Anderson / Lake Hartwell KOA

Covered Bridges of the Upstate

Take a driving tour in 90 minutes or less and you can visit the early 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries through four bridges (and a restored grist mill) along the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Drive.

First, visit historic POINSETT BRIDGE, the oldest bridge in South Carolina. Built in 1820 of locally quarried stone, it was one of three bridges on the Old State Road, a toll road from Charleston to Asheville, N.C.

At the junction of Scenic Hwy 11 with Highway 101 and State Road H912, take H912 for 1.6 miles; turn right on Callahan Mt. Road; go 1.1 miles (pass by Camp Old Indian on the right). This 19th Century bridge is on the right .2 mile past the Boy Scout camp entrance.

The bridge features stepped parapet sidewalls and a graceful 15-foot Gothic arch over Little Gap Creek, a small tributary of the North Saluda River.

Next up is BALLENGER'S MILL & COVERED BRIDGE, a privately owned wooden bridge with a tin roof. Spanning a south prong of the Middle Tyger River, the late 20th century structure sits near a restored mill originally built in the 1820s by Lewis H. Dickey, the largest landowner in the area. Visitors are welcome to drive through the picturesque property and cross the bridge.

Heading east on Hwy 11, take Glassy Road, located .1 mile east of the Cliffs at Glassy entrance, south for 1.8 miles (NOTE: DO NOT take Glassy Mountain Road which turns from the Byway at Glassy Mountain Baptist Church). Turn right on Old Ballenger Mill Road, go one-half mile.

Farther east on Hwy 11 is the KLICKETY-KLACK BRIDGE, the handiwork of two guys and a tractor named “Old Blue.” In full view of motorists driving along the Cherokee Foothills Byway, the wood structure spans a wide drainage expanse next to the driveway that leads to Look Away Farms.

Owner Don Spann recruited his buddy Troy Coffey to help him build the covered bridge in 2000 as a gift to the Dark Corner area of upper Greenville County. Spann designed the intricate pattern of beams, rafters and vertical supports that ensures the integrity of the structure.

To create a nostalgic feel, he set the floor timbers of the bridge in a scattered pattern resulting in the namesake “klickety-klack” sound you hear when you drive your car over them.

Feel free to walk through the pedestrian pass way or drive your car over the bridge, circling around the asphalt roadway back to the scenic highway.

This 21st Century covered bridge is located on the north side of the Scenic Hwy 11, at the Look Away Farm entrance, 2.3 miles west of the junction of the Hwy 11 and Highway 14 at Gowensville.

Finally, your last stop will be CAMPBELL'S COVERED BRIDGE in the small rural town of Gowensville. Built in 1909, it is the sole-surviving covered bridge in South Carolina.

The pine structure measures 35 feet long and 12 feet wide and features a four-span Howe truss system with diagonal timbers and vertical iron rods. Permanently closed to traffic in 1980, it earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Continuing east, at the junction of the Hwy 11 and Highway 14 at Gowensville, take Hwy 14 south for 2.2 miles; turn right on Hwy 414 and go one mile; bear left on Pleasant Hill Road and go .1 mile to the entrance to Campbell’s Covered Bridge Historic Park on the right.

Split Creek Farm

Located just 10 minutes from the campground, Split Creek is a goat dairy farm which produces and sells 'all natural' goat milk products including cheeses, milk, fudge and soap as well as antiques and locally produced folk art. The farm is listed as an agricultural tourism stop on the SC Heritage Corridor. Visitors are welcome to visit and pre-arranged tours are available. Additional information is available at the Split Creek Farm website.

Pendleton Historic District

The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the most visited little towns in America. When visiting Pendleton, be sure to stop at Hunter's Store which features an arts and crafts shop, bookstore and genealogy research library. In the town square is the Farmer's Society Hall. It is the centerpiece of the town, built in 1828. The town of Pendleton is just 10 minutes from our campground.

South Carolina Botanical Garden

Located 15 minutes from the campground, the SC Botanical Garden is part of Clemson University. It includes a butterfly garden, a wildflower meadow, a hosta garden and a dwarf conifer collection along with other native trees, scrubs and flowers. Different events, including plant sales, are held throughout the year. Visit the South Carolina Botanical Garden online for more information.

Stumphouse Tunnel

While visiting Isaqueena Falls be sure to see Stumphouse Tunnel. This unfinished railroad tunnel is a wonderful place to visit during the hot summer months as the tunnel stays a cool 55-60 degrees year round. Be sure to take a flashlight as the tunnel goes back 1400 feet! Issaqueena Falls is a spectacular 100 foot falls in Stumphouse Tunnel Park, northwest of Walhalla. The falls are named for an Indian maiden, Issaqueena. She rode to a nearby fort to warn of a pending Indian attack and then escaped her pursuers by pretending to leap to her death over the falls, but actually hid beneath them.

Livestock Arena

T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena, part of Clemson University, is dedicated to providing opportunities for shows and sales, exhibits, and educational programs which benefit those in agriculture, agribusiness and the youth of South Carolina. Events include bull riding, rodeos, horse shows of all types, sales of horses, cattle and other livestock and the Farm and Ranch Expo.

Historic Plantation Houses

The Ashtabula and Woodburn Historic Plantation Houses are located near Pendleton, just 15 minutes from the campground. These two c.1830 large clapboard mansions were built as the Upcountry summer residences by the Lowcountry planters, Ladson Gibbes (Ashtabula) and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (Woodburn), to enjoy the more healthful climate of the foothills. Each house has a distinctly different architectural style and has been fully restored and authentically furnished in antebellum style. Each location has several historic outbuildings and Woodburn has a walking trail to ruins of late 19th century farm buildings. The Woodburn Farm was the birthplace of Jane Edna Hunter, daughter of tenant farmers, who became a leading African-American activist and reformer in Cleveland, OH, founding the Phillis Wheatley Association and is listed as one of the top 20 "Heroes" in Ohio history. Visit the Pendleton Historic Foundation for visiting hours, events and admission prices.

Bob Campbell Geology Museum

The Bob Campbell Geology Museum is located at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. Follow a winding pathway and see early mining equipment through a garden of flowers and shrubs. In the spacious display hall stands an imposing pair of limestone slabs from Morocco, each about seven-feet wide. They have been delicately chiseled away to expose the fossilized shells of 400-million-year-old sea creatures. In the corner is a 450 pound amethyst geode from Brazil, one of the larger specimens of its kind in a public museum. In addition to these spectacles, the geology museum is home to plant and animal fossils, meteorites, minerals, stone carvings, and gems, including one of the most extensive faceted gem collections in the Southeast. You can also see the largest topaz crystal ever found in this country, weighting in at nine pounds. There's even a small piece of "Howard's Rock" from the famous Death Valley stone in Clemson Memorial Stadium. The museum includes more than 5,000 individual pieces. Kids always enjoy the fluorescent mineral room with its glowing rocks.

Clemson University

Clemson University was founded in 1889, a legacy of Thomas Green Clemson, who willed his plantation home, its land, and other property to the state of South Carolina to establish a technical and scientific institution. Today, more than 16,000 students select from undergraduate and graduate degree programs in more than 70 fields of study. Visitor attractions include Fort Hill, home of John C. Calhoun, and the Rudolph E. Lee Gallery. Fort Hill was named a national treasure by the Save America's Treasures program and is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Rudolph E. Lee Gallery presents exhibitions of outstanding regional, national and international artists and architects.

Anderson County History Museum

The Anderson County Museum has exhibits that illustrate the history and heritage of Anderson County. Permanent exhibits include displays on textiles, electricity, religion, agriculture, military, the County Fair, and hot air balloons. See the Anderson County Museum website for additional information. The museum is located approximately 10 miles from the campground.

Anderson City Fire Department Museum

Experience an amazing collection of four fire trucks from the late 19th and early 20th century. The collection includes: a 1880s horse-drawn wagon; a 1911 American LaFrance Hose & Chemical Truck, the city's first motorized fire truck has solid rubber tires and is driven by a chain drive; a 1915 Seagrave Motor Pumping Engine, the first with spring-loaded bumpers and a 1919 Seagrave Motor Pumping Engine. The museum also features other antique firefighting equipment. Open Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Hagood Mill

Travel back in time to the 19th century and experience this working, water powered grist mill, built in 1825. The mill operates the third Saturday of every month. The grounds are open from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Helen and Cleveland, Georgia

These two towns are located about 1 hour and 15 minutes from our campground. Helen is one of the most visited towns in Georgia and is made to look like a German Alpine village. Authentic German restaurants, as well as many gift shops, make up the downtown area. The true attraction to Helen is Oktoberfest, a six-week party that runs from mid-September to early November. For more information, visit Helen and Cleveland Georgia online.

The very small town of Cleveland (17 miles from Helen)

Cleveland is home to the Babyland General Hospital - birthplace of the Cabbage Patch Dolls. People can visit the cabbage patch where the dolls are born and the staff is dressed appropriately in nurses or doctors uniforms. Additional displays show the dolls going to school and a hospital where dolls can receive 'emergency care'. Admission is free.

Park Seed Company

Located near Greenwood, South Carolina, the test gardens of this seed supplier, whose catalogs go worldwide, are at their most brilliant from May through July.

BMW Zentrum

BMW Zentrum is an unique museum and visitor's center with a cafe, gift shop and a Virtual Factory Tour (a 17 minute surround sound film that takes you through the BMW manufacturing process as if you were a car). Exhibits include a Z3 roadster driven by James Bond in the movie Golden Eye and some of the company's concept cars. You'll also see aircraft engines, classic BMW motorcycles and a Formula II championship race car. Open Tuesday through Saturday with plant tours available by reservation (1--888-TOUR-BMW). Visit BMW Zentrum online for more information.

How did Anderson SC get its name?

Anderson is named for General Robert Anderson, a Revolutionary War hero, who came to South Carolina to assist his good friend, Andrew Pickens, in surveying land that had been given previously to the English Colony by area Native Americans. The City was founded in December 1826 and incorporated by an Act of Legislature in 1833.The Electric CityWhy is Anderson called the "Electric City"? In the late 1800s, Anderson boasted numerous textile mills. Anderson engineer William Whitner produced a way for electricity to be conducted by wires to these mills using hydroelectric power. Anderson was the first city in the United States to have a continuous supply of electric power and the first in the world to create a cotton gin operated by electricity. Mr. Whitner has several places of distinction in Downtown Anderson, including a statue in front of the Anderson County Courthouse and a street named in his honor. Also, at the corner of McDuffie and Whitner Streets, you will find Generator Park. On the grounds of this 10,000 square-foot park stands the century-old generator that was operated by Whitner at the Portman Power Plant.

The South Carolina State Tree

The South Carolina Palmetto Tree stands tall as the state tree of our beautiful state. The palmetto tree is in the palm family and can grow to be 80 feet tall. Its gray green foliage is fan like. The palmetto tree is also the state tree of Florida and is known as the Cabbage Palm or Cabbage Palmetto.

Battle of Anderson April 14-15, 2012

An American Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreate the appearance of a particular battle or other event associated with the American War between the States by hobbyists known as Civil War reenactors or Civil War recreationists.

The battle...according to reenactment organizers...was the last Civil War battle, or skirmish...east of the Mississippi River. According to history, the Confederate forces suffered no casualties...and the Union forces had two casualties in a skirmish that took place on May 1, 1865. Visit Battle of Anderson for more information. Admission is charged.

Mayberry in Westminster April 20-21, 2012

Sheriff Andy Griffith and Deputy Don Knotts look-a-likes, Aunt Bea and Goober look-a-likes, bring your costumes and enter the Look-a-like contest at the Mayberry in Walhalla festival! You can also enjoy music and food and crafts, an old car display, view the Mayberry parade or buy Mayberry merchandise. The City of Walhalla is located just 30 minutes from the campground.

Pickens Azalea Festival April 20-21, 2012

The Pickens Azalea Festival is held in mid-April on Main Street in Pickens. This two-day event offers children's games, a complete variety of foods, arts and crafts, and live entertainment during the day. Bring your classic car and enter it in the Cruise In (no entry fee or application required). History comes alive with tours of the downtown, Hagood-Mauldin House and the Pickens County Museum. Admission is free. Visit Pickens Azalea Festival online for more information.

Downtown Music - April to September

Both of the cities of Anderson and Seneca hold music in their old downtown areas. Bring your own chairs and tap your feet as a variety of musical genres fills the air.

In Anderson, Downtown Sounds is staged on the plaza in front of the Anderson County Courthouse from 6-9pm each Thursday evening from April through August. The full slate of entertainment includes a variety of music, from oldies, beach, blues, soul and southern rock.

In Seneca, every Thursday from April to September, Ram Cat Alley is closed between 6:30 and 9 p.m. for Jazz on the Alley, which offers visitors live music and late shopping at the stores on the street.

According to town legend, trains carrying produce for Main Street merchants were unloaded onto carts that were then wheeled the two blocks to the shops on Main. So many cats would gather around the carts piled high with meat and fish that one clever wag once quipped: “You couldn’t ram another cat into the alley.” Main Street was officially renamed Ram Cat Alley in the mid 1990s.

Anderson Motor Speedway March to September

The Anderson Motor Speedway is located just north of I-85 at exit 27 - approximately 15 miles from the campground. Anderson Motor Speedway is a 3/8 mile paved oval. Wide straight-aways and tight, tricky corners are infamous for producing close, competitive short track racing most Friday nights in the quest for the checkered flag.,

City of Central Railroad Festival April 28, 2012

Celebrate the city of Central's railroad heritage, featuring music and railroad festivities. The Railroad Festival features tours of the Central Railway Museum, local food, music and arts and crafts vendors. The museum features model train layouts including the only operational Standard Train layout in a public museum in the United States! Admission is free. Visit Central Railroad Festival for more information.

Spring Festival on the Square, Abbeville May 4-6, 2012

The festival is held the first weekend in May on Abbeville's Historic Town Square. The festival features craft vendors, entertainment all day, food vendors, amusement rides for the young and "young at heart", an antique car show, a beautiful flower show and a special featured event each year. Are you looking for a Charming Southern Town, with the Southern Hospitality that will leave a warm memory?

Artisphere, Greenville May 11-13, 2012

Artisphere is a four-day event highlighting the arts in our area. Artisphere brings in patrons from all over the world for this spectacular arts festival. Artist Row presents 100 of the highest caliber visual artists from across the United States and beyond. Artist mediums include: ceramics, photography, glass, jewelry, metal works, printmaking, graphics, drawing, pastel, painting, mixed media, sculpture, woodwork, fiber, and furniture. Artisphere was voted a top 20 event in the Southeast.

Blue Ridge Fest, Pickens May 11-12, 2012

This two-day event is held in mid-May with all proceeds going to charity. Friday offers a night of beach music and a car show followed by a Bike Run on Saturday. Bring your old car or motorcycle and join in the festivities. Visit Blue Ridge online for more information.

Greenville Scottish Games May 26-27, 2012

The colors, tastes, sights and sounds you will experience are all evocative of clan life in the wild Highlands of Scotland. The Championship Heavy Athletic competition is drawn from the warrior traditions at ancient clan gatherings, as is the Highland Dancing competition. The Southern Piping Championship will remind you vividly of how the Great Highland War Pipes were an integral part of every Scottish clan marching into battle. The crafts - from the weaving of tartans to the stained glass demonstrations - would have been all around you at a Gathering of the Clans from long ago. Visit Greenville Games online for more information.

Children visiting our Games will have their own miniature Scottish village, called Wee Scotland. They will have their own crafts, athletic events, "mountains" to climb, and much more, all the while absorbing a bit of the culture that settled our region. The Border Collie Trials and Great Scot! Young Writers Contest are very popular, too!
Admission is charged.

Summer Chautaqua Festival, Greenville June 16-23, 2012

Greenville Chautauqua produces interactive educational theater performed by professional scholar/actors. Our audiences are taken on an Astonishing Journey into the Past, where historic figures like Thomas Jefferson, Rosa Parks, and Eleanor Roosevelt appear on stage, and the audience can question them. It's fun to talk back to history. Winston Churchill will be coming in 2012. Visit Greenville Chautauqua online for more information.

Pendleton Freedom Fest June 30, 2012

Held the Saturday before the 4th of July each year, this old fashioned Patriotic community celebration of our nation’s freedom includes live entertainment, games for the children with prizes, food including watermelon wedges, bingo, a bake sale with a cake walk, a Salute to our Heroes, dancing and fireworks at dusk.

Clemsonfest, Clemson (5 p.m.) July 3, 2012

On the evening before Independence Day, Clemsonfest provides the only opportunity to see a major fireworks display over beautiful Lake Hartwell. Join thousands of revelers for family fun in the early evening with games, food, and crafts. Later enjoy doing South Carolina's official dance, the Shag, to the best of hot beach groups or bluegrass music as the fireworks ring in the 4th.

Red, White and Blue, Greenville July 4, 2012

Greenville's official July 4th celebration including 75,000 of our closest friends enjoying music, food, drink, family activities, and of course...FIREWORKS! Visit Main St. Events for more information.

Williamston Spring Water Festival August 24-25, 2012

This arts and crafts festival is located in the town park where generations have gathered for the healing abilities of the spring water. Enjoy live entertainment and food, arts & crafts, a Health Fair,,children's activities, amusement,rides.,Spring Water 5K Run & 1 Mile Fun Run, an antique car show and souvenirs. At the Water Festival, you'll find free admission and parking.