Anything Special in Clemson, SC?

[11bee]

I'm heading down there for a while to relieve the current Project Manager so he can get some well deserved R&R. Just wondering if there is anything of interest in the general area? Any tips are greatly appreciated.

Regards,

John

[Moose135]

I knew a gal from there once...

[Keith Diamond]

You mean aside from the super awesome higher ed institution named Clemson University?

I'm guessing Moose has seen at least one of the fine examples of female beauty that attend the school. Some of the finest women I've ever seen were Clemson girls (although, the two very finest were both Winthrop girls). On nice sunny days, they can be usually found at Lake Hartwell, or Bowman Field (aka Bowman Beach). There's an area behind the high rise residence halls we called Lever Beach (for the same reasons as Bowman Field) and if you go to the very back of the R1 parking lot, there's a small hilly area where some of the girls from Lightsey Bridge I&II like to lay out as well.

Clemson really is a pure college town with almost everything geared towards the university students and fans. There's a ton of bars on College Ave and with the exception of TD's and Tiger Town Tavern, they change names every time I go up there. So if you like bars, or sports bars, you'll have plenty of options. TDs and Tiger Town Tavern really are the best of the bunch, and I personally prefer TDs since its more of a sports bar than TTTs. My very favorite place though, Explorers, closed a year or two after I left. The Esso Cub (down from the stadium and Littlejohn Coliseum) is supposedly a must see kinda place, although I admit, I have never walked in there, probably because I never drank much anyways. Plus, its not football season, so the Esso club is more of a place that people like to stop by on football weekends.

As for food... aside from the already mentioned sports bars, there's a bunch of the run of the mill fast food places mixed in on College Ave such as Subway (right on the corner), Firehouse subs, Moes etc... But Keith Street (off of College Ave and on, well Keith Street) is pretty good, and there's a Spill the Beans tucked away on the other side of College Ave. There was a good Thai restaurant further down the street that a cop recommended to me, but it burned down. But honestly, since Clemson is a college town, there's a lot of good places to eat, but nothing real special. The same goes for neighboring Central and Pendleton. You pretty much need to drive to Seneca or Anderson. Copper River is pretty good, and it's on the way to Seneca. It's probably a chain type restaurant, and its kind of a mix between Outback and Olive Garden I guess. There was a really good place in Anderson, but it has since closed.

Not sure if you or anyone you know is a fan of blue cheese, but if you are, Clemson Blue Cheese is probably the best. Not sure of all the places you can buy it, but I know you can buy it on campus at the Hendrix Student Center. If you want a wedge, crumbles, dressing, etc... its pretty damn good if you like cheeses.

As for hobbies... you're pretty much limited. In Anderson there's a Hobby Lobby, and small hobby store in the same shopping center. Not sure if the hobby store is still there, but last time I was there, the aircraft selection was limited, and items were bit pricey. Hobby Lobby has the typical hit or miss selection, but one thing that sets this Hobby Lobby apart from others are the employees. Every other Hobby Lobby I've been to has been pretty much been staffed by old ladies or homely chicks, but this one has some hot girls. A friend of mine told me about this, I didn't believe him, but I went with him one time, and not only were there hot girls at the register, but there were hot girls shopping as well. I live in a college town now as well, but the Anderson, SC Hobby Lobby is still the only Hobby Lobby I've seen with a bunch of hot chicks roaming around in it. I digress, but basically, if you want models, you're pretty much limited to the same old Hobby Lobby selection, but if you like eye candy while shopping for models, then the Anderson Hobby Lobby will hook you up.

Sightseeing... Are you the outdoors type? If so, Table Rock isn't too far, and I know there are plenty of other places to go hiking or camping nearby. I've lived in different parts of SC (the beach, midlands, etc...) and I think the upstate is absolutely beautiful. If you enjoy history, there's the old Stone Church on the way to Clemson that has some Revolutionary War heros buried there, including Andrew Pickens. The Botanical Gardens on the edge of campus is another nice place to go if you enjoy flowers or looking for a nice place to run or walk the dog. Running around Perimeter Road or on the dikes is nice as well. If you like golf, there's a nice golf course on the edge of campus as well. Clemson used to be a military school, so there are a handful of areas on campus worth checking out. There are statues in front of Mel Hall off of Bowman Field, and in front of Tillman Hall is Military Heritage Plaza. In front of the stadium, they are currently working on a Scroll of Honor for Clemson veterans.

So basically, Clemson really is a college town geared towards students and Clemson sports fans. So, while there are things to see and do in Clemson, Central or Pendleton, traveling to Anderson, Seneca or even Greenville opens up more options. If you have a free weekend, check out Table Rock or something, or you can even take a day trip to Atlanta (only 1.5 hrs away).

Where will you be working there? I remember there was a Michelin plant, and some other company close by as well, but not much else. When giving directions, I usually just told people "Take I-85, and get off exit 19B. Drive to the middle of nowwhere for about 20 minutes, and then you'll be there."

[11bee]

Kieth,

Thanks for taking the time to provide all that info. I hear you on the girls, lots of cuties down here, that's for sure

As far as the town itself, I'm pretty impressed so far. Had some great authentic Mexican and was just told that there is a Turkish restaurant down the street. I'll have to check that out.

In regard to your question, I'm actually working on an environmental remediation project in a nearby town. Not a great deal of down time but I will definitely check out some of the places you listed. It sucks going on the road (I'm pretty much a family guy) but if you have to travel, this is not a bad location at all.

Thanks again,

John