If there’s one thing we all love, it’s delicious food! Our five counties have a lot to offer for foodie-minded travelers, and we love showing off our bakeries, cakeries, holes-in-the-wall, and cafes. If there’s one type of food most people can unite over, it’s something sweet. We’ve gone ahead and prepared a trail-like crawl through Old 96 District, hitting all our favorite sugar stops along the way. Here are the results:
Country Cafe- Laurens County
This Mennonite-owned cafe is right off a forested highway, making it a bit of a well-kept secret. While they have lots of home-cooked goods on the shelf, we also think their burgers are delicious, so it’s a great place to grab lunch on your way to everywhere else!
Main Street Bake Shoppe- Clinton, SC
A definite local favorite, this bakery with a warm atmosphere offers cakes, pastries, bars, and more, all made in-house!
Main Street Bake Shoppe- Laurens, SC
A sister location to the bakery in Clinton, SC, this bakery also sells soups and sandwiches!
Capitol Theater- Laurens, SC
Right on the town square, this vintage movie theater still rocks the vibe of a 1950’s-style diner. While it may not be a huge challenge to find a
Hershey’s milkshake, we can’t deny how tasty they are, and something about the atmosphere makes drinking a milkshake feel that much extra special.
Gather Bistro & Bakery- Greenwood, SC
This is a bakery with a cause! Located inside of the Alcoves, the entire building works to support women in crisis. Gather’s menu changes daily, so arrive with an open mind and sample whatever sweets, cakes, or pastries suit your fancy! They also have soups and sandwiches, if you’re hungry for lunch.
Sweets & Treats Bakery- Greenwood, SC
Specializing in custom order cakes for any special occasion, they also offer unique flavors of cupcakes and chocolate truffles!
Buenavista Latin Cafe- Greenwood, SC
This Authentic Cuban Cafe is one of Greenwood’s best-kept secrets, and it’s right on Main Street! Besides their Cuban sandwiches and empanadas, they also have a good cup of cafe con leche and a tres leches cake we adore.
Mama’s Sweet Shoppe- Due West, SC
This bakery began as a humble booth at the farmer’s market, but word spread quickly about just how dang good these donuts are! Now, they serve a variety of donuts with a menu changing daily. Come in early or pre-order if you can, because they’re still in high demand.
Pendleton Farms– Abbeville, SC
Located right in the town square! This store is a 2-in-1 delight, with antiques in the back and gourmet foodstuffs in the front. Load up on fancy pancake mix, jams, and hot sauces, but also take time to sample some chocolate truffles from behind the glass counter. You won’t regret it.
Daily Bread Bakery- Abbeville, SC
An easy walk down the block from our last stop, this bakery prides itself on its handmade, non-identical baked goods made with simple, natural ingredients. Our favorite is the fudge, but it’s honestly hard to go wrong!
Swartzentruber’s Bakery- Abbeville, SC
Swartzentruber’s is another Mennonite-owned bakery, this one specializing in pound cakes! While their pies, breads, and cinnamon rolls are also worth a taste, we can’t deny that their pound cake is the star of the show. Our favorite is the classic, three-flavor pound cake, but there are also other flavors with different icings.
TLC Bakery- Edgefield, SC
Another bakery located in the heart of the town square, this little bakery packs a lot of personality into their menu! From buttermilk pie to s’more muffins, there are lots of homemade goodies you won’t find on many other bakery menus. Everything has the feel of something you could make in your kitchen, in a comfortable, homey kind of way.