Sumter does enjoy the four seasons. Gorgeous azaleas and dogwoods welcome the warm spring days of March and April. Perhaps May is the most colorful and celebrated month of Sumter's year, when its World-Famous Iris Gardens burst into bloom around the 20-acre Swan Lake City Park. Children of all ages delight in feeding the hundreds of graceful swans that make this attraction one of Sumter's most photographed settings. In the fall, brilliant foliage colors of reds, yellows and orange mark the cooler nights of October and November.

Mild winters make it possible to golf, hunt, fish, jog and enjoy year-round outdoor sports and recreation practically every day of the year. An occasional cold spell may come in January or February but usually only lasts one or two days. Midday temperatures allow for "sweater-weather" almost every day from December to February. The remaining nine months, when the Northeast and Midwest may still be enduring the rigors of winter, Sumter residents are adding to their golden suntans!