Day 1 Welcome to Upstate South Carolina. Start off your tour with a visit to Walnut Grove Plantation. After your tour you’ll begin a scenic drive along I-85 to Kings Mountain National Military Park. Follow the trail through the battles of 1780 that marked a turning point in the American Revolution. Visit the adjoining State Park for the “Living History Farm”. After your trip back in time continue to Rock Hill where you will spend the night and eat in one of the many restaurants in the area.
Day 2 This morning you will visit Historic Brattonsville just west of Rock Hill. Visit an exquisitely restored plantation house, a 19th-centry doctor’s office and other examples of historic architecture. Brattonsville is also a film site for the motion picture “The Patriot” which starred Mel Gibson. You will then continue your trip with a visit in Chester for lunch. Chester is the seat of Chester county and was named by settlers who came from Pennsylvania soon after 1755. After lunch you’ll spend time at the Landsford Canal State Park. See an original section to a series of canals built in the 1820’s to help move cotton through the south. Hike one of the nature trails or visit the museum. From Landsford you will you head south to the Ninety-Six National Historic Site. Stroll through this frontier settlement and Revolutionary War battle site. Spend the night at the Inn on the Square in Greenwood or at an area B&B.
Day 3
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Today’s adventure will begin at the Emerald Farm just east of Greenwood. Visit this real working farm and soap factory. You’ll continue north to The Gardens of Park Seed Company. Tour the beautiful test gardens of this world famous venerable seed supplier. After your tour you will begin a full afternoon through Historic Abbeville. Start your tour with a visit to the Burt-Stark House where the Confederacy was born in Abbeville with the first reading of the secession papers. Next you’ll want to see the Abbeville Opera House and the Trinity Episcopal church. A variety of shops and restaurants are available in the Town Square area. Tonight you’ll eat dinner and spend the night at the Belmont Inn.
You will start the day with a scenic drive to Pendleton, one of the largest National Register Historic Districts in the nation. Once in Pendleton you’ll want to visit the Historic Town Square. See Farmers Hall, built in 1826 as a courthouse. The Square is a lively business district with shops and restaurants. On one corner of the Square is Hunter’s Store, the heart of commerce in 1850. Visit the Agriculture Museum to see antique farm tools and a cotton gin that pre-dates Eli Whitney’s. Next you’ll visit two 19th century mansions, Ashtabula and Woodburn. Stop by the Old Stone Church, built in 1797 to replace the town's original fire damaged church. Spend the evening at an area B&B.
