Sumter is a friendly, affordable mid-sized Southern city with a walkable historic downtown, pretty parks like Swan Lake Iris Gardens, regular community events and a growing dining and coffee scene that make multi-week stays comfortable and actually enjoyable rather than isolating.
For bigger-city options on days off, Columbia (about 45–50 miles) and Florence (around 50–60 miles) are both within roughly an hour’s drive for expanded shopping, nightlife, concerts and regional airport access.