I visited Florence, South Carolina during a road trip in early fall of 2018, and immediately fell in love with the small town. The great old fashioned southern food, antique stores, and friendly people made me immediately feel at home.
Where to Stay
The town is full of cheap motels to crash in, but various AirBnBs surround the area as well. However, the best things about the town are the food and activities outside of the hotel! I stayed in a cheap motel and found it just fine for the night.
What to Eat
I had 2 incredible meals during my day in Florence. For an early lunch, we ate at Tubb’s Shrimp and Fish Co. for an incredible seafood meal. I highly recommend their Po Boys, made with shrimp, oysters, or fish, or a delicious seafood mac and cheese with shrimp and crab meat. The food was amazing and incredibly affordable. The friendly staff even gave me a free cupcake for my birthday!
Later in the day, King Jefe Taco Bar drew the attention of our grumbling stomachs. We sampled extremely flavorful tacos: my favorite was the Rising Sun taco, made with seared tuna and wakame salad. The chips and queso, various salsas, and churros were delicious as well. This restaurant is even vegetarian/vegan friendly! I highly recommend it for their delicious food, friendly atmosphere, and cheap prices.
Finally, for dessert and cocktails, visit Red Bone Alley‘s bar. They have a large selection of beers and wine but make some killer house-made cocktails as well. I had a pineapple martini, with house-made pineapple-infused vodka. For dessert, I recommend the strawberry daiquiri cheesecake, although the chocolate cookie pie and poundcake panini were absolutely decadent as well. You can’t really go wrong with any dessert here!
What to Do
I spent most of the day in Florence’s multiple antique stores. There are dozens of great antique stores in town, some so large it takes a few hours to get through them! For those who love antiquing and searching for great deals, Florence is a great small town to visit! The town is also full of cozy coffee shops, friendly farms, and various outdoor activities. My favorite place in the area was the huge Palmetto Peddlers Antiques Mall, where hundreds of vendors have booths set up selling everything from cherry preserves and bath bombs, to antique furniture and vinyl records. I spent hours wandering up the aisles!
Overall, Florence is a great town to visit if you are looking for some good ol’ fashioned southern charm, or simply need a break from nearby cities such as Charleston and Myrtle Beach. I have a soft spot for small US towns, and Florence definitely did not disappoint!
Where’s your favorite small town?
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I actually passed Florence on my way to Columbia, SC last weekend. Even though I make trips to SC all the time, I don’t think I’ve ever stopped in Florence. I might have to give it a try sometime! That Red Bone Alley Bar seems like it would be a great place to try!
You definitely should! All the food we had was incredible!
The food looks amazing!!!!!
It was some of the best southern cooking I’ve ever had! The sweet tea was amazing too
Looks like a great place to visit! Holly🐦