Summer Day Trips

Whether you’re hoping to hit a fabulous farmer’s market in the Midlands, sample Rabbit Spit Moonshine in a peachy ridge town, take a taste of culture at a rural Upstate opera house, enjoy a destination dinner in one of the Top 10 Downtowns in the country, or grab a seat and enjoy the scenery at Table Mountain State Park, you’re an easy day trip away from the South Carolina adventure of a lifetime.

Table Rock State Park

Idyllic streams are a welcome sight on mountain treks.

Tucked into the Northwest corner of South Carolina is a natural wonderland, replete with streams, waterfalls, lakes, boulders, mountains, and so much more. At Table Rock State Park, the adventures are truly endless, offering a bounty of memorable experiences for all who visit. At the center of it all is Table Rock Mountain, which serves as a backdrop for the park alongside Pinnacle Mountain, the tallest mountain totally within the state of South Carolina.

Established in 1935, Table Rock State Park is a testament to land conservation. The 3,083-acre park is one of 16 South Carolina State parks built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a public work relief program created by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression for unemployed, unmarried young men. Together, the men set up camp on this land, established the park, and built various structures on the property, many of which are still used today. Over 80 years later, people from all over the world revel in the awe-inspiring beauty of Table Rock State Park.

Just 45 minutes away from Greenville proper, Table Rock State Park offers a multitude of activities to satisfy any sort of adventurer. Two lakes are ripe for fishing; stocked full of bass, bream, and catfish, they are a hit among anglers from all over. Fishing boats are available to rent on-site, as are canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats. For those who prefer to keep their feet on solid ground, an accessible fishing dock juts out into Lake Oolenoy. Swimmers can float lazily in the cool mountain waters, or test their adrenaline on the old-fashioned floating highdive. Hiking abounds in the park, which serves as an access point for backpackers following the Palmetto Trail as well as the 76-mile Foothills Trail, which connects Table Rock State Park to Oconee State Park. For shorter treks, the extensive trail system within Table Rock State Park allows for hikes of varying lengths, including scenery-filled jaunts and vistas galore. Along the way, bird watchers can spot fine feathered friends all around, including rarely-seen birds taking solace in the sanctuary. While you can’t go wrong with any path, the most popular trail is the one that leads trekkers to the top of Table Rock Mountain, where breathtaking views steal the show.

A hike to the top of Table Rock Mountain is worth the effort, rewarding hikers with gorgeous scenery.

The best way to enjoy Table Rock State Park is to spend as much time as possible exploring its bounty, a task made simple by taking advantage of its many overnight lodging options. 16 cabins are available for rent, including one, two, and three bedroom structures. Most of the cabins are fully-stocked with furnishings, appliances, and cookware to make visiting a breeze. Campsites are abundant in the park, including sites for primitive, standard, and RV campers. 94 standard sites offer electricity and water starting at just $25 a night, while primitive tent sites are a steal at $17 a night.

All reservations must be made for a minimum of two nights, or three nights during holidays and peak visitation times. From the campgrounds, visitors can explore to their heart’s content, adopting the relaxed pace of mountain life as the crisp, cool air of the upstate surrounds them. Excursions from the park are easy: Brevard, Greenville, Clemson, and Hendersonville are all around 45 minutes away, making shopping, dining, and entertainment options within reach.

As if its natural offerings weren’t enough, Table Rock State Park offers a “Music on the Mountain” bluegrass show on the second Saturday of each month from 2-6pm. Here, local musicians gather at Table Rock Lodge, bringing their instruments and talents to a lively collaborative jam session. The monthly event is free, but organizers welcome donations to cover the cost of refreshments.

Though South Carolina is famous for its coastline, one would be remiss to overlook the hidden treasure of our Northwest corner. With mossy forests, extravagant vistas, cool mountain streams, and so much more, Table Rock State Park is a wild and lovely place to explore.

Downtown Greenville

Nifty City Unique details can be found all over Greenville.

While Charleston and Columbia get all the tourism glory in the Lowcountry and the Midlands, respectively, Greenville awaits visitors quietly in the Upstate, surrounded by rolling hills and a whole lot of charm. An escape to Downtown Greenville will undoubtedly be filled with natural and architectural beauty, seemingly limitless shopping opportunities, meals not soon forgotten, and so much more. Along tree-lined Main Street and beyond, adventure awaits. A trip to Greenville would not be complete without visiting its most stunning landmark, the award-winning Liberty Bridge located in beautiful Falls Park. Located right in the heart of downtown, the pedestrian bridge is a feat of engineering, suspended beautifully over the cascading waterfalls of the Reedy River. The result is an unobstructed view of a picturesque landscape just steps from the hustle and bustle of Main Street. The park itself is an oasis, and the perfect place to read a book or have a picnic. Visitors of all ages enjoy walking the grounds, and kids especially love exploring the landscaped gardens, stonework-lined pathways, and public art that dots the space.

Speaking of kids, families can have a blast at The Children’s Museum of the Upstate, just a short walk from Main Street. As the 7th largest children’s museum in the country and 10th largest in the world, young guests are sure to find something to capture their interest. Nearby, at the Greenville Zoo, visitors can come face-to-face with wildlife from all over the world. Eagleeyed kids and adults alike will also enjoy the “Mice on Main” activity along Main Street, where nine bronze mice, created by local sculptor Jim Ryan, hide in plain sight, waiting to be found.

One of Downtown Greenville’s most popular attractions is Dark Corner Distillery, an award-winning craft micro distillery located on Main Street, serving up “The World’s Best Moonshine” and other spirits. Craft beer breweries are all around, including The Eighth State Brewing Company, Fireforge Crafted Beer, Yee-Haw Brewing Company, and Liability Brewing Company. For an innovative experience, check out Pour Taproom near Falls Park, a self-serve bar that allows as-you-please tasting of 70 craft beers, ciders, and wines. Around town, restaurants worthy of a five-star rating are everywhere, including anything from food trucks to upscale dining, and bars and live music venues provide ample opportunity for winding down after a long day.

Falls Park is a sweet retreat just off the beaten path.

Culinary experiences are everywhere in Downtown Greenville.

Events are always happening Downtown Greenville. At Fluor Field, a minor league stadium modeled after Fenway Park, the Greenville Drive plays seasonally, providing a classic American good time for all visitors. The Bon Secours Wellness Arena brings in entertainment acts from all over the world, and is also home to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, a minor league hockey team. For a more homegrown experience, check out the TD Saturday Market, a farmers market that sets up off of Main Street from May to October. Musical entertainment can be found through Greenville Heritage Main Street Fridays, a weekly music series held every Friday night from late March through September at NOMA Square on Main Street. Throughout the year, there are also comedy shows, plays, performances, art exhibitions, and more, ensuring you’ll never have a boring day in Greenville.

While walking around Downtown Greenville allows for opportunities to explore shops, restaurants, and alleyways, the city at large can be better taken in on two wheels. Now, it is easier than ever to cycle the city, thanks to Greenville’s “B-Cycle” bike share program. Simply download the B-Cycle app, locate one of the city’s 10 bicycle hubs that is nearest to you, and follow the instructions for a 24-hour membership. Then, take off, and when you’re finished, you can return the bike to any one of the bicycle hubs around town. Don’t miss Swamp Rabbit Trail, a 22-mile walking and bicycling greenway that follows an old railway corridor from Greenville to Travelers Rest. Along the way, stop at Swamp Rabbit Cafe, which encompases an artisan bakery, delectable pizza restaurant, craft beer bar, and grocery store specializing in local and regional goods and produce.

No matter how you explore Downtown Greenville, there are limitless opportunities for new experiences. Whether you stay a few hours or a few days, we guarantee you’ll leave a little bit more in love with this upstate gem.

Music is always within reach.

Soda City Market, Columbia

The market offers seemingly limitless food options.

Art is everywhere you look near Soda City Market.

Every Saturday of the year, downtown Columbia undergoes a massive transformation. Parked cars are replaced by vendor booths, musicians set up on seemingly every corner, and food trucks come rolling in, carrying with them the scent of countless cuisines. The energy switches from a business-as-usual atmosphere to a vibrant backdrop of colors, sounds, sights, and smells. Around 150 vendors come from all over the region to set up shop in this engaging space, gathering together to create a weekend market unlike any other. With so much on offer, it is safe to say that Soda City Market is one of the best places to spend a Saturday in South Carolina.

The brainchild of Columbia resident Emile DeFelice, Soda City Market began well over a decade ago when a handful of farmers, DeFelice included, decided to band together to create a weekly farmers market in Columbia. The name “All Local Farmers Market” eventually morphed to “Soda City Market,” so dubbed as a cheeky nod to the “Cola” nickname of the capital city. The endeavor grew from there, and the expanding roster of vendors moved from place to place in Columbia until Mayor Steve Benjamin suggested to DeFelice that they hold the market right on Main Street. DeFelice obliged, and downtown has never been the same. Gone are the days when most Saturdays saw only a few dozen people coming to shop and dine in this section of town. Now, the weekends bring a hive of activity, boosting the local economy and providing an exciting experience for all. Located on the 1300, 1400, and 1500 blocks of Main Street, Soda City Market provides an extremely diverse amount of vendors, all of whom must make or grow what they are selling. All of the vendors live and work in South Carolina, resulting in a beautiful representation of the state between all of the weekly stalls. An entire week’s grocery shopping could be done here (and oh, what a delicious week that would be!), with tables selling milled grains, just-baked breads, freshly-harvested fruits and vegetables, impeccable quality meats, and phenomenal cheeses. Gifts are easy to find, with art, jewelry, handmade clothing, candles, home decor, and more available all over the market. After walking around the booths, thirsts can be quenched with a variety of smoothies, juices, kombuchas, lemonade, and coffee options, and hunger can be satiated with a vast array of options including avocado toast, BBQ sandwiches, salads, waffles, boiled peanuts, baked goods, acai bowls, and everything in between. Along the way, musicians, jugglers, magicians, dancers, and other performers work hard to impress their audiences, while cute dog visitors of every breed charm their fellow market attendees. Combined, all of the elements of Soda City Market create a culture of joy; everyone shares in enjoying what Main Street becomes on a Saturday morning, no one seems to be in a rush, and the atmosphere is just plain fun. Even better, attending the market puts visitors squarely in one of the best locations in town. In the 1500 block of Main Street, the Columbia Museum of Art shines, welcoming market-goers of all ages to their recently-redesigned space. The Columbia Art Center offers rotating art classes on Taylor Street, and Mast General Store on Main Street is forever popular with locals and visitors alike. The Nickelodeon Theatre, a fabulous vintage cinema showing mostly independent and foreign films, is a stone’s throw from the market, and a perfect place to end a long day walking around the city. Other popular shops, restaurants, and coffeehouses border the market, and an easy-to-use bus transit system makes the rest of the city more accessible than ever.

Fresh, seasonal produce is plentiful at the market.

People come in droves to shop and experience Soda City each week.

The Soda City Market is fun any weekend of the year, but even more of an excursion when Soda City hosts special supplementary events, which happen regularly. Check out the website for more information, and be sure to follow the market on social media to stay up to date on current happenings.

The Soda City Market is held on the 1300, 1400, and 1500 blocks of Columbia’s Main Street every Saturday year-round from 9am-1pm, rain or shine.

Downtown Abbeville

Stately architecture is part of the scene.

History books have long identified The City of Abbeville, SC as the county seat of Abbeville County, and as a decisive place that tells an important story of the state and the nation. It was here that South Carolina asserted its independence from the Union, and here that the United States of America became whole again, making it “the birthplace and deathbed of the Confederacy.” With the ambiance of a quintessential Southern small town, the beautifully-restored city glows with the contentment of a loved and appreciated landmark, and is noted for architecture reminiscent of the village in Northern France for which it was named. What those who veer off the beaten path discover is that Abbeville is not only a historic and picturesque jewel in the Savannah River coastline’s crown, it is also a bustling, modern city with miles of pristine shores and a wealth of natural wonders at its doorstep.

Abbeville Square is a great place to appreciate both. Here, you can find a place to stay, do some shopping, or grab a bite to eat. You can also visit the Welcome Center to find information on the many historic sites or start a walking tour exploring the charming city. Settled by French Huguenots in 1758, Abbeville will soon celebrate its 261st anniversary as a South Carolina municipality, and it has marked its share of noteworthy moments along the way. Secession Hill is the site where South Carolina famously announced its alliance with ten other states to form The Confederate States of America. Five years later and perhaps more famously, the Burt-Stark Mansion hosted Jefferson Davis and his cabinet to mark the dissolution of that Confederacy. Both sites offer a fascinating glimpse of the role Abbeville played in that troubled time. For a taste of history that will satisfy your sweet tooth, find a place to stop for Abbeville’s signature dessert, known as Gypsy. The dish, which originated here, is said to have been served to General Robert E. Lee at the historic Burt- Stark Mansion meeting. Its ingredients of sponge cake, boiled custard, sherry, whipping cream, and almonds make the nickname of “tipsy pudding” an appropriate moniker for the celebrated, trifle-like concoction.

The Rough House is a time capsule to the past.

Appropriately located on Church Street, the soaring spires and stained glass windows of Trinity Episcopal Church have watched over the community since the building’s consecration in 1860, only 3 weeks before the start of the Civil War. The French Gothic structure, and that of the Beaux-Art style Abbeville Courthouse, share a rich history and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In more recent history, First Lady Laura Bush designated Abbeville as a Preserve America Community, honoring an initiative recognizing the community’s commitment to preserving the area’s cultural and natural heritage. That dedication is evident in Abbeville Square, the downtown area made up of beautifully maintained 19th Century structures reminiscent of those found in Charleston and Savannah, which now house shops, boutiques, restaurants, hotels, and SC’s Official State Theatre, the Abbeville Opera House.

The 7,500 square foot Opera House first opened its doors over 100 years ago, offering 260 performances in its first five years, and hosts more than 17,000 patrons each year. A two-time recipient of the South Carolina Governors Travel Award for Tourism, the theatre maintains an outstanding company of talented performers, technicians, and staff, presenting two exciting and challenging theatre seasons over 36 weekends each year.

History is not all that Abbeville has to offer. A yearround calendar of events and festivals such as the Abbeville Live Concert Series offers music on The Square, and the Abbeville Spring Festival features rides, music, dozens of craft and food vendors, and food. Hogs and Hens BBQ Festival fills the October air with flavor, and thousands gather to celebrate with live music, a kids area, and of course, mouthwatering barbecue.

For those who like to boat, hike, pedal, paddle, camp, or fish on the wild side, Abbeville is the ideal getaway. With Lake Secession, owned and operated by the City of Abbeville and the nearby Savannah River Basin lakes of Thurmond, Russell, Hartwell, Greenwood, three state parks, and a vast national forest to explore, there is ample opportunity for outdoor adventurers to take advantage of the natural beauty of this inland paradise.

No matter the level of expertise, miles of hiking, biking, and walking trails offer hikers roads less traveled, with challenging terrain and breathtaking views. Freshwater fish beckon from pristine lakes, while paddleboards, canoes, and motorboats share the rippling waters. Campers can pitch their tent or park an RV at one of the many campsites dotting the landscape.

From the bricks that line Abbeville Square to the sandy shores of Lake Hartwell, the trails of Sumter National Forest to the stage of the Opera House, this is a city that welcomes you to make yourself at home. Whether you’re a history buff or a hiker, a fisherman or a biker, or a traveler in search of local flavor, you’ll find that adventure awaits you in Abbeville.

Downtown merchants are always ready to welcome visitors.

Historic Edgefield

A cute pup welcomes visitors to Old Edgefield Pottery.

Long before the South Carolina Colony was established in 1633, Native Americans walked the rolling hills and the tall pine forests of the land that we now know as Edgefield, SC. Shards of porous, unglazed earthenware created 2,000 years ago by methods that are thought to be the oldest North American art form still in use today have been found in the area—mottled by the embers of ancient cooking fires and aged in forgotten soil.

While the pottery and the clay that have made it world famous may be one of the first things to make Edgefield a place of note, it is only one link in the long chain of time that places first among all the state’s cities and towns for its role in South Carolina’s history.

Located only an hour from Columbia, and only 40 minutes from Augusta, it is a short drive to Edgefield, where the sweet perfume of dozens of peach orchards scents the air, and history lives on every corner of Courthouse Square. Encompassing an area of only 4.3 square miles, the small town boasts a remarkable historic district that includes 33 buildings and 6 sites anchored by the landscaped center of its charming town square, and architectural styles ranging from Federal and Greek Revival to Georgian and Victorian Gothic.

The Discovery Center Museum, Magnolia Dale, Edgefield’s first residence, the picturesque Horn Creek Baptist Church, and Willowbrook Cemetery are must-sees for those interested in the fascinating history of the area, and at The D. A. Tompkins Memorial Library, Edgefield’s Official Welcome Center located on the square that was once the backdrop for scandalous tales of murder and mayhem, you’ll find a wealth of information, maps, books, and souvenirs.

Though small in area, the town is home to a remarkable number of statesmen, calling five Lt. Governors and ten Governors native sons. The notable list includes J. Strom Thurmond (1947-1951), who served as the 103rd Governor of South Carolina, and is its only son to be a Presidential candidate while occupying the Governor’s mansion before election to the U.S. Senate, where he served until age 100. In Courthouse Square, a statue of Strom Thurmond and a stone commemorating these past leaders watch over the town, as does a memorial erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Carolina Moon Distillery whiskey reflects the time-honored traditions of Edgefield.

Among the highlights of modern-day landmarks on Courthouse Square is Carolina Moon Distillery, which offers a behind-the-scene tour of the process that has made their spirits a household word among those with good taste. The tasting room allows those over 21 to sample a varying menu of products, from Rabbit Spit Moonshine to Tally Ho Bourbon. Across the way, at the antique original counter of Edgefield General Store, the soda fountain serves up milkshakes and hand-dipped ice cream. Hamburgers and other menu items are served hot off the grill, and local foods, wine and beer, and other unique items make it a great place to stop and shop.

Your visit would not be complete without exploring the past and present of the iconic Edgefield Pottery at the Phoenix Factories, where potter Justin Guy’s wheel is in constant motion, and stories of Dave the Potter come to life in the vessels on display. Groundhog Kiln, an extension of Old Edgefield Pottery, fires up three times a year to continue the 200 year-old tradition of creating pottery made from local clay. Pots are sold straight from the Groundhog Kiln firings and also at the pottery studio.

If you’re interested in exploring the outdoors, you’ve come to the right town. Take a stroll on the Ten Governor’s Rail Trail that winds around Slade Lake, through quiet streets and neighborhoods, past the town’s ball field and over a wooden railroad trestle, pitch your tent at one of the nearby campgrounds or play a round of golf at the semi-private Pine Ridge Club.

The local park is full of beautiful blooms and meaningful sculptures.

Master Potter Justin Guy showcases the wares at The Phoenix Factory's Old Edgefield Pottery.

Just outside of town, National Wild Turkey Federation’s Winchester Museum, dedicated to wild turkey restoration, management, and hunting, welcomes over 10,000 visitors annually. Its Outdoor Education Center includes nature trails, a wetland habitat site, and pavilion, while the nearby 700-acre Palmetto Shooting Complex and Hunting Heritage Center offer shooting instruction, hiking, fishing, kayaking, and team-building adventures.

Come explore Edgefield, and make yourself at home in the gateway to Southern history. You’ll discover a place where leaders are born, the kiln is just waiting to fire things up, and the future is sure to be absolutely peachy.

by SUSAN FRAMPTON & JANA RILEY

photos by DOTTIE & WILL RIZZO