The history of Aiken goes back many years and was most known as a winter destination for “well to do” people who lived north. It was these early years that formed the architecture, landscape and history of Aiken being a “horse heaven”.
We spend a few days site seeing and taking photos.
The Aiken Hotel is over 100 years old and is absolutely beautiful on the inside. The custom woodwork and charm bring people from all over the world.
You have to remember, people love their horses in Aiken.
A quick photo above with the Jockey as we were enjoying the site seeing. Certainly, the age of the infamous oak trees will amaze you. They line the streets and form a canopy of cover.
These trees have to be close to 100 years old. The homes on this street were that age as well, such a surprise. From the site seeing to a local cafe fro bird cheese and a sandwich. The walls were filled with photos of older polo matches. They love their Polo in Aiken.
A little snapshot of the cafe wall.
I have only ever been to one Polo match and it really surprised me at how athletic both the horse and the jockey need to be. These horses are running so fast and can stop on a dime to hit a ball or avoid a collision.
Of course there are other horses being trained for the “show ring” where they can “dance” or jump fences in competitions.
There were many horse farms, tracks and even a few dirt streets for the horse traffic.
We enjoyed the countryside and watching the horses and seeing the older tree lined streets. The city of Aiken is a quiet city with an interesting city. It’s not in the mountains or on the beach, but it has a charm that is peaceful and seems like a nice place.
If you want a larger city, you can travel to Greenville or Atlanta (maybe they are about 2 hours away).
Neither one of us is a “horse person”….but you can certainly enjoy the countryside and interesting architecture.
I hope you enjoyed our photos and story on Aiken South Caroline. We look forward to seeing more properties next time.
One last thing, if you enjoy the four seasons, but not the freezing cold of winter….Aiken might be a place to visit :-)
