By the time August rolls around each year we’ve typically had enough of the heat and on top of that we’ve had an unusually dry summer. This year we decided to head toward the mountains for a reprieve from the scorching temps. The humidity was still high but the temperatures were a bit lower and even though there was an 80% chance of rain we lucked out and the trip was not a wash out. We saw a couple of small showers but the rain mostly crossed over while we were sleeping. PERFECT viewing conditions!

Saluda, North Carolina is about 130 miles North West of Columbia. We took a Friday off from work and jumped in the car early in order to have time to fit a few things into the day. There’s just so much to do in the area that making a decision of what to try this time versus next was a bit of a challenge.

To plan your trip to the area take a look at: http://saluda.com/ You can’t possibly watch that clip and not want to go check that little town out. I had stopped in Saluda, N.C. a few times traveling to other spots but had never made it a destination or given it the time that it deserves. When I say small, I do mean the town is small. A couple of City blocks, 20 store fronts or so but goodness there’s quite a bit packed into the area. Restaurants, a museum, a B& B or two, several high end shops, a couple of historic hardware and antique stores. Cute, Cute Cute!

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Saluda, famous back in the day for their railroad has so much to offer. We began our visit by grabbing lunch at Wards Grill. While the town is quite small the historic stretch of building is filled with a variety of different types of stores that are all so inviting you can’t possibly pass them by. While some are high end others are historic in nature such as the general store and an antique shop. Deciding where to grab lunch was a tough call as there are a few locally owned options to chose from and every single one of them looked to offer a delicious experience. Because we had big dinner plans we opted for a smaller fare of a BLT and a famous Sausage burger at Wards Grill.

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After our visit in town we drove about 5 minutes to the starting point of Pearson’s Falls. Be forewarned that cell signal is hard to come by in this spot so you might want to have an idea of where you are traveling. I can only imagine how beautiful this area must be during fall.

At the gate we were greeted by a friendly park ranger. The cost is $5/person to enter. He promised that there’s no real way to get lost on this trail and if we didn’t come out in a reasonable time he’d be in after us. Pearson’s Falls has public “green” restrooms, a water fountain and plenty of pic-nic spots with various tables and benches (some covered). I believe you can reserve the covered pic-nic area for larger groups. While the hike is short, 1/4 mile each way, it is mostly up fairly steep stairs. I would classify it as a medium grade. Strollers and wheelchairs are not the best idea. We passed a few families when we were hiking in, and all of them commented that going up is much easier than coming down. It wasn’t a bad hike at all. Other than those few families coming out we had the place to ourselves the hour or so that we were there. It was extremely peaceful. There are many benches along the trail that would be perfect for sitting and enjoying the sounds of nature. I told my husband more than once that it was a perfect spot to sit with a book and just take in the quiet.

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Our trip continued into the Mills River, Hendersonville area for a long weekend with family but I will break the visit up by day and tell you about the other attractions separately. Saluda, NC is actually a great day trip from the Columbia area. Fill the tank with gas and hit the road to climb a mountain today.