Spartan Race Spartanburg
Thursday, September 21, 2017
What’s more poetic than Spartanburg hosting its first Spartan Race in early November? Nothing. But if you’re unfamiliar with the Spartan Race experience, understand that poetry has nothing to do with the Nov. 4-5 Carolina Beast and Sprint Weekend. If you’re unsure what we’re talking about, you’re not alone. So we’ve pulled together some frequently asked que
Continue Reading >How Panthers Training Camp Went From Fun-Time to Big-Time
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
My first trip to Wofford College for the Carolina Panthers training camp was in the summer of 1997. I was a rookie sports reporter for the Spartanburg newspaper, still trying to find my way around town. The Panthers were coming off a magical second season in which they went 12-4 and beat the defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs. I remember struggling
Continue Reading >Tyger River Park Celebrates Five Years of Hitting it Out of the Park
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Built five years ago on 137 acres in the western Spartanburg County town of Reidville, Tyger River Park has quickly become one of the crown jewels of the state’s sports tourism industry. The park boasts 13 baseball/softball fields, a clubhouse, a playground, picnic shelters, a 1.25-mile walking trail with outdoor fitness equipment, an 18-hole disc golf course and a splash
Continue Reading >Drayton Mills Trail – A Getaway That’s Not Too Far Away
Friday, July 22, 2016
An urban trail in any city is a treat and retreat for both locals and visitors. It is a path of protected greenery that both skirts and winds through the concrete jungle of city life, giving walkers, runners, cyclists, and skaters a little time and distance to get back to nature without having to leave civilization. On Spartanburg’s east side, Drayton Mills Trail is one of th
Continue Reading >A Brief History of Spartanburg
Saturday, June 25, 2016
A treaty with the Cherokee Indian Nation in 1753 opened up the area for settlers. The county formed in 1785 and got its name from the Spartan Regiment, a local militia unit that fought in the Revolutionary War. The county has grown from a frontier trading post and later a major textile center to an important and diversified manufacturing center with more than 500 manufacturing
Continue Reading >Three Spartanburg County Chefs Serve Up Their Secrets
Tuesday, April 05, 2016
As a fourth-generation South Carolina farmer, I’m always interested to see how chefs showcase our regional staples on their menus. While Spartanburg County is renowned for peaches, our unique corner of South Carolina is home to a number of seasonal delights. I talked to three local chefs about the ways they highlight our area’s artisanal foodstuffs and here’s what they ha
Continue Reading >The Sparkle City Pizza Scene
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
When I told my girlfriend that I had been asked to write an article about Spartanburg’s pizza scene, she crunched her face into a quizzical smirk and asked, “What pizza scene?” The attitude was expected. My girlfriend is a bona fide Yank—born and raised just outside of New York City—which means, among other things, that she maintains a steadfast discrimination toward
Continue Reading >The Scholar’s Tour of Spartanburg County
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Historical documents often give researchers an understanding of the social history of a place and how residents interacted with one another in the past. Libraries are one of my favorite places to visit when I go to a new town. This type of historical preservation is a quieter more nuanced art and it tends to be overlooked by visitors. However, if you find yourself in Spartanbur
Continue Reading >Spartanburg’s German Connection
Monday, February 08, 2016
Raise your hand if, when you think of Germans in Spartanburg, you think BMW? Me too—so I was surprised to learn that there are 27 German manufacturing companies in Spartanburg County and that the German community here predates BMW by decades, going back to the days when textiles were king of the manufacturing landscape. In the 1960s, part of Spartanburg’s strategy for keep
Continue Reading >Spartanburg is an Arts Town
Thursday, February 04, 2016
Music on Main, one of Spartanburg’s celebrated weekly warm-weather events, ceases at the beginning of winter, but there are plenty of things to do within city limits. With over 1,335 annual events and festivals, 43 galleries and art exhibit spaces, 21 indoor live performance venues, and nine outdoor performance venues, options abound, and most are free. There is no famine of
Continue Reading >