When you think of a girlfriend getaway what comes to mind? Probably not Abbeville, South Carolina. My friend Ann and I FINALLY got together after 15 months of not seeing each other and honestly the destination did not matter. Our last road trip was in February 2020 when we went to Tennesee to meet Sean Dietrich aka Sean of the South. You can read about that by clicking here.
Ann had read somewhere that Abbeville and Greenwood, South Carolina, were hidden gems and so we decided to make that discovery on our own. While the area is rich in history there are other things to do in the area as well.
Abbeville boasts a really nice town square with free parking all the way around complete with shade trees and park benches. The most appealing part of the little town with a population just over 5,000 has to be the architecture. Most of the buildings I noticed were ornate and the history accompanying many of them dates back to the time of the Confederacy. Abbeville is known for several things but one thing is that the first votes for session happened here at a place now called Secession Hill. There is a really nice monument in the center of the square honoring the Confederate soldiers.
While we did not go to any of the historical sites to really learn in depth about the area we did see the following sobering sign in the square and it gave me pause for sure.
The architecture of many of the buildings was just stunning as you can see from the pictures.
The Abbeville Opera House was one of the most impressive buildings on the outside. It is still in operation and offers a variety of performers (check their website for offerings and Covid-19 restrictions) . We did not go in the building but the outside is impressive, don’t you think?
All in all, Abbeville almost seems like a town that was on the brink of being something really great but hard times have hit it pretty hard. Our visit in May 2021 found many store fronts empty, many undergoing renovations and many closed during the time frame that we were visiting. Apparently many of the shops located in Abbeville do not open during the week until Thursday and then have limited hours from 11 am on. Suffice it to say we missed a few of the shops that really do exist in Abbeville at this time. But despite the lack of places to visit in town we managed to find a couple places to eat and enjoyed seeing what we did see.
Come back tomorrow for a few more pictures from Abbeville, SC to see more of the sights and join our BFF trip. Don’t forget to leave me a comment and Comment for a Cause for Hospice of the Valley.
