Month: January 2025

 

As the winter season envelopes this southern city, we invite you to visit the warm hearths of Aiken’s living room, where you can always find hearty dinners, fine wine, and holiday cheer.

 

 

Travel + Leisure 2025 World’s Best Awards

We have been nominated for Travel + Leisure’s 2025 World’s Best Awards! With gratitude, we ask for your vote as we pursue this great distinction.

VOTE NOW

 

The Lobby Bar is serving up something special! Stop by and explore our refreshing cocktail creations, including our brand new Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Menu featuring Little Saints Cocktails. Unwind with these mushroom-fueled, mood-boosting drinks—crafted with zero sugar and only natural ingredients. Your favorite cocktails, including palomas, margheritas, and mules, are now available alcohol-free at The Lobby Bar.

Leslie Blankenship Restaurant Manager

 

For children, the magic of the holidays is pure enchantment—a time when the world feels full of wonder and possibility. In their imaginations, elves are hard at work in the North Pole, putting the finishing touches on toys crafted just for them. Santa is busy preparing his reindeer for an extraordinary all-night journey to deliver a special gift beneath their tree. Fires glow warmly in the hearth, hot chocolate seems sweeter than ever, and little ones hold onto the hope that maybe—just maybe—this year will bring a blanket of snow.

At The Willcox, we embraced this holiday spirit by introducing a new tradition designed to fill hearts with joy and create lasting memories for families and children alike. Every Saturday leading up to Christmas, we hosted the Teddy Bear Tea: a magical event that brought the holidays to life for our youngest guests.

Surrounded by festive decorations that transformed The Willcox into a holiday wonderland, children delighted in a whimsical tea menu featuring fairy bread, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, miniature scones, gingerbread men, and more. The excitement didn’t stop there—Santa Claus himself made a special appearance, taking the time to speak with each child about their Christmas wishes. The sparkle in their eyes and the joy on their faces were truly unforgettable.

Teddy Bear Tea made its debut this holiday season, and it has already become a cherished event for everyone involved. Seeing the joy it brought to our young guests and their families was truly heartwarming. While this was our first year hosting the event, we’re excited to continue the tradition in the years to come, creating more magical memories that will last a lifetime.

Full of folktales, new ideas, and reminiscences, these new reads are the perfect thing to warm you up on the chilly days and nights of winter. Curl up with one of our recommendations, and uncover new worlds from the comfort of your home.

 

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister In this Southern Gothic novel set in Appalachian West Virginia, a woman is brought to life from vegetation each generation to carry on the family line—a “bog wife”. But when the bog fails to honor the bargain, the Haddesley family faces an unknown future.

 

What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird by Sy Montgomery An exploration of the special relationships between chickens and humans, this short book takes the reader inside the flock and illuminates what makes these seemingly common creatures so remarkable.

 

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer This pocket-sized book is choc-full of environmental wisdom, teaching us about reciprocity in the natural world and how it relates to the world we humans make for ourselves.

 

There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib From poet and author Abdurraqib comes another poignant look at culture at large through the lens of a basketball fan growing up in Columbus, OH in the 1990s.

 

Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier With a teaser of “the story of a woman who is unwilling to bend to the limitations her society places upon her when she becomes the unlikely apprentice to the pope’s physician at the most challenging and dangerous moment in medieval European history,” what more could you ask for from a historical fiction novel?

 

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa, Alison Watts (Translator) Beloved in Japan, this special novel follows aimless sweet-shop worker Sentaro as he meets an elderly woman with disfigured hands and a troubled past, and as she teaches him her craft, they find an unexpected friendship.

The Willcox’s tradition of Thursday Night Jazz began, as most great things do, with a conversation. Talented musician and vocalist Scott Ferguson was at The Willcox Restaurant one night in October 2009 when he told owners Geoff and Shannon Ellis, “You know, what this place could use is some jazz!”

From there, it all unfolded smoothly with the world premier of 4 Cats in the Doghouse the Thursday before Christmas. Scott, who plays the saxophone, trumpet, and guitar, served as the lead singer, joined by David Brown on piano, Bud Pabst on the drums, and David Culp on the bass. This first Thursday Night Jazz wowed the crowd, kickstarting a beloved tradition everyone in Aiken is welcome to enjoy!

With only rare exceptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, 4 Cats in the Doghouse has played for diners every single Thursday night over the last fifteen years—ever since Geoff and Shannon have owned The Willcox. An indelible part of the hotel’s history, 4 Cats in the Doghouse has gone through its own chapters over the years. For a time, they played without drums, before returning with a bang once The Restaurant reopened after the pandemic.

Numerous local musicians have played in 4 Cats in the Doghouse since this founding group, substituting for traveling members and joining the group for longer stays. Today, Scott and David Brown are joined by bassist George Sykes and drummer Edwin Hamilton.

As we mark fifteen years of Thursday Night Jazz, we invite everyone to come by The Restaurant from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday evenings and celebrate great music and local musicians with us at The Willcox!
Throughout the month of December, 4 Cats in the Doghouse brings a holiday charm to their setlist, playing festive songs alongside their signature set favorites. And on special occasions like The Willcox’s annual New Year’s Eve party, the group plays on other nights of the week.

The Willcox Catering Department has long offered culinary catering services offsite as well as onsite. Under the leadership of the Director of Sales Katherine Grantham, we have seen a deep need for expanding our offsite catering services as well as providing a more simplistic client experience in the process. To help achieve this process Katherine is spearheading a new venture for the catering department- The Willcox Mobile Kitchen.

“After planning and executing offsite catered events at The Willcox for the past 10 years, I have seen the beauty in creating a simplified process for clients when planning an event. When The Willcox caters your event, we work with you on everything from creating custom menus, handling all event rentals, creating a timeline, and now also providing a fully commercial kitchen that ensures culinary excellence that can’t be found anywhere else,” said Katherine.

Some of the aspects that our clients have enjoyed the most about The Willcox Mobile Kitchen is the ability to provide any style of menu with no culinary restrictions. By having a fully commercial kitchen this gives us the ability to cook lobster onsite, grill steaks to specific temperatures, or provide a plated dinner for 500 guests at your farm or favorite polo field. We can also do this with all food safety protocols in place. Another benefit our clients have enjoyed is having full functionality of their own kitchen, as well as not having to worry about any clean up concluding the event.

The Willcox Mobile Kitchen was created with a vision: to make the high-end experience of dining at The Restaurant available beyond the hotel. The Willcox catering team goes the extra mile to not only provide exceptional food but to create an immersive experience- from assorted stations serving southern comfort foods and artisan olive oils, to seafood towers and late-night Chicago dogs to conclude an unforgettable night with your guests. From intimate dinner parties to grand weddings, galas, and corporate events, this new off-site catering endeavor serves events of all sizes.

Hitchcock Woods, one of Aiken’s most beloved natural spaces, has officially reopened after suffering extensive damage from Hurricane Helene! The storm dumped nearly 7 inches of rain over a 12-hour period and brought sustained winds of 90 mph—the combined force of wind and rain downed hundreds, possibly thousands, of trees across the 2,100-acre property, leaving the area’s 71 miles of iconic trails severely damaged.

Unlike the ice storm of 2014, where ice accumulation brought down limbs and branches, Helene’s impact was far more destructive. With the ground saturated by heavy rainfall, the powerful winds uprooted entire trees, while “widow makers” —branches or trees precariously leaning in the canopy—created dangerous aerial hazards.

Despite the overwhelming destruction, the Hitchcock Woods Foundation has labored to clear the trails to make the Woods accessible to the public. Under the leadership of Woods Superintendent Bennett Tucker and Executive Director Mary Katherine Philipp, the Foundation’s team worked tirelessly along with professional contractors under hazardous conditions to clear the debris.

Phase I of the restoration is now complete, with major obstacles, including fallen trees and obvious aerial hazards, cleared from the main trails. The Woods officially reopened to pedestrians and equestrians at dawn on Saturday, December 21st. This milestone marks a significant step in the ongoing recovery process, though full restoration remains a long-term effort. The storm’s effects have left widespread debris and devastated areas, especially in the bottomlands, which will require years of work to restore, including massive debris removal and replanting.

The Hitchcock Woods Foundation has expressed deep gratitude for the community’s patience and support during this challenging period. The closure of the Woods has been felt by many, as it is a cherished local treasure. As recovery continues, the Foundation is calling for continued financial support from donors to help restore the Woods to its full splendor. The generosity of the community will be crucial to ensuring the long-term health and safety of this vital resource.

“The reopening of Hitchcock Woods is a symbol of resilience—both for the Woods and the Aiken community that values them,” says Joanna Dunn Samson, the Chairman of the Hitchcock Woods Foundation. “The Hitchcock Woods is the largest, privately owned, urban forest in the country, home to 1500 acres of restored longleaf pine ecosystem and a healthy, thriving population of the federally endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. We hope visitors returning to the Woods will enjoy the beauty of this extraordinary natural resource, but also remain mindful of the importance of preserving this special space for future generations.”

So, whether you’re an avid equestrian, an enthusiastic hiker, or simply someone who enjoys a walk with their dog, Hitchcock Woods is ready to welcome you back. As always, remember to stay safe, respect the boundaries, and enjoy the peace and tranquility that this remarkable place has to offer.

Surrounded by sprawling fig trees, pressed flowers, and trimmings from a current project, fine art florist and event stylist Karin Jeffcoat spoke with us about her passion for floral design. “I draw inspiration from nature,” she said. “Growing up in Europe, the styling is a little different than it is here. Everything is nature-bound.”

This early influence shines through in her working studio in downtown Aiken. Here, mushrooms hang delicately from a twisting, leaf-strewn branch; pottery and glassware fill every shelf; wreaths rest on mirrors and cabinets. While every placement is artful and intentional, it’s clear nothing is here for mere decoration—it’s all waiting to be used by Karin and the rest of her Côte Designs team.

“Côte Designs caters to weddings, events, corporate events. We do a little bit of everything,” Karin said. For every wedding, Karin works closely with the bride, conceptualizing the styling in accordance with a unique theme and seeing it through to the final installation. With a bandage on her finger from an installation the day before, Karin explained, “This is not very glamorous. There’s a lot of hard work.”

With a reputation formed from a lifetime of dedication to the craft, Karin is still as passionate as ever. Her precision and attention to detail are evident as she speaks of the years she spent building her business, and her creativity shines through in the imaginative, organic displays all around her studio.