Fodor’s: Places to Explore: Walterboro
“Welcome Back to Let’s Remember.” This sleepy Southern town makes Charleston look like Manhattan. Its main drag, East Washington Street, still looks like it did in the 1950s. While continuing to embrace its endearing small-town ways, it is moving in a new, savvy direction. To wit, its marketing slogan is “Walterboro, the front porch of the Lowcountry,” with a cherry-red rocking chair as its logo. Those rocking chairs can be found outside shops and restaurants, inviting passersby to sit awhile.
Walterboro has become a fun day trip for Charlestonians. The South Carolina Artisans Center has become a major draw, as have the moderately priced antiques and collectible stores. The annual events, which for decades included the Rice Festival on the last weekend in April and the Fall Tour of Plantation Homes in October, have been augmented by the Edisto Riverfest on the second weekend in June, the Walterboro Antiques, History & Arts Festival in mid-May, and the Downtown Walterboro Criterium USA Pro Cycling Classic in early May. A proliferation of inexpensive motels like Days Inn sprang up near the interstate, then limited-service chain hotels like Hampton Inn. Travelers wanting more local flavor opt for the homey bed-and-breakfasts in restored houses in the Historic District.
