SCOVG20 digital edition-1 - Flipbook - Page 27
A HAPPENING CITY
YEAR-ROUND
Whether you’re drawn to the historic port
city for sporting events (at The Citadel and
College of Charleston), business or pleasure,
Charleston delivers. Travel + Leisure readers
have ranked this Southern charmer the
number-one city in the U.S. seven years in
a row. It’s a beautiful peninsula with lots of
green space and strict architectural guidelines
aimed at preserving the Holy City’s historic
character. Being surrounded by water ensures
the culinary scene is fresh. In addition to
history, architecture, gardens, cuisine, boating,
biking and beach-roaming, Charleston’s craft
beverage scene brims with diversity, too.
WHILE IN CHARLESTON
Several vendors offer carriage tours,
hands down the quickest and best
tutorials about the Holy City.
Rent a bicycle at one of Holy Spokes’
self-serve racks and get rolling on a
self-guided tour of the peninsula.
Hire a driver for a trip to Edmond’s
Oast, a brewery with 48 taps that also
serves small plates and charcuterie.
On Fridays, check out The Citadel’s
dress parade at Summerall Field, free
and open to the public.
Stay at The Restoration—a boutique
hotel that also offers suites with
swanky living areas. You know, just
like at home!
Edmund's Oast, Charleston
GARDEN PARTY
When a town’s nickname is
Garden City, it doesn’t take
much sleuthing about to
figure out why. Orangeburg
is home to Edisto Memorial
Gardens, featuring some
4,800 rose plants, stands
of azaleas, and, thanks to its
proximity to the Edisto River,
Tupelo-Cypress wetlands
with an accessible boardwalk.
Edisto Memorial Gardens
blooms from March to early
November. The town also
hosts the Orangeburg Festival
of Roses in May. Orangeburg
is home to two historically
black universities—South
Carolina State and Claflin.
WHAT’S ALL THE
BUZZ ABOUT?
WHILE IN ORANGEBURG
A favorite according to the South
Carolina Barbecue Trail map, Dukes
Bar-B-Que offers a buffet of Southern
delights.
You’re not far from Santee State Park on
the banks of Lake Marion. Catch trophy
catfish and landlocked striped bass.
Check out the Orangeburg National
Fish Hatchery. The facility supplies fish
to waterways across the Southeast.
See buildings that are part of
Orangeburg’s Civil Rights story, plus
the monument at SC State University
that honors the victims of the 1968
Orangeburg Massacre.
Thee Matriarch Bed & Breakfast’s
innkeeper, Rachelle Jameson-Holmes, is
well-known for her sweet tea. Drink up!
Santee kayaking
The state’s fifth-largest
city, Rock Hill, is home to
Winthrop University. Once
a prosperous mill town,
Rock Hill is on the rise. In
2019, the National Civic
League named it one of 10
All-America City winners
for its inclusive approach to
community development. The
Rock Hill Outdoor Center
in the Riverwalk community
offers cycling venues, trails,
green space and a kayak/
canoe launch. Also new to the
scene, York County’s very own
culinary trails—the YoCo Brew
Trail and YoCo Taste Trail.
WHILE IN ROCK HILL
Chef Ambassador Amy Fortes
of Flipside Restaurant knows her
way around Brussels sprouts and
pimento cheese. Legal Remedy
Brewing Co. is just as inventive.
Learn about Native American
history at Catawba Cultural
Center, which preserves the
heritage of the Catawba Nation.
Landsford Canal, Andrew
Jackson and Lake Wateree state
parks are all nearby.
At Carowinds, thrill-seekers
check the world’s tallest and
fastest giga-coaster off their
bucket lists.
Stay at the East Main Guest
House, a 1916 Craftsman B&B
within walking distance of all the
downtown action.
DiscoverSouthCarolina.com
16-27_Chapter 2_Hidden Gems.indd 25
25
12/10/19 1:41 PM