Abbeville, SC

Donna and I recently made a day trip into western South Carolina and eastern Georgia. We didn't really have a plan; we just picked a direction and headed that way, and Donna found some destinations in our travel guide as we drove. The first place we came upon was the Park Seed Company in Hodges. It is primarily a gardener's source for plants and seeds, but their grounds, including lots of experimental growths, are open to the public. They grow some truly beautiful and spectacular plants.









Next we headed to Cokesbury, named for Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury, the first two Methodist bishops in the United States, and visited the remains of Cokesbury College, built in 1854. It first served as a girls school and then as a boys school until 1882 when it became co-ed; it remained operational until 1954. You can go inside by appointment, which we didn't do on this visit, but would like to do on a future one.


Right across the street from the college is this neat old church. And a bunch of ants in the field. Ask me how I know.


We then headed into downtown Abbeville and first visited the town's oldest church, Trinity Episcopal, built in 1859. It features a massive 125-foot steeple and a rare functioning tracker organ.








We then wandered around the town square, checking out the various shops and such. We bought a couple of ice cream cones and sat outside in a pair of rockers and enjoyed the quiet, the fresh air, and a cool breeze. Best ice cream I've had in a long time!

Neat old ad painted on the side of a building.


We then continued a bit further west to visit the Georgia Guidestones. I visited back in February but Donna had not seen them, and I certainly enjoyed visiting again. We bumped into a couple who live in both Texas and Ontario, splitting their time between the two; they were in the midst of a journey to their home in Texas and had made a special side trip to visit this unique site.








By then we were sufficiently pooped, so we enjoyed an awesome Cracker Barrel meal and then headed home. An excellent day of adventuring.