If you’re looking for holiday festivities and events without the crowds and chaos of the season, visit South Carolina’s Old 96 District! Slow down and enjoy the holidays by staying in a romantic Bed and Breakfast, enjoying a meal from award-winning local chefs, and shopping locally from an array of artisan vendors. Encompassing the counties of Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, and McCormick, there are so many opportunities to enjoy the upcoming events and step into a small-town holiday movie!
This is one of the most magical times of year in the Old 96 District! Here are some upcoming events you won’t want to miss.
- Kick off the season in Abbeville with their Christmas Tree Lighting on November 9, 2023. See their “Christmas in Abbeville” calendar for a full list of all the fun and festive activities happening throughout the season including a Breakfast with Santa and the Annual Cookie Walk!
- You won’t want to miss the Festival of Trees and Holiday Market in McCormick, SC running for two consecutive weekends beginning December 1, 2023. This is the perfect spot to pick up those locally made Christmas gifts for everyone on your list.
- For the picture-perfect, small-town Christmas parade, visit the downtown square in Laurens, SC on December 2, 2023.
- Ringing in its 22nd year, the Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries in Greenwood, SC is once again donning a beautiful display of lights and holiday decorations December 7-9, 2023. Experience the magic on a horse-drawn wagon ride through the campus, sitting around a bonfire, and enjoying a complimentary cup of fresh hot chocolate.
- And finally, shop at Sara’s Fresh Market in Trenton, SC for all the holiday decorations your heart could desire—trees, wreaths, garlands, bows, poinsettias, and more!
All those festivities making you hungry? We’ve got you covered with yummy eats and seasonal treats in SC’s Old 96 District! Stop by Mill House Pizza and Good Times Brewing in Greenwood, SC to warm up with some brick oven pizza and “Winter Lineup” ales. For a nice dinner in a quaint historic home-turned-restaurant, make a reservation at Old Edgefield Grill in Edgefield, SC (pictured). Afterwards, grab a warm cup of coffee at Courthouse Coffee in Laurens, SC, fresh donuts at Mama’s Sweet Shoppe in Due West, SC.
And don’t forget to get your holiday shopping in! Remember holiday shopping in person? Before two-day shipping and lines around the building, holiday shopping used to be a fun time of picking out unique gifts for the whole family and patroning locally owned shops up and down holly-lined main streets. Well, in the Old 96 District, we still have that! Check out our holiday shopping guide for some great inspiration to get you started filling stockings this season.
For a special, one-time experience, shop the December Shopping Market at Cook’s Farm in Edgefield County, SC. Shop produce, gift baskets, arts and crafts, woodworking, handcrafted items, antiques, Christmas decor, local honey, and do all of your Christmas shopping in one place!
Still need more trees and lights? Shop one of the several Christmas tree farms in the region, and consider attending a Tree Lighting Ceremony like the annual event in McCormick—this year, on December 1, 2023. Looking for more ideas? Read our blog post on ‘7 Things to do in Christmas in Abbeville and Greenwood‘!
All this, and lots more to discover, make a weekend out of your trip to the Old 96 District of South Carolina by cozying up at one of our local Bed and Breakfasts! We can’t wait to see you and for you to Discover the Unexpected Wonders of the Old 96 District.
