This daytrip’s a breeze. Drive just 30 minutes and you can see beautiful examples of South Carolina’s oldest active art form – Catawba pottery. Catawba women still make pottery using traditional methods, thereby maintaining a link with their past. Catawba pottery is highly prized. Down Charleston way, some cooks feel that okra soup and other […]
Lights Before Christmas
December 19, 2013 By
Head south 36 miles to Columbia and look for dazzling lights, snow clouds and illuminated animals, trees and more. Visit Riverbanks Zoo and Garden up until Dec. 30 and witness Columbia’s longest-running holiday tradition, “The Lights Before Christmas.” It’s a holiday spectacle you don’t want to miss. Plan a late start for this daytrip for […]
Take a Winter Hike
December 12, 2013 By
Cold weather, early dark and stressful holidays are the perfect time for a winter getaway where your tension will melt away. Just 32 miles south lies a place in the city that’s nothing like the city. In the heart of the South Carolina Midlands sprawls a state forest with a deep and rich history. Bordered […]
The Bay Primeval
November 28, 2013 By
Drive 87 miles southwest to the little town of Olanta and you’ll see a landform some folks believe meteors created — Woods Bay. It’s not the only bay, though. Thousands of Carolina Bays stipple the landscape from New Jersey to Florida (Aerial laser technology confirms a million.) The most beautiful fleck North Carolina, South Carolina […]
Where the War Turned
November 21, 2013 By
’Tis a small place, this town called Cowpens, but it looms large in our country’s fight for independence. Just nine miles out of Spartanburg, Cowpens and its rich history is about 104 miles away. The unusual name comes from the fact that this area was an overnight stop for men driving cattle through the area. […]
Blackville’s Healing Springs
November 7, 2013 By
Drive south 80 miles and you’ll come to what well may be the only property deeded to God. You’ll find this unique place near Blackville. It’s well-known and popular Healing Springs. People have long made pilgrimages to this Barnwell County site to fill jugs, bottles and whatever works with water. It’s not for the taste, […]
The Tunnel to Nowhere
October 31, 2013 By
A drive to Walhalla runs about 143 miles and not quite three hours. Follow S.C. Highway 28 out of Walhalla into the Appalachian Mountains and you’ll discover a tunnel where men performed backbreaking labor pursuing a railroad dream. You’ll also see a beautiful waterfall. I made the drive north out of Walhalla early one fall […]
Wrought Iron Man
October 17, 2013 By
One-hundred-forty-three miles toward Charleston, about 2.5 hours, down I-26 will take you to a posh island community by the name of Daniel Island. This master-planned community is modern but quaint and overflowing with great restaurants and shops. It has parks and trails, too and makes for a great destination. While there be sure to visit […]
That Old Time Religion
October 10, 2013 By
Two hours’ drive will take you back to 1794 and some old-time religion. Drive south 113 miles to the Ridgeville vicinity and you’ll find the soul of the South, The Cypress Methodist Camp Ground where old time religion is alive and well. Such camps were once common throughout the South and to see one is […]
The Upstate Renaissance
October 3, 2013 By
Make the 90-mile journey to West Main Street in Spartanburg and you’ll find an engaging art collection, a savory restaurant, unique bookstore and exceptional microbrewery. A tree-lined thoroughfare spirits you into the city’s downtown district. Parking is free. And the aforementioned attractions line the same side of the street. Here’s a great opportunity to appreciate […]
