By Scottie Davis
One of my favorite places for a summer escape or a fall getaway is the Georgia mountains near Young Harris and Hiawassee. This area is a world away from life in the Lowcountry. Stay at a resort on Lake Chatuge and take a boat ride on the lake surrounded by mountains; hike or take a shuttle to the highest peak in Georgia; and visit wineries, the John C Campbell Folk School, and the Georgia Mountain Fair and Georgia Mountain Fall Festival.
There is a lot to do in this land of Appalachia that straddles the Georgia/North Carolina border. Water sports are very popular in this area. Pristine Lake Chatuge has 132 miles of shoreline and is surrounded by mountains. It is pure joy to explore these waters by boat. This can easily be arranged when staying at The Ridges Resort & Marina right on the lake. The ambiance of The Ridges is rustic; food, good and the location, superb. Sunrises over the lake are awesome and on a cool fall evening, roasting marshmallows over the outside pit as the moon dances in and out of the clouds across the lake is very romantic.
Hiking also is big in this area. You can hike or take a shuttle to Brasstown Bald, the highest peak in Georgia, for a panoramic view of four states. From the parking lot, a half mile trail leads to the Bald or for a couple of bucks, catch a shuttle that will transport you round trip. On top of the Bald, there are several hiking trails, as well as spectacular views.
Those curious about the Appalachian culture will find a visit to the John C Campbell Folk School fascinating. Created to preserve the arts and crafts of the area, the school offers classes in everything from metalworking to weaving. You can visit some of these classes. The campus is hilly and sprawling. Classrooms are scattered throughout the campus, so you need to be with someone who knows where they are going. If you were here taking classes for a week, you could easily walk off five pounds going from class to class.
Another peek at the foods, crafts and music of the Appalachian culture can be found at The Georgia Mountain Fair and Georgia Mountain Fall Festival. During the Georgia Mountain Fair, and Georgia Mountain Fall Festival, activities of mountain life (from blacksmithing to making moonshine) are demonstrated in the pioneer village, along with an authentic one room schoolhouse and old mountain home.
Musicians play throughout the fairgrounds and you can learn a lot about this region and its culture by chatting with the friendly locals who man the crafts and food booths.
There are several wineries in the area. Crane Creek is one of my favorites. The tasting room overlooks acres of vineyards on rolling hills. The staff is gracious and the wines are outstanding. Crane Creek’s 2007 Hellbender Red is highly acclaimed nationally and internationally and has won many awards.
For those who enjoy the mountains, the art, music and crafts of Appalachia and tasting good wines, a trip to the mountains of Georgia around Young Harris and Hiawassee will be a wonderful adventure.
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Kensington Mansion escaped Sherman’s burn
By Scottie Davis
Special to Sun City Packet
Several years ago, Sun City resident Shirley Scott showed me an article about Kensington Mansion near Columbia. I was intrigued; so a few weeks later, Scott, Mary Lou Folgers and I headed down the road to Eastover, S.C. to check it out.
We quickly discovered Kensington is in the boonies. Upon leaving the town of St. Mathews, cotton fields suddenly dominated the scenery. It took a little help from OnStar to find the road leading to Kensington Mansion.
Then, there it was…a mansion gleaming white against the blue sky with its red cooper roof beaming brightly. Kensington Mansion was constructed c. 1854 in the Italianate Revival style. Built by Mathew Singleton, one of the wealthiest landowners in the area, the 12,000-square foot-home has 29 rooms. One of its most outstanding features is the central hall which extends two and a half stories to a glass skylight with a balcony circling the second floor amidst intricate millwork and moldings.
Kensington was placed on the National Historic Register in 1971. When International Paper purchased 4,000 acres in 1981 to build a plant in Eastover, the company also acquired this house, dilapidated and unoccupied for 40 years.
Encouraged by local residents to restore Kensington and fascinated by its rich history, the company began the task of bringing the house back to its original beauty. The restoration took a year to complete.
When it was finished, descendents of families who had owned or lived in Kensington came forward with items to put in the house. Thus, the Scarborough-Hamer Foundation was established. The Foundation has furnished the mansion with Victorian antiques, paintings, silver, and china, as it would have been outfitted during the ante-bellum period.
The Scarborough-Hamer Foundation and International Paper formed a partnership to open Kensington to the public. Tours are offered Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Carl Dubose is resident historian and site manager at the mansion. He is an expert on both the home and the area. To hear his stories about the families whose lives were intertwined with Kensington is to learn the history of the South.
One of Dubose’s most intriguing stories explains why Kensington was not burned along with all the other plantation homes when Sherman’s men came through the area. The story is best heard while standing under the porte-cochere looking out over the cotton fields that were once part of the 5,000 acres owned by the Singleton family, so I will not give it away here.
Kensington is one of South Carolina’s hidden treasures. Both International Paper and the Scarborough-Hamer Foundation are to be commended for their stewardship and I am forever grateful to Shirley Scott for taking me to find it. I never tire of revisiting Kensington again and again. It is that special a place.
Kensington Mansion 4101 McCords Ferry Road (Highway 601, 6 miles south of Hwy. 378) Eastover, SC 29044 Tel. (803) 353-0456 www.kensingtonmansion.org
Mepkin Abbey & Woodlands Inn… A Day to Savor
Published in Bluffton Breeze – September, 2006
By Scottie Davis
Back roads trips in this area can be fascinating. One of my favorites combines the serenity of an abbey with the elegance a Mobile 5 star, AAA five diamond Relais & Chateaux inn. What a memorable day trip this makes!
Two and a half hours from Bluffton (1-95 to 17A) is Mepkin Abbey near Moncks Corner, SC. Mepkin is certainly not your usual monastery. The site was originally a plantation and you are greeted by a breathtakingly beautiful allee of oaks that dates back to the 1700s. Clare Boothe and Henry Luce bought the plantation in 1936 and entertained political and publishing friends here. After the tragic death of young Ann Clare, the couple donated the property to the Catholic Church in 1949.
Today, Mepkin Abbey is home to 24 Trappist monks. Prayer is the major focus of their monastic day. They rise at 3 am, pray seven times a day and observe a grand silence from 8 pm until 8:15 am. The Brothers sustain themselves by raising chickens and selling eggs and fertilizer (Piggly Wiggly in Shelter Cove on Hilton Head carries Mepkin Abbey eggs).
Guests may visit the grounds of the abbey between 9 am and 4:30 pm (closed on Mondays), but it is only on the guided tours that you experience what a special place it is. These tours are offered in the morning and at 3 pm. My preference is to begin at 10 am with a tour of the Luce Memorial Gardens on the Ashley River where you learn about the history of Mepkin and the lifestyle of the Trappist, followed by a guided tour of the grounds which includes observing a noonday service in the lovely chapel (The afternoon tour does not include a service). Before departing, a visit to the Gift Shop at Mepkin is a must. Religious artifacts are sold along with exquisite works produced by regional and national artisans.
Feeling spiritually renewed, take 17A to the charming town of Summerville, SC where a culinary treat awaits you at Woodlands Inn & Resort. Receiving accolade after accolade, Woodlands is one of three inns in the country to hold five stars for dining and five stars for lodging.
Woodlands combines the ambiance of a small grand hotel with the charm of a southern plantation home. Everything about it is perfection from the exquisite antiques and oriental rugs to the sparkling crystal chandeliers and oil paintings. There are 19 guest rooms in the Inn, along with parlors, a sunroom, and spacious dining room that seats 75.
Woodlands is a great place to celebrate a special occasion or get away for a night or two. Events such as The “Wines of the World” series held on the third Tuesday of the month (Wines of Napa Valley will be featured in October) and the Chef Cooking Demonstration and Dinner on the second Tuesday of the month are very popular and special room rates are offered on these occasions.
Lunch at Woodlands in the light, airy dining room overlooking the wooded grounds is an event to savor (and one that requires reservations). The butternut squash soup and pecan crusted chicken are among my favorite dishes. The peach tea is divine, cheese biscuits, out of this world and desserts, as sinful as they get.
Travel and Leisure readers were right on target when they voted Woodlands Inn and Resort as number one in service in the North America and 5th in the world. The staff could write the book on how to make people feel welcome. The impeccable service in the dining room makes you want to sit for a spell and enjoy the surroundings.
After lunch, a walk around the grounds of the 42-acre complex will let the elegance and beauty of Woodlands Inn linger as you reluctantly depart for home.
And all of this is right here on the back roads of South Carolina. In one day you can experience serenity and peace, elegance and beauty. And be home by dark!
Contact information:
Mepkin Abbey
1098 Mepkin Abbey Road, Moncks Corner, SC, 29461
843-761-8509
www.mepkinabbey.org
Woodlands Inn & Resort
125 Parsons Road, Summerville, SC 29483
800-774-9999; 843-875-2600
www.woodlandsinn.com
Music, waterfalls and theater grace Brevard
By Scottie Davis
Just north of South Carolina’s state line, Brevard, N.C., is a sleepy mountain town most of the year. But from June 24 – August 7, the hills come alive with music during the Brevard Music Festival.
The area boasts wonderful nature as well as culture. In the region around Asheville, Flat Rock and Brevard, there are about 150 waterfalls. This makes for a wonderful mountain getaway.
Keith Lockhart of the Boston Pops is artistic advisor and principal conductor at the festival. He takes the podium on July 2 for the first of several appearances during the festival. Concerts range from the Patriotic Pops on July 4 to full productions of La Traviata and Hansel and Gretel.
The Brevard Music Center (BMC) offers symphonies and chamber music, jazz and pops, along with opera and Broadway shows. Guest artists, gifted students and faculty members participate in performances held at BMC, the College of Brevard and even the local public library.
During the festival, the average ticket price is $25, though many of the concerts are free. Inexpensive tickets to sit on the lawn are available for some BMC concerts.
In addition to the magnificent music, there are amazing waterfalls to explore. Some can be viewed from the side of the road; others require a short walk or longer hike to see. Many are located within Pisgah National Forest, a fascinating 157,000-acre preserve.
One of the most impressive is Looking Glass Falls. Kids of all ages line up at Sliding Rock to body slide over the smooth rock, unofficially dubbed as the “fastest 60 feet in the mountains.”
Rainbow Falls, on the Horsepasture River, is about as good as it gets for waterfall lovers. The 1.7 mile trail leading to Rainbow Falls can be accessed from the guardrails along the Horsepasture River on Highway 281 off Highway 64. You will hear the mighty roar of Rainbow Falls long before you actually see it. Touted as one of the best waterfalls in the South, Rainbow Falls is wide, rocky and powerful. Awesome!
Asheville is a half-hour drive from Brevard. There, a stroll through the summer gardens at The Biltmore is a glorious sensual adventure.
Connemara, the home of poet Carl Sandburg, is at Flat Rock, near Hendersonville. While Sandburg was writing, his wife raised prized goats. The barn is still there and a few years ago, one of my tour participants, Jack Carson (like many visitors) got so interested in the goats, we almost left him by mistake!
Summer days in the Brevard area are warm; nights are cool and the variety of activities make it an ideal place for a summer getaway. I can’t wait to get back!