Spend a few days in Columbia, South Carolina; things to do + restaurant reviews + hotel review

Spend a few days in COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA

There is plenty to do in South Carolina's capital city.  Below is enough to keep you in town for several days.  Though it is over and done with, it is interesting to know that this area was positioned to be the best location on the East Coast to see the August 2017 total eclipse.


WHAT TO DO

Riverbanks Zoo & Garden  

500 Wildlife Parkway, (803) 779-8717.  Daily 9am-5pm.  

One of the best and most-visited zoos in the U.S., Riverbanks Zoo & Garden offers some exciting behind-the-scenes tours--including feeding the giraffes and an up-close encounter with the koalas.  I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with a friendly Galapagos tortoise that in 1928 was the very last one taken from those islands.  Don’t-misses include the Aquarium Reptile Complex (ARC), the Birdhouse, African Plains, Siamang Island where the apes hang out, and the polar bear and sea lion exhibits with underwater viewing.  Tropical rainstorms occur several times daily in the Birdhouse, and a milking demo is scheduled in the children’s barn.  Animal feedings include fish, sea lions, and penguins, and visitors can themselves feed the giraffes, the birds, and the goats.  Among the featured local animals are rattlesnakes from the pine flatwoods, water snakes from the cypress swamps, and long gars from Lake Murray.  Kiddie rides include ponies, a train, and an endangered species carousel.  The zoo also has a rock climbing wall and a zip line.  Special events are scheduled throughout each day.

Next door, a 70-acre botanical garden is situated on a Civil War skirmish site and includes a Bog Garden, a Walled Garden, and an Old Rose Garden.  A tram provides transportation back and forth from the zoo to the garden.

Galapagos tortoise at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia, South Carolina

Endangered Species Carousel at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
in Columbia, South Carolina

WHERE TO EAT

Liberty Tap Room & Grill  

828 Gervais St., (803) 461-4677.  Complimentary valet parking.  

The popular and expansive Liberty Tap Room & Grill has a prime position overlooking beautiful Lake Murray--a popular recreational area.  Diners can choose from an array of beer taps and cocktails.  I figured it would be hard to go wrong with a Mint Julep and was so right.  My large group passed the wait time for our meals with visits to the deck to snap selfies and watch the sun set.  The eclectic menu offers something for everyone--she crab soup, a huge iceberg lettuce wedge salad, pizza, tacos, sandwiches, burgers, fish ‘n’ chips, and my own prime choice--bbq baby back ribs with collard greens and mac & cheese.  Dessert items include a bananas Foster cheesecake and sweet little petite fours.

bar in Liberty Tap Room & Grill in Columbia, South Carolina

iceberg lettuce wedge salad at Liberty Tap Room & Grill
in Columbia, South Carolina

bbq ribs and collard greens at Liberty Tap Room & Grill
in Columbia, South Carolina

tray of petite fours at Liberty Tap Room & Grill
in Columbia, South Carolina

Lake Murray 

holds plenty of striped bass (the state fish) and once produced a 9-foot-long, 298-pound sturgeon.  It has North America’s largest roosting sanctuary for Purple Martins, which can be visited via an evening cruise in July and August (by September they are off to South America for winter hibernation).

sunset over Lake Murray at Liberty Tap Room & Grill
in Columbia, South Carolina

Motor Supply Company Bistro  

920 Gervais St., (803) 256-6687.  

This full-service restaurant posts a new handwritten menu every day so as to take advantage of the seasonal ingredients from local sources that change regularly.  On the day I dined at Motor Supply Company Bistro, we started with a tasty and colorful Sherry peach cobbler cocktail in a Mason jar topped with a striking chartreuse green “Yoko Ono pom.”  Menu choices included a strawberry-fennel salad with toasted pecans, feta, and cornbread croutons; and wild-caught local white shrimp with house bacon and Adluh grits.  I zeroed in on a tasty, and filling, Southern Cuban sandwich stuffed with local smoked pork shoulder, country ham, housemade pickles, yellow mustard, and Swiss cheese on Cuban sweet bread.  Seating is available both in a comfortable interior dining room and on an atmospheric back porch.

colorful interior of Motor Supply Company Bistro
in Columbia, South Carolina

Yoko Ono pom cocktail at Motor Supply Company Bistro
in Columbia, South Carolina

scallop with pea sauce at Motor Supply Company Bistro
in Columbia, South Carolina

WHERE TO STAY

Inn at USC Wyndham Garden  

1619 Pendleton St., (803) 779-7779.  Complimentary breakfast & afternoon snack; lobby bar.  Fitness center.  Parking $10/night.  

Located on the University of South Carolina campus, this convenient Inn at USC Wyndham Garden is situated within a historical home.  The lobby, library, and three 1910 suites are part of the original Cain-Matthews-Tompkins-Black House.  Minimal changes have been done to the house so it is virtually as it was in 1912.  The contemporary lodging section is attractive and comfortable.  An inn shuttle takes guests around town from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and a guest laundry is available.

library off lobby at Inn at USC Wyndham Garden
in Columbia, South Carolina

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images ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Spend a Day in Greenwood, South Carolina; things to do + hotel review

Spend a Day in GREENWOOD, SOUTH CAROLINA

Featuring the widest Main Street east of the Mississippi, this well-maintained town is especially fun to visit in June  when they host the annual South Carolina Festival of Flowers.  Forty-plus topiaries are on display for the month, and a walking tour with a master gardener is available.  My favorite was the seahorse and the butterfly.  It is also home to the Railroad Historical Center, which has exhibits that include seven vintage train cars.

seahorse topiary at South Carolina Festival of Flowers
in Greenwood, South Carolina

butterfly topiary at South Carolina Festival of Flowers
in Greenwood, South Carolina

While here, you’ll also want to visit:

Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation Site  

This peaceful spot--think lilac bushes and twittering birds--honors the former president of Morehouse College in Atlanta.  Dr. Mays was an accomplished scholar and an advisor to Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter, and a mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (he is known for the eulogy he gave at Dr. King’s funeral).  He met with Mahatma Gandhi and learned about non-violence and became the impetus for the civil rights movement.  This site holds the modest, rustic wood cottage he was born within in 1894 and a 1900s one-room schoolhouse built for African-American children--both were moved here from the nearby Epworth area and are furnished era artifacts--as well as a museum within a newly-built faux barn that showcases a collection of photos and memorabilia.  The only original Mays items in the house are two framed bird pictures.  In addition to learning about Dr. Mays, visitors learn plenty about African American life here in the South back in time.  Tours of the complex are available.

sign at Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation Site
in Greenwood, South Carolina

Director Christopher B. Thomas leads tour of birth house at Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation Site in Greenwood, South Carolina

interior of birth house at Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation Site
in Greenwood, South Carolina

bird drawings inside birth house at Dr. Benjamin E. Mays
Historical Preservation Site in Greenwood, South Carolina

backyard view from birth house at Dr. Benjamin E. Mays
Historical Preservation Site in Greenwood, South Carolina

interior of schoolhouse at Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation Site
in Greenwood, South Carolina

museum at Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation Site
in Greenwood, South Carolina

And should you want to spend the night:

Inn on the Square  

E. 104 Court Ave., (864) 330-1010.  Full breakfast included.  Pets ok.  

The town’s only full-service boutique hotel, the Inn on the Square is known for exceptional hospitality.  The first floor is a gathering area, with a large and comfortable lobby and two restaurants.  The Carriage House offers an extensive menu that includes selected nightly specials--steak on Thursday, fish on Friday--and the more pub-like Fox & Hound Lounge offers simpler meals.  Rooms are large and comfortable and recently upgraded.  Breakfast includes table service and several menu choices. 

lobby flowers at Inn on the Square in Greenwood, South Carolina

Fox & Hound Lounge at Inn on the Square in Greenwood, South Carolina

guest room at Inn on the Square in Greenwood, South Carolina

 

breakfast at Inn on the Square in Greenwood, South Carolina

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images ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Ridge Spring, South Carolina : Juniper; restaurant review

Juniper, South Carolina  

640 E Main St., Ridge Spring, 17 mi. from Edgefield, (803) 685-7547.  L M-Tu, Thur-Sat, D Thur-Sat, SunBr.  Reservations required.

Though there is little indication either outside or inside that this is an exceptional restaurant, I did get an inkling regarding this fact when I spotted a sign on the front door that stated:  “We will be closed June 18th-24th.  We have been invited to cook at the James Beard House in NYC!!!”  Though the famously delicious South Carolina peaches were damaged by weather last year to the extent that the crop wass only 20% of normal, peaches made it in to some of Juniper's  dishes and that James Beard dinner was set to be an all-peach menu.  Chef-owner Brandon Velie learned his stuff as a cook in the Marine Corps.

Folks wait in line to be seated and then head to mix-matched tables and chairs in the spacious open interior, where paintings by locals enhance the walls.  We filled Mason jars with cold sweet tea ourselves and then headed back to our table for a peach-themed multi-course lunch served on mix-matched plates.

First I dug into the best biscuits short of my own topped with peach-basil butter (my biscuit recipe).  Then came a refreshing gazpacho-like peach soup, which the chef described as a “liquid salad.”  The main course was a delectable skillet-fried quail from a local farm served with grits and flash-fried collards drizzled with a peach barbecue sauce.  Dessert was housemade corn cake with fresh peaches and moonshine sauce.  Nothing is over $8 on this lunch menu.  For the evening meal, the place is transformed with the addition of tablecloths, and Mason jars are replaced by wine glasses.  

For sure, this destination restaurant is worth the long drive from Charleston. 

exterior of Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring, South Carolina

sign on door of Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring, South Carolina

daily menu board at Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring, South Carolina

  

chef-owner Brandon Velie at Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring, South Carolina

interior of Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring, South Carolina

interior of Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring, South Carolina

tea bar at Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring, South Carolina

biscuits at Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring, South Carolina

peach soup at Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring, South Carolina

skillet-fried quail at Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring, South Carolina

dessert corn cake with peaches and moonshine sauce at Juniper restaurant
in Ridge Spring, South Carolina

  


Things to do in nearby Edgefield, South Carolina.

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images ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Pottery, moonshine, and ice cream in Edgefield, South Carolina; things to do

Pottery, moonshine, and ice cream in EDGEFIELD, SOUTH CAROLINA

This modest town with a formal square is located about 3 hours northwest of Charleston and is home to the headquarters for the National Wild Turkey Federation.  It is also home to the largest peach grower outside of California, Titan Farms.  And in 1997 it was transformed into the fictional town of Edgefield, Massachusetts in the Disney movie “That Darn Cat.”  Nowadays, the area is making culinary waves at nearby Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring.

Old Edgefield Pottery  

230 Simkins St., (803) 634-1634.  Thur-Sat 10am-4pm.  

Master potter Justin Guy works here at Old Edgefield Pottery making the town’s namesake pottery, which range in color from olive green to pumpkin brown.  The fine stoneware style dates to the early 1800 and is highly collectible.  Several pieces are in the Smithsonian.  A tour and demonstration can be scheduled during which you’ll learn the history of one of South Carolina’s most memorable art forms (the others being Catawba Indian pottery and sweetgrass baskets).  At other times you can view an informal collection of pots--a sort of small museum--that Guy uses for inspiration.  “I love the pots,” he says.  “They all tell stories.”

Master Potter Justin Guy in front of historic pottery collection
in Old Edgefield Pottery in Edgefield, South Carolina

face jugs from Africa at Old Edgefield Pottery in Edgefield, South Carolina

Edgefield General Store  

102 Courthouse Square, (803) 637-3100.  Tu-Sat 10am-6pm.  

Just around the corner from the pottery shop, this old fashioned general store has its original soda fountain and serves up hand-dipped ice cream.  I chose butter pecan.

ice cream sample at Edgefield General Store in Edgefield, South Carolina

Carolina Moon Distillery  

116 Courthouse Square, (609) 510-7465.  Tu-Sat 11am-5pm.  $3/taste.  Must be age 21+.  

Step inside here to sample some of South Carolina’s famous moonshine, which nowadays is totally legal, still local, and handcrafted.  In fact, this shop is located just across from the county courthouse.  At Carolina Moon Distillery they use local corn and other fresh produce--even the area’s famous peaches--to make memorable 100% corn moonshine whiskeys, bourbons, vodkas, and rums.  You can see the stills and sample the wares, including blends--don’t miss trying the smooth Rabbit Spit (116-proof moonshine that is “mean enough to make a rabbit spit in a bulldog’s face”) and blackberry moonshine, which is particularly popular because it is good in lemonade.  Production takes place both upstairs--known as the “fun level,” where the stills are--and in the dank dark downstairs, where the mashing, which entails enzymes and yeast and fermentation, is done “low and slow.”  They use old recipes in what is described as a “pretty primitive process,” and use an old-time pot still.  “There’s nothing new with what we do,” says owner David Long.   “We got into this business because we like to weld and build stuff.” 

 

still tour with David Long at Carolina Moon Distillery in Edgefield, South Carolina

David Long in packing area at Carolina Moon Distillery
in Edgefield, South Carolina

peach moonshine in Mason jar at Carolina Moon Distillery
in Edgefield, South Carolina

Rabbit Spit moonshine at Carolina Moon Distillery in Edgefield, South Carolina

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images ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Edgefield, South Carolina: National Wild Turkey Center; things to do

National Wild Turkey Center  

770 Augusta Rd., in Edgefield, (803) 637-3106. 

When the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in 1973, there were about 1.5 million wild turkeys in North America.  Now, after decades of efforts, the wild turkey has been brought back from near extinction and there are almost 7 million.  The National Wild Turkey Center is dedicated to wildlife habitat conservation in North America and to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of the country’s hunting heritage. 

exterior of National Wild Turkey Center in Edgefield, South Carolina

Winchester Museum at the Wild Turkey Center  

This is the only museum in the world dedicated to the wild turkey.  It displays the five species of wild turkey--Eastern Wild Turkey, Osceola Wild Turkey, Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Merriam’s Wild Turkey, Gould’s Wild Turkey, Ocellated Turkey--along with related items, including a great collection of turkey calls.  Interesting facts about the wild turkey include that it was once touted by Benjamin Franklin as a candidate for the national bird but lost out to the bald eagle, and that all male turkeys have a beard growing out of their chest.

How many kinds of wild turkeys have you seen?

taxidermied wild turkey at Winchester Museum at the Wild Turkey Center
in Edgefield, South Carolina

taxidermied flying Gould's Wild Turkey at Winchester Museum
at the Wild Turkey Center in Edgefield, South Carolina

taxidermied flying Gould's wild turkey--seen from below--at Winchester Museum at the Wild Turkey Center in Edgefield, South Carolina

taxidermied Ocellated Wild Turkey at Winchester Museum
at the Wild Turkey Center in Edgefield, South Carolina

taxidermied wild turkey hen with poults at Winchester Museum
at the Wild Turkey Center in Edgefield, South Carolina

turkey calls at Winchester Museum at the Wild Turkey Center
in Edgefield, South Carolina

wild turkey feather kachina doll at Winchester Museum at the Wild Turkey Center in Edgefield, South Carolina

ceramic turkey salt and pepper shakers at Winchester Museum
at the Wild Turkey Center in Edgefield, South Carolina

ceramic turkey salt and pepper shakers in the kitchen of travel writer
Carole Terwilliger Meyers

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images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers