Visiting Abbeville, SC

There are countless small towns in the South, many of which still hold the charm and quaintness of days gone by.  Abbeville, SC is one of those small Southern towns. I first found Abbeville back in the late 90’s when I began seeing ads in magazines about their historic inn, the Belmont Inn and weekend packages that included staying at the inn and taking in a play at the old Opera House. I went there 2 or 3 times with friends and I was married at the time. It was a great little getaway from Atlanta.

So, it was really fun for me to go back to Abbeville with my girlfriends for a couple of days.  We weren’t there long, only 2 nights, but we packed it full with sight seeing and enjoyed every minute of the visit.  If you missed the house we stayed in, check out Buck’s Abbeville house.

Abbeville is small town living at its best.

Old South and small town, the best.

Here’s the Belmont Inn where I stayed years ago. It’s a quaint and really neat old inn that is still open for business.  We walked in and looked around while we were there.

Right across the street on the town square is the old Opera House.  Live plays are still going on in here and we took in one that Friday night.

I love small theaters like this and it was so fun to experience again.

We saw Neil Simon’s Star Spangled Girl and it was really cute.

It was really hot too, but we made it into several shops around the square while we were there. There are antique shops, boutiques and restaurants all around.

The town square is so cute with brick sidewalks and benches.

This bell sits in the middle of the square.

I love the old brick streets lining the square too.  And I loved how many of the buildings were painted bright colors.  Really livened it up.

Check out this street with all those pretty colored buildings.  We at at the Village Grill here on this side street and it was really good.  It was recommended by Buck and we enjoyed it a lot. We also had lunch at Natty’s on the same street and it was very delicious too, I’d recommend both of those restaurants.

The old Livery Stable was still there and I think they have a farmer’s market in here during the summer.

We took an opportunity to take a picture in front of it, as it made a nice backdrop.

The whole town is so cute and quaint.

Loved the lime green on this building.

At the end of that street is a historic Episcopal church, currently in renovations.  That steeple was SO tall and it’s a beautiful old church.

Inside was a gorgeous stained glass window.

While we were there, Buck set it up for us to have a special tour of the old historic Burt Stark mansion, a national landmark in SC.

It dates back to the Civil War and we were told that the beginning of the Civil war and the end of the Civil War was right here in Abbeville.  Jefferson Davis was friends of the family and stayed in the house May 2 and 3, 1865, ending the Civil War with a meeting in the house, we were told.

From the website, The State, 4 Southern cities lay claim to the end of the Civil War, and Abbeville, SC is one of them:

Abbeville can claim to be the birthplace and deathbed of the Confederacy. Four years earlier, on Nov. 22, 1860, South Carolina’s succession was launched at a meeting held at Abbeville’s Succession Hill.  Davis meets May 2 with his advisers and military commanders at the Burt-Starke Home and decides not to continue the war.

We couldn’t take pics inside, but got a really nice tour of the house and all the families who have been in here since the beginning.  I know Abbeville is proud of this place, it’s a gem.

The side of the house has a big porch as well.

And this is the other side of the house.  It’s such a  stately old mansion.

And a very large house.  I didn’t take a pic of the old kitchen, but as with most old homes of this age, the kitchen was separate from the main house and all the food was brought into the house and dining room.  There was another kitchen built onto this house sometime in the mid-20th century, but it hasn’t been renovated yet.

That’s the kitchen wing there to the left.  The old original kitchen was behind the house.

It was such an interesting tour and we enjoyed hearing all about the people who lived here and what happened in the house.

One our first evening there, we took a drive over to nearby Greenwood, SC , where a BBQ and Blues festival was going on.  We didn’t eat over there, but walked around and looked at these beautiful plant topiaries of different things that were just amazing.  And we listened to a little blues in one of the downtown spots.  That was fun too!

If you ever want a fun getaway from Atlanta or surrounding areas, I’d definitely recommend Abbeville for a little weekend getaway.  Check out the Opera House for plays during the summer and make a weekend of it.

We ate at another local place, called Yoder’s, owned by Mennonites.  The food was down home cooking good and the fried chicken knocked my socks off.  It was THAT good!  Some of the best chicken I’ve ever had.  So definitely go to the local hangout, Yoder’s, for a great Southern meal.

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