Lancaster County
With a rich art community, Lancaster County features galleries and a variety of collectives sprinkled throughout, including Bob Doster’s Backstreet Studios. The Lindsay Pettus Greenway intersects nature and public art in a surprising setting. Beer enthusiasts will enjoy Benford Brewing, while wine lovers may retreat to Laurel Haven Estate Vineyard and Winery.
History buffs will not want to miss Andrew Jackson State Park, which tells the story of the president’s boyhood and South Carolina’s storied role in the fight for American independence. The Native American Studies Center at USC Lancaster also highlights an impressive collection of Catawba Indian pottery.
Created as a memorial to the seventh president of the United States, the park features an Andrew Jackson Museum that details his boyhood in the South Carolina backcountry in the 18th century. Popular features include living history programs, an 18th-century replica schoolhouse, campground and picnic facilities, a fishing lake and nature trails. Self-guided tours of the park museum and schoolhouse are available during the hours when these facilities are open. Pets are allowed in most outdoor areas provided they are kept under physical restraint or on a leash not longer than six feet. Owners will be asked to remove noisy or dangerous pets or pets that threaten or harass wildlife.
Freely enjoy two miles of nature in the heart of downtown Lancaster on the Lindsay Pettus Greenway. Dotted with public art, the Greenway is a hard-surface recreational trail along Gills Creek that connects visitors to the local identity of Lancaster County, highlights native flora and fauna and offers a creative experience of art and environment. Come take a stroll and immerse yourself in Lancaster’s natural beauty!
Lancaster County sits within the lands once held by the Catawba Indian Nation, and the current Catawba Reservation is located about 15 miles from the campus of USC Lancaster. With strong geographical and historical ties to the Catawba, USCL has begun to develop curricular and public programs focused on Native American art and culture, with a special emphasis on the Catawba and other Native communities in South Carolina.
The Center houses the world’s largest single collection of Catawba Indian pottery, five galleries, the only archive in South Carolina devoted in Native American history and culture, an archaeology lab, meeting and classroom spaces, and more. Launched in 2018, the Native American South Carolina Archive (NASCA) is a comprehensive digital archive for tribal histories, photos, correspondence, oral histories and more. Every March, USCL hosts Native American Studies Week with lectures, performances, and arts and crafts sales. The gardens are a site on the summer SC Ag + Art Tour. Admission is free.
For more information about Lancaster County and things to do, click here.
