Month: December 2023

We sat down with our resident sommelier, Matthew Sayer, and discussed this season’s wine recommendation (and yes, we discussed over a glass!) This beautiful, ruby color wine with an amazing fruit aroma has a warm, long finish- Perfect for those cool winter months! We learned that it comes from a variety of grapes native to only Italy, specifically the Friluli Foothills, Province of Pordenone. We can’t wait to try a glass with what Matt recommends-A savory pasta dish or a charcuterie board of salami and cheese.

Next time that you’re visiting with us, enjoy a bottle and embrace the moment. Think of all the warm memories that you have made this season, and those that you have yet to make.

Want to purchase by the bottle? Visit Aiken’s local bottle shop,
Cork & Cap, on Laurens Street to shop for one.

 

     

Throughout the years, we have had thousands upon thousands of guests visit with us. Guests who have traveled from around the world to stay at The Willcox and guests who have come from as close as just down the street. We have hosted guests just traveling through town, ones that are staying with us to celebrate momentous occasions in their lives, those that are with us for the week of The Masters, couples on romantic getaways, and everyone in between. While every guest has made a lasting memory at our hotel, there are a few from our past whose visits made a mark on history. We’ve honored these past guests with their own named suites, and have pulled together their stories to share with you.

Roosevelt Suite

While both President Theodore Roosevelt and President Franklin Roosevelt vacationed in Aiken, staying at The Willcox, it is FDR’s visits that are most whispered and written about. Before Roosevelt became president, he began an affair with a woman by the name of Lucy Mercer, who later moved from Washington to Aiken. The Willcox, a prominent hotel for dignitaries to visit, became a place for Roosevelt to conduct not just global affairs, but those more “domestic,” too. He met here with world leaders, including Winston Churchill, to confer on matters of state. Other times, it is rumored that he visited Lucy, leaving his railcar on the historic cut that runs directly behind the hotel to slip quietly through a back door.

The Roosevelt Suite evokes romance and exudes an aura of stories not fully told, and perhaps those yet to be discovered.

Churchill Suite

Winston Churchill, regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, was an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer, and an artist. He was even awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature, and was the first honorary citizen of the United States. Churchill was also a friend of President Franklin Roosevelt. It began as a wartime relationship during the Second World War and it grew into a friendship over the years. The two famously met at The Willcox where they talked strategy in our lobby, warmed by hot toddies and a crackling fire in the fireplace.

The Churchill Suite pays homage to the role of Aiken in the conduct of world affairs.

STEP OUTSIDE IN AIKEN, TAKE A DEEP BREATH, AND INHALE—the scents of Aiken are all around you. At Iron Gate Candles, located in the heart of our downtown retail district, owners James and Jamie have been handcrafting small bath natural candles, soaps, lotions, and bath bombs in easily recognizable Aiken scents. They draw their inspiration from the fragrances that can be found around town: the deep, woodsy scent of Hitchcock Woods; the floral aromas that surround you in Hopelands Gardens; and the aromatic scents of freshly brewed coffee from our local coffee shops.

Family owned and operated, Iron Gate Candles specializes in 100% soy candles that are all nature and handmade right here in Aiken. Every product is not only environmentally friendly, but they’re also handcrafted in small batches to control the quality and to provide the very best product to their customers. An immense level of love and care goes into everything they do! Originally a regular vendor at local farmers markets around the region, they grew into their own brick and mortar store and online shop due to their success and the wild popularity of their products. Their small business is incredible, and we’re proud to include their product in our Premium Rooms and Suites for our guests to enjoy!

When you stay with us in a Premium Room or Suite you’ll find one of Iron Gate Candles’ handcrafted bars of soap in your room for your use during your stay and for you to take home with you afterwards. Each bar of soap not only smells fantastic, but has produced in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. Not only that, but their line of soaps are all natural and blended with skin safe fragrances and essential oils. The specific bars offered in our rooms were handmade with us in mind. It’s a special blend of lavender and camomile that will always remind you of The Willcox. What’s not to love?

If you find Iron Gate Candles’ soap as irresistible as we do, you’re in luck. You can purchase your own bars of the specially handcrafted Willcox soap from our retail shop and we’ll ship it straight to you! Or, if you’re in town, drop by Iron Gate Candles to shop their full line of natural candles, soaps, lotions, and more in their brick and mortar location. They are located just half a mile away from our hotel on Park Avenue.

We’re grateful to have amazing small businesses and fabulous entrepreneurs right here in our home town of Aiken. James and Jamie have brought a wonderfully unique store to town that has not only introduced us to their divine product line, but has also helped us share a snippet of what we love about Aiken with our guests.

Shop Iron Gate’s Willcox Bar Soap
Learn more about Iron Gate Candles

Founded as a quiet Southern town in 1835, Aiken became well known for its mild winter weather, beautiful forests, and soft ground, ideal for horses and polo fields. By the late 19th century, it had become a destination for wealthy politicians, royalty, and captains of industry from the North as they escaped the harsh winter conditions of their hometowns. Aiken eventually became known as the original Winter Colony of the South. Meet two of the most well-known Winter Colonists, Charles and Hope Goddard Iselin in the video below.

 

 

Local authors, Anna Dangerfield and Lil Brannon, co-authored a book about Hopelands Gardens together, titled “Hopelands Gardens and Rye Patch: The Friends’ Story.” Their book gives you more background and history on the Iselins’ property, and can be purchased locally around Aiken. Proceeds from the book will go towards continuing the maintenance and up keep of Hopelands Gardens.

Find it in:

• City of Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum
• Aiken Antiques & Uniques
• Cold Creek Nurseries
• 3 Monkeys
• Nandina
• York Cottage Antiques
• Security Federal Bank at 1705 Whiskey Road
• Aiken County Visitors Center