These are some of our personal favorites. Many of these are in the historic downtown, which is walking distance to The Willcox or a short drive from the Fairfield Inn & Suites. There is free parking available at most sites.  

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Activities

Historic Aiken Trolley Tour

A special 2-hour tour of downtown Aiken on one of the historic trolley cars. The tour includes historic homes and churches, equestrian sites, the Civil War Battle of Aiken site, and a guided walk through Hopeland Gardens and the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum.

Book here: City of Aiken Parks and Recreation - Tourism Events Calendar

 

Hopeland Gardens

A 14-acre estate with 100-year-old oak trees, several gardens and meandering paths near downtown. Perfect for a nice walk in the morning. It is also home to the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum, which is an interesting museum of Aiken’s horse racing history.

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Hitchcock Woods

One of the largest urban forests in the nation with ~2,100 acres of forest habitat, Hitchcock Woods is a popular spot for horseback riding, running, and walking. There are several entrances near downtown and maps of trails can be found here: Hours, Entrances and Parking – Hitchcock Woods Foundation as well as on the All Trails app. We recommend taking the entrance at 444 South Boundary Avenue SW and walking to the Memorial Gate or the Aiken Horse Show Grounds, an outdoor show jumping arena. Please note that the trails are sandy, not paved, and that it is an active fox hunting venue, so you may encounter big groups of people on horseback with their hounds riding the trails!

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Aiken Training Track and Whitney Field

In the heart of the historic downtown residential area are the Aiken Training Track, an active racehorse training track, and Whitney Field, the oldest polo field in continuous use in the USA (since 1882!). Have breakfast at the Track Kitchen, then walk the dirt roads between the two facilities – you might see some active riders!

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Downtown Shopping

The downtown “square” – Laurens Street SW and Newberry Street SW, between Park Avenue SW and Richland Avenue SW – has dozens of cute local shops and restaurants. Some of our favorites are Plum Pudding, Aiken Center for the Arts, and True Aiken. Near the square but not on it are TumbleWeed and Big House Outpost. We also like the Cork and Cap Bottle Shop to pick up a few bottles of wine and specialty food items.

 

Golf

Horse country and good golfing typically go hand-in-hand due to an appreciation for land that grows good grass! You might be familiar with a nearby venue called the Augusta National Golf Club and its annual event The Masters only 30 minutes from here… While we can’t get you access to that one, there are several excellent courses in the area. We recommend the Aiken Golf Club, a nice public course next to downtown.  

Category Explore: Golf - Visit Aiken SC

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Restaurants and Bars

La Parisienne

Next door to The Willcox, this cute French café is one of our go-to spots for a casual lunch of jambon beurre sandwiches, salade nicoise, and a glass of rosé. It is also good for a morning coffee and pastry. It can get busy at lunch.

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Neon Fig

2 blocks away from The Willcox, this is a fun brunch and lunch spot with a wide variety of food and beverage options. If the weather is nice, it has good patio seating too.

 

The Alley

An alley in the downtown square with a cobblestone pedestrian area and several restaurants with outdoor seating or windows where you can order drinks. On Thursday nights, Amp the Alley is a fun event with live music and craft vendors where you can bring your own chairs or sit at one of the restaurants.

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Tailgate Tavern

If you’re trying to catch a college football game on Saturday, this is the place to be. Sports-bar dive with a full bar and surprisingly good food menu. Indoor and outdoor seating in The Alley.

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Whiskey Alley

Also in The Alley, this is a fun casual whiskey bar and restaurant. They have a great charcuterie tray and bites to share.

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Park Avenue Oyster Bar

One of our favorite restaurants downtown for lunch or dinner, it has a Southern inspired menu with good bites to share, cocktails, and full entrees.

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City Billiards

Good ole diner-style burgers and everything fried in an old pool hall (there’s still one table). We like the fried chicken livers, patty melt, Fully Committed, and a beer.

 

Track Kitchen

In between the Aiken Training Track and Whitney Polo Field, Track Kitchen is an old school breakfast diner that serves riders after working their horses. Eggs, sausage or bacon, grits or toast and black coffee are it, but sometimes it’s just perfect. Cash only.

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The Polo Grounds Café

On the far side of downtown, this is a wonderful little café for bagels, crepes, toast and coffee.

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Crescent Moon Café

In downtown, this is a good morning coffee shop with a few light breakfast items.

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Good Girl Brewing Company

This is an indoor/outdoor casual spot serving local beers, wines, and seltzers with burgers and chicken sandwiches. They have a nice bar inside with TVs if you are trying to catch a game, or several picnic tables and lawn games outside that are also kid and dog friendly.

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Rhumba Rum and Cigar Lounge

This is a fun cocktail lounge with Caribbean and Cuban themed food like ceviche and chicharrons (pork bites), tropical drinks, and live music. There is a walk-in humidor and a nice patio for a cigar if you’d like, but the inside is fun for a group.

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The Feed Sack

Don’t let the name and the location in a strip mall fool you – this is one of the best restaurants in town! The interior is a total surprise of comfortable leather seats and lounge areas, with an upscale Southern inspired food and beverage menu. We enjoy sitting at the bar for lunch (it has several TVs if you’re hoping to catch a game) and it is also fun for dinner.