Posted in South Carolina April 15, 2022 by

Visit The Friendliest Town In South Carolina The Next Time You Need A Pick-Me-Up

The town of Summerville’s motto is “The Flower Town in the Pines.” For fans of flowers and delightful places to admire them, this is the town for you. But when considering its history, it will warm your heart to know that like the flowers, the friendliest people can come from despair and destruction. Among other hurdles, and while recuperating from the War Between the States, the 1886 earthquake brought great damage, followed by a downtown fire destroying most of the buildings around the town square. Then the International Congress of Physicians in Paris, France brought a silver lining, believing in the healing qualities of the pine trees’ scent. The Congress declared Summerville one of the two best locations in the world for the treatment and recovery of lung disorders.

Visitors will discover more history at the Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site. Take a look into the early days of colonial South Carolina. The trading town of Dorchester along the Ashley River flourished from 1697 to the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
Anthony P/TripAdvisor
The park’s 325 acres feature the St. George’s Bell Tower, log shipping wharves, burial sites, cemeteries, an oyster-shell tabby fort, and ongoing archaeological digs.
Take in the flowers at Azalea Park & Sculpture Garden. It is a picturesque and peaceful place on 16 acres, featuring ornamental gardens, gazebos, bronze sculptures, picnic tables, and walking trails. It is also stocked with a great history of its origins.
Davey Borden/Flickr
Ladies of the Civic League took 80 years to purchase the property for their Flowertown Garden Club, as it is known today. After donating it to the city, Mayor Grange Simons Cuthbert (1932-1947), thought azelaes might bring people to Summerville and increase tourism. And one local nurseryman, George Segelken, donated 33,000 azaleas, planting most of them himself.
During peak season, which is late March to mid-May, and then repeat bloom for several months from midsummer through fall, flowers give a vibrant showcase of pink, purple, red, and white.
Davey Borden/Flickr
Among these blooms is The Pride of Summerville, a salmon-colored flower. The park is open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., every day.
To add even more beauty to Summerville, you will notice the elegant collection of outside art along the way. Sculpture in the South has installed more than 25 bronze sculptures, each with an inspirational story.
Town of Summerville, SC/Facebook
For more outside fun, the Herbert H. Jessen Public Boat Landing and Rotary Centennial Park offers benches, fishing, a kayak launch, picnic tables, a walking trail, and a boardwalk area overlooking the Ashley River.
4820 Ladson Rd, Summerville, SC 29485, USA
Town of Summerville, SC/Facebook
The landing is open every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Buried treasures await brave adventurers at Palmetto Fossil Excursions. The Palmetto Team began as two people to share their passion for paleontology. The team has grown. To book a tour, visit the website.
Palmetto Fossil Excursions/Facebook
Working alongside area museums, the guides give privately-guided tours, teaching about the past life that existed in the Coastal Plain region of South Carolina.
If golf is your game, guests are welcome to play at the award-winning Legend Oaks Golf & Tennis Club, where instruction is available.
118 Legend Oaks Way, Summerville, SC 29485, USA
Management/TripAdvisor
Visitors can also enjoy swimming and dining at Bistro One18.
The flower theme continues with the Flowertown Bed and Breakfast, which was built in 1889. For more information, visit the website.
710 S Main St, Summerville, SC 29483, USA
Flowertown Bed & Breakfast/Facebook
Guests are treated to gourmet breakfasts, queen-sized beds, fireplaces, private baths, and central heat and air conditioning. Some like to stay for the annual Flowertown Festival.
Historic Summerville is also a great place for shopping, along this cobblestone Central Avenue. If you like antique shopping, click here.
Town of Summerville, SC/Facebook
Some shops and restaurants around the area include O'Lacy's Pub, Piazza Home, Hippie Soul Summerville, Maggie Rose Boutique, and Off the Wall Art Gallery.
And can you believe the Town of Summerville set the Guiness World Record for the World's Largest Sweet Tea, measuring 2,524 gallons, on June 10, 2016, on National Iced Tea Day? It was brewed with 1,700 pounds of sugar and 210 pounds of loose-leaf tea.
200 S Main St, Summerville, SC 29483, USA
Mason- The World's Largest Sweet Tea/Facebook
Several hundred pounds of ice were used to reach the required temperature of 45 degrees. Mason, the landmark, is more than 15 feet tall.
If you come during the holiday season, a tree lighting is part of the town's Old Time Summerville Christmas Celebration.
Town of Summerville, SC/Facebook
It usually takes place near the end of November, with music and a visit from Santa Claus.

As one can see, the friendliest town of Summerville has so much to offer. And just like in the old days, the trees are still there offering their beauty and shade. Take a trip down South and enjoy the experience — you’ll be glad you did. 

Address: Summerville Town Office, 1701 Old Trolley Rd, Summerville, SC 29485, USA
Address: 4820 Ladson Rd, Summerville, SC 29485, USA
Address: 118 Legend Oaks Way, Summerville, SC 29485, USA
Address: 710 S Main St, Summerville, SC 29483, USA
Address: 200 S Main St, Summerville, SC 29483, USA