Taking the Backroads
I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite places that you might not normally hear about or visit. When we have time, we enjoy taking the back-roads. You get to see some smaller towns and the drive can be less stressful and more interesting. Also, you find some gems like these.
First, one of my favorite finds in Clayton, Georgia is a restaurant called Grapes and Beans (http://www.grapesandbeans.com/ ). It’s a great small place that uses local, organic ingredients and has a great atmosphere. Lunch is great and we tried breakfast once but wasn’t as impressed as we were with the lunch. Any time you’re in the mountains of North Georgia, stop by and check out this place. Historic downtown Clayton is also a nice small town that you can walk around in and check out some of the small shops. There’s also a bakery near Grapes and Beans that looks like a good place to check out. Maybe next time!
At this time, when movie ticket prices are as much as a dinner out, I don’t like to go to many movies in the theater. Not to mention the food prices. Not many movies are worth the cost to me. But when there is a movie that I know will be better on the big screen, I love going to a drive in theater. The Big Mo (http://www.thebigmo.com/), in Monetta, South Carolina has ticket prices (as of summer 2011) at $7 for adults and $3 for kids (4-11), plus you can bring whatever food and drinks you want (provided it’s not alcohol or a grill). They also have a concession which has much cheaper prices than movie theaters. You can also find drive ins across the country. Many have been renovated from closed drive ins. Check out this website: http://www.drive-ins.com/.
On the coast of South Carolina is a town called Beaufort. It’s a historical town that supports a large Marine base, Parris Island. It’s not far from a favorite tourist attraction, Hilton Head Island, but it is less crowded. It is also a gateway to another favorite vacation destination, Fripp Island and Hunting Island State Park. It takes a little bit to get there off of I-95 but once you get downtown, you’re on the waterfront. Beaufort is in the process of revitalization. They’ve renovated some of their buildings downtown and a great restaurant I’ve been to there, is in a renovated bank building. Panini’s Cafe (http://www.paniniscafe.net/) is a nice Italian/cafe restaurant. We went there for dinner and it was a great atmosphere as well as food. Also, near Beaufort are some great historical ruins. One popular church ruins are the Ruins of Old Sheldon Church, also known as the ruins of Prince William’s Parrish Church. They’re beautiful and many have had weddings here as well. Check out the Beaufort tourism site: http://www.beaufortsc.org/index.stml.
There are also many great festivals around the south, especially in the summer. A few I would recommend in South Carolina are:
Orangeburg Festival of Roses: http://www.festivalofroses.com/ is held the first weekend of May. The roses are blooming, there’s a nice 5k race, local vendors and the park that it’s held in also has a nice trail along the Edisto river. Any time you’re near Orangeburg, especially during the summer, I would recommend checking out the roses. They have hundreds of varieties and it’s a nice place to stop and take a walk.
South Carolina Festival of Flowers: http://www.scfestivalofflowers.org/ This festival is pretty popular and is held in June. It’s like the Rose Parade but standing still. It’s amazing what people can do with flowers.There’s also art and music and sporting events during the festival. While in Greenwood, you can visit the Park Seed company and see their test garden (check their website for hours and if they’re open http://www.parkseed.com ). And if you’re looking for a nice place to go to dinner, check out Pascal’s Cafe and Grill (http://www.pascalscafe.com/). They have great food and a good atmosphere. Also, they have outdoor seating.
Sumter Iris Festival: http://www.sumtersc.gov/VisitingUs/Festivals_Iris.aspx#top This is the oldest continuous festival in South Carolina and is held in late May. Not only are the iris on display but there is also a Swan lake that has all eight different types of swans from around the world.
Others to check out:
South Carolina Peach Festival - held mid-July in Gaffney, SC http://www.scpeachfestival.org/
Lexington County Peach Festival - held around July 4th, Gilbert, SC http://lexingtoncountypeachfestival.com/
Irmo Okra Strut - held late September. A pretty unique festival. http://www.irmookrastrut.com/
North Carolina Oyster Festival - Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina (just North of Myrtle Beach), falls in October http://www.ncoysterfestival.com/
to find others in South Carolina visit http://www.sciway.net/calendar.html
One other off the beaten path place to check out is east of Anderson, South Carolina. A locally famous place called Grits and Groceries. http://www.gritsandgroceries.com/ The town is called Belton but most people know the location as the intersection of SC Hwy 185 and SC Hwy 284. I’ve been told that you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. Just remember, they’re open for breakfast and lunch, not dinner, and they’re not open on Sundays or Mondays.
Hopefully I can add some more later but I thought this was a good start!
Happy travels!
First, one of my favorite finds in Clayton, Georgia is a restaurant called Grapes and Beans (http://www.grapesandbeans.com/ ). It’s a great small place that uses local, organic ingredients and has a great atmosphere. Lunch is great and we tried breakfast once but wasn’t as impressed as we were with the lunch. Any time you’re in the mountains of North Georgia, stop by and check out this place. Historic downtown Clayton is also a nice small town that you can walk around in and check out some of the small shops. There’s also a bakery near Grapes and Beans that looks like a good place to check out. Maybe next time!
At this time, when movie ticket prices are as much as a dinner out, I don’t like to go to many movies in the theater. Not to mention the food prices. Not many movies are worth the cost to me. But when there is a movie that I know will be better on the big screen, I love going to a drive in theater. The Big Mo (http://www.thebigmo.com/), in Monetta, South Carolina has ticket prices (as of summer 2011) at $7 for adults and $3 for kids (4-11), plus you can bring whatever food and drinks you want (provided it’s not alcohol or a grill). They also have a concession which has much cheaper prices than movie theaters. You can also find drive ins across the country. Many have been renovated from closed drive ins. Check out this website: http://www.drive-ins.com/.
On the coast of South Carolina is a town called Beaufort. It’s a historical town that supports a large Marine base, Parris Island. It’s not far from a favorite tourist attraction, Hilton Head Island, but it is less crowded. It is also a gateway to another favorite vacation destination, Fripp Island and Hunting Island State Park. It takes a little bit to get there off of I-95 but once you get downtown, you’re on the waterfront. Beaufort is in the process of revitalization. They’ve renovated some of their buildings downtown and a great restaurant I’ve been to there, is in a renovated bank building. Panini’s Cafe (http://www.paniniscafe.net/) is a nice Italian/cafe restaurant. We went there for dinner and it was a great atmosphere as well as food. Also, near Beaufort are some great historical ruins. One popular church ruins are the Ruins of Old Sheldon Church, also known as the ruins of Prince William’s Parrish Church. They’re beautiful and many have had weddings here as well. Check out the Beaufort tourism site: http://www.beaufortsc.org/index.stml.
There are also many great festivals around the south, especially in the summer. A few I would recommend in South Carolina are:
Orangeburg Festival of Roses: http://www.festivalofroses.com/ is held the first weekend of May. The roses are blooming, there’s a nice 5k race, local vendors and the park that it’s held in also has a nice trail along the Edisto river. Any time you’re near Orangeburg, especially during the summer, I would recommend checking out the roses. They have hundreds of varieties and it’s a nice place to stop and take a walk.
South Carolina Festival of Flowers: http://www.scfestivalofflowers.org/ This festival is pretty popular and is held in June. It’s like the Rose Parade but standing still. It’s amazing what people can do with flowers.There’s also art and music and sporting events during the festival. While in Greenwood, you can visit the Park Seed company and see their test garden (check their website for hours and if they’re open http://www.parkseed.com ). And if you’re looking for a nice place to go to dinner, check out Pascal’s Cafe and Grill (http://www.pascalscafe.com/). They have great food and a good atmosphere. Also, they have outdoor seating.
Sumter Iris Festival: http://www.sumtersc.gov/VisitingUs/Festivals_Iris.aspx#top This is the oldest continuous festival in South Carolina and is held in late May. Not only are the iris on display but there is also a Swan lake that has all eight different types of swans from around the world.
Others to check out:
South Carolina Peach Festival - held mid-July in Gaffney, SC http://www.scpeachfestival.org/
Lexington County Peach Festival - held around July 4th, Gilbert, SC http://lexingtoncountypeachfestival.com/
Irmo Okra Strut - held late September. A pretty unique festival. http://www.irmookrastrut.com/
North Carolina Oyster Festival - Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina (just North of Myrtle Beach), falls in October http://www.ncoysterfestival.com/
to find others in South Carolina visit http://www.sciway.net/calendar.html
One other off the beaten path place to check out is east of Anderson, South Carolina. A locally famous place called Grits and Groceries. http://www.gritsandgroceries.com/ The town is called Belton but most people know the location as the intersection of SC Hwy 185 and SC Hwy 284. I’ve been told that you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. Just remember, they’re open for breakfast and lunch, not dinner, and they’re not open on Sundays or Mondays.
Hopefully I can add some more later but I thought this was a good start!
Happy travels!
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