Need more reasons to travel the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway this fall? Here are five classic attractions.
Photo by Keith Phillips
Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls
Bring a flashlight and jacket to explore this never-completed railway tunnel from the 1850s that burrows a quarter-mile into solid blue granite. You’ll feel goosebumps from the spooky experience and from the consistent 56-degree temperature that in the 1950s made the tunnel an ideal place to mold Clemson University’s famous blue cheese. The 440-acre Stumphouse Park, operated by the City of Walhalla, is also home to Issaqueena Falls and newly expanded hiking and mountain biking trails that link to the Upstate portions of the cross-state Palmetto Trail. The park is located on Stumphouse Tunnel Road, off Hwy. 28, about six miles north of Walhalla. Admission: $5 per vehicle. (864) 638-4343; visitoconeesc.com/stumphouse-park.
Photo by Amy Trainum
Cowpens National Battlefield
The Battle of Cowpens was a major turning point in the American Revolution, and if you bleed red, white and blue, you’ll feel a powerful sense of pride at what Patriot militiamen accomplished on these rolling fields on Jan. 17, 1781, when they soundly defeated an elite unit of British soldiers. From the interpretive center, visitors can take self-guided walking tours on 1.3 miles of well-marked trails or take the auto loop, a 3.8-mile drive that circles the field’s outskirts. Each January, the park holds a weekend-long Anniversary Celebration (scheduled for Jan. 18–19, 2020) complete with a battle re-creation. Ranger-hosted events include Living History Days (Sept. 7, Sept. 14 and Nov. 9 in 2019) and a performance of the outdoor drama The Night before Kings Mountain on Oct. 6. The park entrance off Hwy. 11 is about three miles east of Chesnee, but your GPS will only recognize it as 4001 Chesnee Hwy., Gaffney. (864) 461-2828; nps.gov/cowp.
Photo by Keith Phillips
Pretty Place Chapel
Just a few miles down the road from Caesars Head State Park, the open-air Fred W. Symmes Chapel on the grounds of YMCA Camp Greenville provides visitors one of the state’s most stunning views of the Blue Ridge Foothills—especially at sunrise and during fall leaf season. Access to the site, commonly known as Pretty Place Chapel, is open to the public whenever it’s not in use by campers or rented out for weddings. The chapel is located at 100 YMCA Camp Road in Cleveland, but before making the trip consult the calendar at campgreenville.org/pretty-place/reservations/#chapelschedule.
Photo by Matthew Franklin Carter
Sassafras Mountain
Before a $1.1 million viewing platform opened this spring, a trip to South Carolina’s highest peak (3,553 feet) tended to be a bit disappointing—trees blocked most of the view. Today, visitors enjoy a 360-degree panorama of the Blue Ridge Mountains including lakes Hartwell, Keowee and Jocassee, North Carolina’s Pisgah Mountain and Georgia’s Currahee Mountain. The platform, 21 miles north of Pickens, is located at the end of F. Van Clayton Memorial Highway and open year-round. Admission is free. For more information, visit For more information, see the websites of the SC Department of Natural Resources (dnr.sc.gov), the Foothills Trail Conservancy (foothillstrail.org), and Visit Pickens County (visitpickenscounty.com).
Photo by Matthew Franklin Carter
Antique Bikes on Main
If you take Hwy. 11 through Chesnee on the last weekend in July, you’ll roll into the state’s biggest antique motorcycle festival. Organized as a combination bike show and swap meet, Antique Bikes on Main coincides with the Chesnee City Festival, so there’s plenty of live music, carnival rides for the kids and food vendors on hand. The fun starts on Friday evening and runs through Sunday. Motorcyclists can park their bikes (new or old) alongside the classic rides, and all riders are welcome to join the bike parade and prayer ride. (864) 590-2141; chesneeclassiccycle.com.
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