for the Southeastern Barbecue Showdown television 
event; and

Whereas, in 2022, 
Capital City Lake Murray Country lured two world events to the region: Final 
Table and Bass World Championships, featuring the district on outdoor 
recreation, fishing, and sports programming. Lake Murray Country's regional tourism 
television advertisement has appeared in shows or media such as the Best Damn 
Sports Show Period, the Bob Redfern Outdoor Show, Fishing League Worldwide Tour 
Events on NBC Sports, Fox Sports, Net, Bassmasters, the Outdoor Channel, Eric 
the Travel Guy on PBS, CBS Sports Network, Pursuit Channel, and Discovery 
Channel; and

Whereas, the Lake 
Murray Country Tourism District has led the way in the region being named the Best 
Place to Boat and Live in 2010 and again in 2020. During the pandemic, the region 
was named in the "Top Ten Attractions for Virtual Tours." Lake Murray was named 
the Best Bass Lake in the Southeast and the fourth best bass lake in the 
country in 2023. In 2025, the lake was named the number one Best Lake for Water 
Sports by USA Today and number two Best Winter Bass Lake by Field and Stream; 
and

Whereas, the members of 
the South Carolina Senate greatly appreciate the dedication and commitment that 
the Lake Murray Country Tourism Association has shown in serving the people and 
the State of South Carolina. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the 
South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, 
recognize and honor the Lake Murray Country Tourism District upon the occasion 
of its forty-fifth anniversary.

Be it further resolved 
that a copy of this resolution be presented to the leadership of the Lake 
Murray Country Tourism District.

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This web page was last updated on March 17, 2026 at 12:15 PM