Hi! If you are new around here, I’m Sharlie! Wife to Benjamin, mom of SIX (yep, you read that right!), and a lover of history/antiques/small towns. I’ve made it my mission to explore some of these small towns around me and see what all they have to offer. It’s sparked something of an adventurous spirit in me! You can follow along with these adventures and our family over at our IG page @thefrontporchfarmhouse!

For this week’s adventure, I’m taking you to Pendleton, SC! Tucked between Anderson and Clemson, the downtown area is off the main highway and you’d miss it if you didn’t know it was there. As a Clemson student, I would occasionally drive through downtown Pendleton and I ate dinner at a restaurant there one evening, but that was about all of my experience with Pendleton and it’s been YEARS since I’ve returned.

My adventuring partners this time were my husband, Benjamin, and our tiniest babe, Miller. Pendleton is a very old town, established in 1790. This square has a nice grassy area in the middle with some benches, which I really have come to appreciate in a downtown. We parked and started our journey. The first store we ventured into was an antique store (imagine that). There was a beautiful garden alley next to it that we had to stop by first.

Mountain Made is an antique store with a mixture of goodies made by locals (think pottery, art, quilts, etc) and antiques. It’s actually two buildings, one primarily for the wares by local artists and antiques in the other space.

At this point we were hungry and the beautiful 1826 Bistro was calling our name. 1826 Bistro is inside a gorgeous old white building (house?) in the middle of that grassy area I mentioned earlier. I’ve always admired this building and I wanted to go there even as a college student. There was outdoor seating and it was a nice morning so we opted to sit in a corner where our stroller with Miller wouldn’t be in the way. The food here was absolutely delicious. Their menu changes weekly, I believe, but I had crab cake rolls and Benjamin had fish tacos. This restaurant is very classy, but the prices were extremely reasonable.

After lunch, I stopped in The Mercantile, which was a really cute shop! They had cool toys for kids, candy in jars like the good ole days, devotional items, candles, soaps, paper and stamps for crafting…all kinds of goodies!

We made our way back towards the other end of the square and stopped in Newtique Boutique. This was my favorite store of them all, a mixture of antiques, boutique items, and even clothes. The owner, Dan Craft, was super friendly and we discovered that we had a connection in Erskine College. Benjamin’s grandparents had been Dan’s professors! Small world!

Just next to Newtique Boutique, was a super cute kids’ clothing store, Two What Knots. If you are buying for a baby/toddler, this is a great store to stop in!

For dessert, we couldn’t decide between the super cute ice cream shop, Mama Rae’s, or pastries and desserts at The Village Bakery and Cafe. Looking back, we should have visited both! But we were still full from our lunch and so we chose to get some pastries to go. I should note that The Village Bakery and Cafe offer lunch items as well, in case you decided to try something other than 1826 Bistro.

As we were leaving, Swamp Fox Distilling was just opening up so we decided to stop in. I’m glad we didn’t miss out on this spot as it turned out to be Benjamin’s favorite (well, it was a close tie with 1826 Bistro). The owner, Ernie, distills his own rum here and sells it. I have to admit my favorite part had nothing to do with rum, but with the extremely handsome Berkeley, the distillery dog! Oh my word, he was a pretty fella!

As we were leaving Pendleton, I spied an antique store just off the way called Pendleton Place Antiques. I wasn’t quite sure if it was open, but we pulled up anyway. It was open and was a really nice antique store. Lots of furniture pieces, such as an old farm table.

Downtown Pendleton also has other restaurant options. There’s a Mexican restaurant called Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant and it smelled delicious and looked to be pretty busy. The Village Bakery and Cafe also offers lunch items. Brooklyn Style Pizza is also on the square. And, of course, there’s 1826 Bistro where we dined. I would also be horrible if I didn’t steer you in the direction of Smokin’ Pig, which is on the main highway on your way to Pendleton from Anderson.

Places to Stay: Liberty Hall Bed & Breakfast is right down the road from downtown Pendleton. It would be a lovely walk or bike ride to downtown Pendleton. The wrap around porch is beautiful and it boasts a southern cuisine breakfast.

While not downtown, here are some neat spaces to see around the town of Pendleton.

Thank you for stopping by! I love sharing these small towns with you! If you are near Pendleton, SC I’d suggest spending an afternoon exploring and enjoying this quaint town! Support these small business owners and let’s work together to revitalize these amazing downtowns! Visit my other small town trips to Abbeville, SC and Laurens, SC. Also, feel free to share this post on your Facebook page to spread the word!

XO,

Sharlie @thefrontporchfarmhouse