By Lisa Sokolowski, founder/blogger, DrugstoreDivas.net
Small town travel has been having a resurgence in the last few years. Maybe itâs because everyone is moving a little bit slower and enjoying their time. Maybe itâs because small towns are more affordable than big cities. Or maybe itâs because everyone has a dream of attending a small town festival in town square and having a meetcute with the local horse rancher who is just waiting for someone to ride off into the sunset with.
Okay, itâs probably not the last one.
But, whatever your reason, if youâre looking for small town charm for your next vacation, head to the Old 96 District.

The area is filled with small town vibes, local restaurants, great parks, beautiful walking trails, and, yes of course, fantastic town squares.
The Old 96 District is made up of five counties: Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, and McCormick. Each one has multiple towns, each with its own appeal. But, for the sake of brevity, weâre going to highlight the namesake town in each county for your travels.
Abbeville
Like many of the other historic towns in the region, Abbeville has a cute town square thatâs surrounded by new and established businesses in the four streets that create it. One of the oldest in the set is the Belmont Inn, a haunted hotel established in 1901. Inside it ⌠are ghosts (read the story here). But also a really delicious new restaurant called JPâs Food and Spirits â spirits meaning drinks, but also, you know, those ghosts.


There are actually a lot of haunted spots in downtown Abbeville. But thereâs also a ton of small businesses that you would expect in a small town, like Pendelton Farms, which sells dry goods and tasty truffles, and The Rough House, a hot dog restaurant that has been in town since 1932.
A block from court square is The Livery Stable, an event venue that is host to the townâs farmersâ market. The stable, which was a place visitors could rent horses during their stay (swoon, right?), was originally built in the 1840âs. It burned during a fire that engulfed much of Abbeville in 1872. The current building is what was built to replace the original.
Come into town for the Spring Festival in May or the Hogs & Hens BBQ Festival in the fall.
Edgefield
Edgefieldâs claim to fame is that it was home to 10 South Carolina governors, and youâll see that mentioned around town quite a bit. But, the more exciting thing about Edgefield is the abundance of turkeys. Not actual turkeys. Gigantic fiberglass turkeys around town, painted by local shops and businesses, including an all gold turkey painted by the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Itâs really cute to see how the businesses have embraced the turkeys and really painted them to showcase their shops and personalities.
One of the best ones is in front of Edgefield Pool Room, a restaurant established in 1961 and claims to have âthe best burgers in the South.â Theyâre smash burgers, made with fresh ground beef from the Ole Edgefield Butcher Shop because this is small town America. Everyone supports each other.
The Edgefield Pool Room is on one of the four streets that creates a town square in downtown Edgefield, also known as the shopping district. The streets are sprinkled with new businesses, like the cute Southern boutique August & House.

One block away is The House Next Door, an antique shop which has an old one-room schoolhouse on site (now used for antiques, not pupils).Â
Come into town for the Peachtree 23 Yard Sale, âthe longest yard sale of the year.â
Greenwood
Downtown Greenwood is huge compared to the other squares in the region. While those are mostly a square, downtown Greenwood is much larger. Itâs all still walkable, but you canât see everything all at once like the other squares.
Even though itâs larger, it does still have that small town feel because the entire downtown is small local businesses. Thereâs also the Greenwood Community Theater with local productions. I saw a show there last summer and the production was top quality.


The Greenwood Museum is downtown, basically next to the theater, and thatâs really nice. The upstairs of the museum has a section with a ton of realistic animals that your kids will love (if youâre traveling with kids).
Downtown has more options for shopping and dining than is possible to list. And any of them are a great spot to spend your money.
But â BUT â if you really want that small town feel that you canât get most other places, we highly suggest going to the 25 Drive In. Yes, itâs an actual drive in movie theater that shows current movies, has a concession stand, and is just the perfect way to spend a Friday or Saturday night.
Come into town for the South Carolina Festival of Flowers in June or the SC Festival of Discovery in July.

Laurens
Laurens has ⌠you guessed it, a public square with local businesses around it and the gorgeous Laurens Historic County Courthouse right in the center. That building was built in 1837.
Back then (well, in 1908) brick streets were laid by city council. That was covered up by asphalt (for shame!) 40 years ago. But the town is planning to kick the asphalt to the curb, figuratively, but also kind of literally to bring the brick streets back.
Thereâs actually a big revitalization going on in downtown Laurens. A block away from the square is a really nice outdoor park with benches and porch swings invites guests to sit and relax.

The town also has a lot of beautiful murals that are being painted (or repainted) to just renew the area and bring back that Main Street USA feel.
Honestly, thereâs so much history in small towns that just needs a little love and care. Like the courthouse. And like the Nostalgic Filling Station on the way into Laurens. Owners Cindy and Rich Kuhnel restored the gas station, originally built in the 1930âs, back to its former glory. Itâs phenomenal. It doesnât sell gas anymore, but it does host car shows and makes for a gorgeous background for photos.
McCormick
McCormick absolutely feels like Small Town America.Â
It gained popularity during the gold rush, and you can actually pan for gold at the Heritage Gold Mine Park. You get to keep what you find, so thatâs very fun and unique for kids to experience.
The downtown area is lined with shops, including Red Rooster Antiques, a shop filled with a lot very cool items to purchase. Restaurants also fill the street. Across from the main drag is The MACK (The McCormick Arts Council at the Keturah) and art gallery that features local artists.
If you like the outdoors, definitely stop by McCormick. It has three state parks, including Hickory Knob State Park And Resort, which is the only full-service resort in the South Carolina State Park Service, so thatâs a fun claim to fame.
Don’t miss McCormick Gold Rush Festival in June!

Lisa Sokolowski loves the small town charm in the Old 96 District. Thatâs why she keeps coming back.
When sheâs not there, sheâs home blogging on Drugstore Divas, writing frugal recipes, travel tips, fun crafts, and more.