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Whether it is your first Valentine’s Day together or your 50th one together, we have created a romantic experience at The Willcox that would be perfect to enjoy with your significant other. Let us handle all of the details—all you need to do is pack your bags and be prepared to be swept away from the moment you walk through our front doors. Plan a staycation or a one-night getaway vacation to celebrate the holiday this year.

During our Valentine’s Escape month, you and your love can enjoy:

• One-night stay
• Two Godiva chocolate martinis upon arrival
• Chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne at turndown
• Cooked to Order breakfast for two served in ed
• Late checkout upon request when available
• Complimentary Wi-Fi

Rates starting at $125 per person, based on double occupancy

You can add in a tailored option that will truly enhance your experience and make it the best Valentine’s Day yet.

• One Dozen Red Roses – surprise your love with a dozen red roses waiting in your room upon your arrival ($120)
• Couples Massage – side by side, enjoy a simultaneous massage in our spa (rates beginning at $160 / person)
• LOVE Bath Butler – designed to balance the heart chakra, this sensual, candlelit ritual evokes a deep sense of comfort, inviting you to indulge all of your senses. Cool rose-scented face towels, rose massage oil, champagne, and chocolate-dipped strawberries round out this truly romantic experience ($100)

What a year it has been for The Greystone Inn and The Willcox in 2018!

It was with great excitement we welcomed The Greystone into our family this year.  After being closed for four years, our team worked morning, noon and night to completely renovate and breathe new life into this beautiful mountain retreat on the shores of Lake Toxaway.  On May 9^th, The Greystone Inn once again opened her doors and what an incredible 7 months it has been!

The inn has welcomed both those who have been longtime guests of The Greystone and those who ventured to Lake Toxaway for the very first time. We’re honored to have had so many guests in our first year of being open! It has been a joy to watch new visitors fall in love with the grace and beauty found here, and we have thoroughly enjoyed hearing the old stories from guests who have vacationed at The Greystone for years.  We were honored to receive the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator 2018 and to have been nominated for Travel + Leisures World’s Best awards in our first year of business!

It’s been a pleasure to meet so many people from our community and the surrounding area.  We’ve enjoyed watching The Greystone become a place for locals to gather, break bread and celebrate.  We were grateful for the opportunity to donate to over 25 local charitable events including sponsoring Transylvania County’s Sesame Street in Communities initiative and partnering with Lake Toxaway charities to insure less fortunate families in our community were well taken care of this holiday season.  We have hosted 8 brides, 10 corporate retreats, cooking classes with Southern Livings Rebecca Lang, a Halloween party with Dracul author Dacre Stoker, trivia nights, musicians and so much more.    We’re overwhelmed with gratitude for how kindly we’ve been welcomed into the area.

In Aiken, The Willcox had a wonderful year as well. Our lobby has been established as Aiken’s Living Room – a place where our community comes to unwind, to catch up with friends, and to enjoy live music. In the beginning of January, we will complete a beautiful refurbishment of our grand lobby. Our lobby will be as inviting as ever, and we’re excited to share it with you.  We continue to update and refresh our guestrooms and are thrilled at the excitement our guests express when they notice new tile, new carpet, wall paper and furnishings.

We’re honored to have received the Award of Excellence – Wine Spectator 2018, voted No. 2 Best Hotel in the South – Southern Living Magazine’s South Best Awards 2018, voted No. 5 Top Hotels in The South Reader’s Choice awards Conde Nast 2018 and No. 10 in the Top 10 Resort Hotels in the American South Travel + Leisure!   And, how grateful we are to the City of Aiken for their effort in stabilizing the embankment behind The Willcox, securing her future for generations to come.

From our restaurant to our spa, guests have enjoyed world class dining and spa treatments throughout the year. Our team has provided exceptional service to every guest, including the 32 different companies that hosted their meetings and retreats with us and the 28 couples that chose to celebrate their special day at our historic hotel.

This incredible year would not have been possible without the overwhelming support of our Willcox and Greystone families, nor without the hard work and dedication our team brings to the hotel each and every day. We are so grateful for everyone that has supported both The Greystone and The Willcox this year!

From our family and team to yours, we wish you all the best this holiday season and we look forward to hosting you in the new year!

• Our Elf Tuck-In is a truly magical experience for children staying at The Willcox. You can have one of Santa’s elves bring milk and cookies to your room, tuck your child in, and read them a bedtime Christmas story.
• Make sure that your room is looking extra special during December, and add a festive Christmas tree to your room.
• Gather around the fire, and roast a marshmallow or two for homemade s’mores. We’ll reserve seating around the fire for you, and provide everything you need for creating your delectable treat!

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• • On Sunday December 2, December 9, and December 16 from 6pm until 8pm, grab a drink from our bar and join us in the lobby as Brooke Lundy and John Vaughn enchant us with Christmas carols from the 1930s to the 1960s. You’ll feel like you’ve been transported to Christmas in another era!
  • Santa and Mrs. Claus will be making a magical appearance on Wednesday, December 12, for our Toys for Tots event. Bring an unwrapped toy or a donation for Toys for Tots, and your child will have the opportunity to meet our special guests and take a photo with them, too. Afterwards, gather around the piano with us and sing Christmas carols from 6-7pm.
  • Join us for the 10th Annual Hoofbeats and Christmas Carols Parade on Saturday, December 15th. The parade begins at 2pm and will be at The Willcox at 2:30pm for caroling on our porch! Following the conclusion of the parade, circle back to The Willcox to sing Christmas carols with us in the lobby at 4:30pm with Kendall Standish and David Brown.

• Celebrate the season with us at our annual Christmas Eve Dinner! We will be preparing a special menu for you to enjoy and will have a kids menu available for children under 12.

In 1930, several influential horsemen including Thomas Hitchcock, Temple Gwathmey, and Harry Worchester Smith, founded the Aiken Steeplechase Association. The very first official race was run in Hitchcock woods along the Aiken Hounds draglines and had over one thousand guests in attendance. Among these guests, some who came towns across the state like Camden, were several hundred students from Aiken Prep and Fermata School.

To learn more about the history of the Aiken Steeplechase and the Aiken Steeplechase Association, visit their website here: http://www.aikensteeplechase.com/


Photo by the Aiken Steeplechase Association.

A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, The Aiken Steeplechase Association continues to this day to host two steeplechase racing events each year that are sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association each year. The Imperial Cup is held in the spring and in the fall, the Holiday Cup.

This year’s 27th Running of the Aiken Fall Steeplechase, the Holiday Cup, will be held at the end of the month on Saturday, October 27 with festivities beginning at 9am that morning when the gates open. The event includes a variety of activities that the entire family can enjoy—a Village of Shops featuring local and out of town vendors that sell art, jewelry, clothing, and equestrian related items; a Paddock Playground for children with games, crafts, and other fun activities; Stick Horse Races with categories from 4 & under to teens and adults; and a Hat and Costume Contest.

The main events—the races—begin promptly at 1pm with the first race, followed by the traditional Carriage Parade at 1:15pm. Three more races follow before the fifth and final race at 3:30pm.

How are you preparing to attend The Holiday Cup this year? At The Willcox, we offer several ways to help you prepare for the big weekend.



Book an appointment in our full-service Salon & Spa to help you relax and pamper for any and all Steeplechase events that you plan to attend. Look your best at Steeplechase this year by preparing your skin with a facial, getting your nails done, or by having your hair and make-up done the day of. To book your appointment, please call us at 803-648-1898. We suggest calling early—our appointment times will book quickly!



Be the hit of your tailgate party (and ensure an invitation back to next year’s tailgate!) by bringing one our Steeplechase Tailgating favorites:

• Chicken Liver Pate
• White Bean Hummus with Olive Tapenade & Grilled Pita Bread
• General Tso’s Caulini with Peanuts, Scallions, & Cilantro
• You can call or visit the Restaurant to order your tailgate dish. Bring a plate of your own for us to prepare the food on for you, or use one of our sustainable take-away containers.
  
  We are excited for the 27th Running of the Aiken Fall Steeplechase, and we hope to see you there on October 28th!

Here at The Willcox, we are immensely proud to call Aiken our hometown. In our opinion, it is the best Southern town to live, work, and play in. You’ll find our town tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the big city life, and down the oak tree lined roads. It’s a truly enchanting town that’s filled with incredible history and plenty of Southern charm. Life is a little slower here—people still take the time to say hello, ask how you’re doing, and to sit a spell on their front porches.

If you live in Aiken or if you’ve visited before, we know that you agree whole heartedly with us that it’s a beautiful town that must be experienced in person.

It’s filled with unique local shops and restaurants. The Aiken Steeplechase, held each autumn and spring, is an event not to be missed. It’s one of the only cities in America where horses have the right away and where it’s not uncommon to see horseback riders along our quaint streets. Aiken is home to one of the country’s largest urban forests, Hitchcock Woods, and it’s a great place to experience history.

Aiken is a place like none other.

Last year, everyone else agreed with us and voted Aiken as the South’s Best Small Town in the Southern Living South’s Best Awards. We want to help Aiken bring home this award again! We’re proud to share that the town we call home has again been nominated as Best Small Town.

You can vote for Aiken (Best Small Town) and for The Willcox (Best Hotel) through October 9 by clicking here.

Throughout the summer, if you’ve dined with us in our restaurant, you have seen quite a few specials from our Executive Chef Ed. Did you know that many of these specials were sourced directly from our local farms and farmers from the Aiken County Farmers Market?

The Aiken County Farmers Market, open several days a week from sunrise until noon, is filled with incredible local produce from farms across the state of South Carolina. You’ll also find fresh flowers, locally grown meats, and locally produced cheeses, honeys, baked goods, and more. It’s a place to gather, to share stories, and to swap recipes with one another as new friends are made each and every week. The Aiken County Farmers Market has a long history in Aiken—one that dates back to the early 1900s—and we’re happy to see the market still up and running today.

You can visit the market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from sunrise to noon year-round. Our own Chef Ed personally takes a trip there each week to source items from local farmers to create his weekly Farmers Market Special in our restaurant. These delicious specials have been popular with our guests this summer! Did you happen to dine with us while the Zucchini Fritters with Marinara Sauce were on the menu? We’re sharing the recipe for that special with you today.

The Greystone Inn on Lake Toxaway, originally built in 1915 by Savannah heiress Lucy Armstrong Moltz has reopened under new ownership, The Willcox’s own Geoff and Shannon Ellis. They invite you to come relive the gracious lifestyle of a bygone era where exceptional hospitality and quiet beauty awaits guests.

Nestled peacefully in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this stately Swiss-style mansion has silently held court on the shores of the private and pristine Lake Toxaway for over a century. The mansion has been meticulously brought back to its original grandeur by its new owners. Guests of The Willcox can expect to experience the same welcoming atmosphere and quality experienced in Aiken at The Willcox’s sister property on Lake Toxaway, a quick three hour drive away.

The Greystone Inn has 30 luxurious guest rooms and suites, a restaurant with panoramic views of Lake Toxaway and surrounding mountains, meeting spaces ideal for corporate retreats, and a pampering spa. Guestrooms and suites will be located in the various levels of the original mansion as well as in the two separate lakeside accommodations, the Hillmont and the Lakeside Suites. All are quiet and sumptuous with restful cloud-soft beds, many have crackling fireplaces, magnificent views of the lake and mountains, private terraces, and deep soaking tubs. Guests will feel at home the moment that they step through the doors into the lobby of the mansion with it’s original fireplaces, mountain charm, and spectacular views over Lake Toxaway. Those familiar with the restaurant at The Willcox will be thrilled to know that The Willcox’s former executive chef, Chef Regan, is in the kitchen again and preparing decadent meals at The Greystone Inn.

Long a recreational paradise, there’s a wealth of activities in the soaring mountains and on the shimmering lake for guests to enjoy throughout their stay. Explore the lake by kayak, paddle board, or by an evening cruise on the Miss Lucy. Enjoy an afternoon of golf, tennis, or croquet at the Lake Toxaway Country Club located a short walk from the guest rooms. Venture out to experience the “Land of the Waterfalls,” try your hand at the ancient art of falconry, hit the trails on horseback, climb a mountain, tube down the river, or get your adrenaline pumping with whitewater rafting adventures. There are endless things to do, although it’s perfectly alright to do nothing at all.

The azaleas at Augusta National are as much a part of The Masters as the green jackets, Amen Corner, and the $1.50 pimento cheese sandwiches. They provide a stunning and colorful backdrop to the prestigious golf tournament. August National even has even named a hole on their course, No. 13, after the vibrant flower. The azaleas are in full bloom right now in Aiken, and are even more beautiful ever this year.

A short half-hour drive from Augusta National, we enjoy The Masters here at The Willcox. This year’s tournament is shaping up to be an incredibly historic week and to celebrate, we will be serving the Azalea Cocktail at our lobby bar. Come in and have a taste of this traditional Masters’ cocktail as you discuss your predictions on this year’s tournament.

If you can’t make it in, try your hand at crafting The Azalea at your home to enjoy while watching the final rounds this weekend.

 
The Azalea Recipe

• 1 ounce lime or lemon juice
• 1 ounce pineapple juice
• 3 ounces gin
• Dash of grenadine

Mix 1 part lime or lemon juice with 1 part pineapple juice and 3 parts gin in a cocktail shaker with ice. Add a dash of grenadine in to achieve an azalea shade of pink. Shake well and pour over ice.

Come and enjoy an Azalea with us this week during The Masters!