Hey Friends! If you are new here, I’m Sharlie and I’m so glad you are here! Are you ready to join me for a day trip to Batesburg-Leesville? I have a passion for visiting small towns, exploring all the shops and restaurants, and taking y’all along with me. I share the trip on my IG stories on Fridays and the blog gets posted on Sundays.

I’m always amazed at how many awesome stores are right under our noses, but we don’t realize it. It’s been fun to park the car, get out, and just explore store to store. Normally, I’m rushed. I head into the store that I know about (and let’s be honest, it’s usually a chain), get what I need, and leave. But these day trips have made me realize that the best places to grab a new outfit or a gift for a friend is normally right just down the road.

Let’s Get Started!

I previously visited Batesburg-Leesville a few months ago with my friend, Jen. We spent the entire day just walking from store to store and I had the best time. It’s that visit that helped spark the idea for these day trips. I’d originally thought about just going antiquing and writing blogs for those trips. But there was something special about discovering a cute home decor boutique or a spot that had cute clothes, I decided day trips exploring a downtown area was the way to go.

Batesburg-Leesville actually has two small downtown areas that are around five or so minutes away from each other. I parked at the first one I came to and we got out to explore.

Oak Street Vintage Mall

This side of Batesburg-Leesville had such beautiful buildings! Several were empty, but one of my favorite shops from my last visit was on this side of town, Oak Street Vintage Mall. I purchased an old primitive cabinet the last time I was here and I looked forward to seeing what kind of goodies were here this time. Oak Street has lots of booths inside with a wide range of goodies. From primitive pieces to art to jugs, there’s something for everyone.

Time to Eat!

While this side of Batesburg-Leesville has other stores, they are mainly hardware stores and the like, which are awesome, but not ones I needed to visit on today’s trip. We were hungry and I already knew exactly where I wanted to go for lunch. And, man, was I looking forward to it! It could only be Hebrews Cafe, which I’d discovered on my last visit. This restaurant is right off the other downtown area I mentioned so we hopped in the car and drove that way.

I have visited lots of restaurants and Hebrews is probably in my top five. I would drive an hour and a half just to eat at this restaurant. The last time I came, I had a pizza and it was delicious! This time I opted for shrimp and grits, which is my absolute favorite dish. I wasn’t disappointed this time either! This may be tied for my most favorite shrimp and grits ever!

I tease Pressley that she always orders a burger or a turkey sandwich on our day trips and she decided on our way up that she was going to be more adventurous on this trip. Well, she decided to get a burger! Surprise, surprise! I had a bite and it was delicious! She said the homemade macaroni and cheese was delicious too.

Our food was so good that we figured dessert would a good idea too. Pressley went with banana pudding and I ordered a brownie a’la mode. Yummy!

Sweet Simplicity: Home Decor Paradise

Hebrews Cafe isn’t very far from this second downtown area, but we still decided to jump back in the car and park in the main downtown. We passed by a cute boutique called the Purple Peacock, but it was upstairs and we had a stroller with a sleeping baby so we didn’t get a chance to visit. I checked out their FB page and they have super cute clothes! We walked by Faith-Full Cafe next but it was sadly closed the day we were there. Our next stop was Sweet Simplicity, which is a store after my own heart, home decor!

Y’all, this store has home decor options for any color scheme, style, theme! There are home decor pieces if you love the color blue. There is a section of lemon home decor items. And bees. They have a baby section with the cutest items. And they also had a ton of fall and Halloween decor out. I’d love to visit again closer to Christmas!

The Attic Gift Shop

We crossed the street to visit The Attic Gift Shop. This cute boutique has a a bit of everything from clothing to jewelry, to baby gifts, to home decor pieces. I really love this stores like this that have a little bit of everything. It’s the perfect spot to grab a gift for anyone and everything! Pressley bought a Simply Southern shirt here and I bought a baby gift.

There were a few stores that I didn’t get a chance to visit because they were closed or I had a fussy baby, but I definitely want to give them a mention. Rush Co is a super cute women’s boutique, but it was closed. I checked their FB page to see if they were still open and it looks like they were just closed for a wedding. Whew! I hate I missed their store this time, but they were definitely closed for a good reason! 🙂

You also MUST visit Chinaberry Dream Soapworks. This is one of my favorite stores in Batesburg-Leesville and I hate I missed it this time around. They have so many good deals on vintage pieces, handmade items, soaps, and they sell Dixie Bell paint.

I’m always a little sad at the end of our day trips because I never know when I’ll be back in the area again. Leaving Batesburg-Leesville was not exception. I’m pretty sure I’ll have to take Benjamin with me next time I visit so that he can enjoy a Hebrews Cafe meal!

If you love this day trip to Batesburg-Leesville, check out these towns I’ve visited in Upstate South Carolina: Abbeville, Easley, Pickens, Pendleton, Edgefield, Landrum, and Laurens.

Did I visit your store or are you local to Batesburg-Leesville? Make sure to share this post on Facebook to promote your town and business!