We believe that employees are our most important resource and our success depends upon creating and retaining a staff capable of delivering an exceptional experience to every customer, every time.
We are looking for someone to work breakfast and lunch. Experience preferred but training available.
Above all, you must be motivated and have a positive attitude and a passion for food. A full-time position is available. If this sounds like you and you want to progress your career while ensuring that standards, preparation and presentation of food exceeds the expectations of our guests, we would like to hear from you.
We are looking for an experienced and creative Line Cook to join a small team in our busy kitchen.
We are seeking a mature professional with strong culinary skills and high food presentation standards for this hands-on role.
To be successful you must have the following attributes:
Above all, you must be motivated and have a positive attitude and a passion for food. A full-time position is available. If this sounds like you and you want to progress your career while ensuring that standards, preparation and presentation of food exceeds the expectations of our guests, we would like to hear from you.
Performs professional nail, foot, and hand treatments such as manicures and pedicures toguests. They possess in-depth knowledge of nails, including a fundamental knowledge of foot and hand massage techniques and careful application of polish, grooming, cleaning, and cutting. They utilize this knowledge and excellent sanitation and cleanliness skills nail service offerings. Nail technicians must keep up to date with the latest nail products, techniques and trends. They must demonstrate, promote, and sell spa/salon retail products. They must follow all company policies and procedures.
Provide hair styling, cutting, and possibly color services to guests. May provide nail services, waxing, and skincare services to guests. Assess guest needs, inquire about contraindications, and examine skin, hair, or nails to evaluate condition, appearance, and appropriateness of scheduled service. Cosmetologist must keep up to date with the latest hair products, techniques and trends. They must demonstrate, promote, and sell spa/salon retail products. They must follow all company policies and procedures.
We are fun, upbeat, and have a great atmosphere in which to work. We are looking for an energetic and positive massage therapist to join our team.
Qualifications:
Due to our size, cancellations affect us significantly; therefore, we adhere to a strict cancellation policy. Reservations may be canceled without penalty up to 7 days prior to arrival. Reservations not cancelled by 3 p.m. (7 days prior to arrival) will be charged in full.
Check-in time is 3 p.m.; checkout is 11 a.m. We are happy to store your luggage if you arrive before 3 p.m. or wish to depart later than 11 a.m.
Inside, The Willcox is a smoke-free environment. Please retire to the porch to indulge in a pipe, cigar, cigarette or vape.
Children are always welcome at The Willcox. Pack and Plays are available at no charge. Call ahead, and one will be set up in your room when you arrive.
Well-trained and quiet pets are welcome. If your favorite pet is joining you, a $100 charge will be added. All pets must be on a leash while on property and please make sure pets are secure in their crates when you leave your room. A credit card must be presented at the time of check in to guarantee against damages or soiled carpets/soft goods in the room. Damages will be billed on a case-by-case basis.
The pool is open to guests spring, summer and fall but closed in winter. A lifeguard is not on duty, however, so swimming is at your own risk. If you require assistance getting in and out of the pool, please notify the front desk.
The comfort, well-being and safety of our guests has always been our top priority. In addition to local, state and federal guidelines within our industry, we have implemented additional cleaning and sanitation protocols through the entire hotel and installed the REME HALO in the HVAC systems in public areas of the hotel. The HALO-LED is an in-duct, whole building air purification system that is both zero ozone compliant, mercury free and is intended to proactively treat every cubic inch of air-conditioned space, reducing airborne and surface contaminants.
If you have any questions about our health and wellness protocols or have a specific request, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@thewillcox.com or 803-648-1898.
Note: Room rates are subject to all state and local taxes, currently at 12 percent. Prices are subject to change without notice.
Maximum number of guests per room is two adults and two children.
The Willcox offers a picture-perfect setting where timeless elegance and Southern grace shine through every image. From bridal portraits to fashion editorials and lifestyle photoshoots, our historic property provides a story-rich backdrop that elevates every frame. With warm hospitality and seamless coordination, our team ensures a relaxed and inspiring experience—so you can focus on capturing your vision beautifully.
Summer in South Carolina means long, sun-drenched afternoons—the perfect time to lose yourself in a good book. Whether you’re lounging by the pool or cooling off under the porch fan, these summer reads will keep you turning pages all season long.
This season, we find ourselves inspired by the sweetness of honey and the many stories, like Larry Boyd’s at the beginning of this newsletter, that are woven into this special ingredient. In our effort to find the best honey cocktail, we reached out to our dear friend and designer, Tom Bossard. Tom has built a home in Kenya that has quickly become one of the country’s premier destinations.
Perched high on the Siria Escarpment with sweeping views over the Maasai Mara and Northern Serengeti, Tom’s home, called Manzili Mara, is a private, exclusive-use retreat for those seeking a safari at their rhythm.
Once known as Siriatom House, the property has been thoughtfully reimagined by Tom and his partner Vanessa Roumeguere, honoring the original vision of the late, remarkable Anthony Russell. Built in traditional Maasai style using mud walls, stilts, timber, and thatch, the house was shaped by the hands and hearts of the local community.
The five-bedroom home offers year- round comfort and soul with two expansive luxury suites and three smaller en-suite cottages. Inside, you’ll find cozy lounge areas with fireplaces, treetop terraces, an indoor dining room, and forest-shaded decks perfect for long, lazy lunches.
What best defines this creative collaboration is a shared philosophy: crafting small-scale, story-rich spaces rooted in culture, design, ecology, and community. This is more than a place to stay—it’s a place to gather, to breathe, to return to yourself.
Located just 20 minutes from the Mara Triangle, with front-row views of big game country, Manzili Mara offers one of the most intimate, elevated safari experiences in East Africa—including the rare chance to walk with rhinos next door at the Partakilat Rhino Conservancy.
To book your stay at Manzili Mara, please contact reservations@manzilihouse.com. Until then, Tom has shared this traditional Kenyan cocktail with us, which will be available at The Willcox all summer long.
Follow Manzila Mara on Instagram at @manzilimara.
Summertime in Aiken brings bright colors and beautiful birdsong right to our doorsteps. During this time of year, Hitchcock Woods is not only home to our native, year-round birds, but also to a host of birds migrating from South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico.
We recently spoke with Jay Keck, Industry Habitat Manager at the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, about the birds you can see in the woods and beyond this summer. He explained how, with prescribed burning, Hitchcock Woods is creating a multi-layered habitat, combining a “prairie-like open understory habitat” with tall trees that make it hospitable to a multitude of bird species.
Keep an eye out for the white-eyed vireo, a small songbird with yellow accents, white-striped wings, and a song that sounds like the words, “Quick, give me the beer check.”
Or, peek through the trees for glimpses of the blue grosbeak and indigo bunting, two deep blue birds from tropical reaches. And, of course, look for the birds that live with us all year round, like the screech, barn, and great-horned owls perched throughout Hitchcock Woods.
Watch this video for a brief tour of the birds who grace Hitchcock Woods in the summertime.
For the past fourteen years, Aiken High School’s GEM Program has helped young women reach their fullest potential. It all began in 2011 when Linda Strojan, then a guidance counselor at the high school, co-founded the program for an inaugural class of about twenty-five girls recommended by teachers and guidance counselors.
She and others involved in GEM wanted to give the girls skills they might not have learned at home, focusing on etiquette, communication, selecting a wardrobe, and applying to college. “The goal of the program was to connect mentors in our community—successful women—with these young women who needed a role model,” Linda shares.
Today, the program has grown to include around fifteen topics, addressing everything from financial literacy to exercise, nutrition, resumé writing, and more—all with the goal that their students will grow to lead successful, happy lives.
As the impact of the program increases, local organizations are stepping in to support all GEM represents. Once a year, the GEM girls visit The Willcox for a special dinner where they use a number of their learned skills. For the evening, they select appropriate attire for the occasion, use their best etiquette at the table, and afterward, write thank you notes.
Pearl Friends, a local fundraising group led by Flo Holford, now has a scholarship fund for GEMs. And each year, they give graduating GEMs a set of pearl earrings they can wear to their graduation ceremony and beyond.
“They are smart,” Linda says of the GEMs. “They are creative. They are enthusiastic. They want to succeed, and we hope we give them the way to do that.”
If you would like to become involved with the GEM Program, please email GuideEncourageMotivate@gmail.com or fill out their mentorship application form.
Larry Boyd of Boyd Valley Bees met us by a grassy field in the early afternoon. A heavy rain had finished just hours ago, and the sun was out with a vengeance. Nearby, several hives hummed in waiting.
This is just one of many fields scattered around Aiken where Larry keeps his 125 colonies—an amount he has amassed over the past decade of beekeeping. Alongside his father, he started as a hobbyist in 2015, growing from a starting point of three hives between the two of them. Three years ago, Larry decided to take the business full time—harvesting more Boyd’s Valley Honey than ever before.
Flavored by plants found naturally in the valley, two species stand out in Larry’s honey: tulip poplars and blackberries. Tulip poplars give his honey its signature dark amber coloring and depth of flavor, making it an excellent ingredient for cooking or mixing into drinks like coffee, tea, and cocktails.
In fact, you may have already tasted Boyd’s Valley Honey at The Willcox. Our chef uses his honey as an ingredient in many of our dishes, from a Brussels side to a Ham & Burrata starter.
“Every three to four years, the tulip poplar takes a break,” Larry says. This leaves the honey with a much lighter color and taste, gleaned primarily from blackberries and wildflowers that grow near the hives.
In beekeeping, no two days are ever alike. One of Larry’s favorite parts of the job derives from its ability to surprise. “When you graph a new queen, you don’t know what color she’s going to be,” Larry says. “It’s just like Christmas.”
In this video, learn about Larry’s philosophy on beekeeping, favorite moments from his journey, and tricks of the trade that he shares with new beekeepers.
Ripe for the Picking: Watermelon Rules
South Carolina produces over one hundred and thirty-three million pounds of watermelon each year. You aren’t alone if this mouthwatering fruit ranks highest among your favorite summertime snacks, and our state proves itself to be ripe for the picking.
There’s nothing better than taking a big bite from a bright pink watermelon, with its juicy remnants dripping down your chin being a hallmark of a perfect morsel. But from all the watermelons to choose from at the roadside stand, which one looks best? How do you know if your watermelon is ready to slice open? We break down our “Watermelon Rules” for you below:
– Pick the heaviest watermelon. Oftentimes, this means that it will taste sweeter and has more water content.
– The more yellow the field spot, the riper. The dark color of the field spot means it has had more time to sit on the vine, which leads to better flavor.
– Look for a robust and dark stripe pattern. This means the watermelon has had plenty of time to grow and mature before you dig in.
Regarding how you prepare your watermelon or whether or not you should add that sprinkle of salt, the jury is still out. When it comes to how you enjoy summertime’s most beloved treat, what are your watermelon rules?
YOUR SUMMER READING LIST
There’s nothing like sitting out on the porch in the summer with a glass of iced tea and a brand new book to dive into. Check out the list below for some of our favorite reads!
Reunion Beach: Stories Inspired by Dorothea Benton Frank
This anthology includes interviews, stories, poems, and more in honor of Benton Frank, a beloved icon of South Carolina literature, and her love of her native lowcountry.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Featured in Oprah’s Book Club, this sweeping, epic tale follows a family through three generations in India as they seek the answers to a strange family secret.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Lyrically written and full of wonder, this collection of essays by Kimmerer, esteemed botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, will have you looking at our Southern landscape with new eyes.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
A brother and sister get an unexpected inheritance from their mother: a family recipe, and a long lost tale that challenges everything the siblings thought they knew.
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Set on a fictional island off the coast of South Carolina with a wholly unique premise, this epistolary novel is a linguistic tour-de-force, sure to expand your vocabulary.
Eat a Peach by David Chang
Chang discusses the challenges of opening his famed restaurant, Momofuku, and how his upbringing and personal struggles shaped him into one of the most influential people of the 21st century.
Sommelier Matt’s Summer Wine Corner
Matt Sayer, our resident sommelier, has a gifted palette and playful imagination when it comes to discovering seasonal favorites within the world of wine. Matt joins us for another installment of our “Wine Corner” series, where he invites us on his journey to find summer’s finest glasses, one sip at a time.
Skull Wines’ Pink Wine is Matt’s wine of choice this summer. Organically farmed from Contra Costa and Lodi AVA, this wine is a delicate blend of Zinfandel (90%) and a hint of Petite Sirah to finish (10%). A fun everyday drinker, this summer selection matured after four months in neutral oak. Pink Wine is light, crisp, and a refreshing blend with hints of ripe strawberries. Enjoy it on a hot summer’s day and pair it with a seasonal salad, garden-fresh vegetables, and a plate of seafood. A fun and funky fact about this selection by Skull Wines? You’ll know when it’s cold enough to drink as the skull on the label turns pink!
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