This Charming South Carolina Town is Known as The Birthplace of Sweet Tea

The best two places in the world to enjoy sweet tea this summer are: 1. your front porch; and 2. Summerville, South Carolina.

Though the first likely needs no explanation, the second might. For the uninitiated, Summerville is a historic town outside Charleston known fittingly as the "Birthplace of Sweet Tea."

Today, visitors there can experience the beloved Southern elixir at the source, taking in the sights and the sips via the town's Sweet Tea Trail and posing for photos with "Mason," the World's Largest Sweet Tea which stands 15 feet tall and can hold up to 2,524 gallons. Businesses along the trail offer sweet tea-inspired specials including sweet tea cupcakes, sweet tea cinnamon rolls, sweet tea jelly, a sweet tea pork chop sandwich, and even a sweet tea brined chicken salad.

Being recognized as the official "Birthplace of Sweet Tea" is especially, well, sweet for the people of Summerville. For decades, the refreshing drink was believed to have been invented in St. Louis at the World's Fair in 1904. But, as The Post and Courier reports, everything changed when a list of items purchased for a reunion of old soldiers near Summerville was discovered from 1890—14 years before the World's Fair.

The provisions reportedly included bread, beans, beef, 600 pounds of sugar, and 880 gallons of iced tea. Telltale.

WATCH: Classic Sweet Tea

For more information on how to experience a taste of Summerville for yourself, head to VisitSummerville.com.