Author: Laura Windham

A lifelong resident of Aiken, Sissy Brodie is the definition of a Southern Belle. Some of her earliest childhood memories consist of posing on the steps of The Willcox with her little sister for family pictures. “I loved to get glimpses at the elegant woman inside. I would see their beautiful dresses and hats and listen to them stirring the sugar in their iced tea. I swear I can still hear them today,” Sissie recalls.

Her love for tea parties began in her early years, when her imagination ran wild around a miniature table adorned with play tea sets. As she grew into adulthood, her affection for timeless manners and Southern traditions never waned. This great love affair would continue to grow, eventually culminating into her famous tea parties. Little girls who received invitations to these famed gatherings would be required to send both a handwritten letter of acceptance and a thank you note in order to attend.

Along with her adoration for Southern culture, time-honored etiquette, and the lightheartedness of a graceful tea party, Sissy has also accumulated a stunning collection of hats over the years. Whether she has acquired them herself or received them as heirlooms from others in the Aiken area, Sissy refers to the idea of “hattitude”. Adorned in her cream beret on a beautiful day outside of The Willcox, learn more about Sissy’s fascinating story by watching the video below.

Did you know one of the first incorporated golf courses in the country was founded in Aiken in 1892? Thomas Hitchcock Sr., a prominent sportsman from Long Island, along with his good friend William C. Whitney, started The Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken, which is considered the oldest continually operated 18-hole golf course in the Southeast and 2nd oldest in the Country.

Aiken, often referred to as The Sports Capital of the South, is home to world-class equestrian, tennis and of course golf. With Augusta National Golf Club, home of the famous Masters Golf Tournament, and many other world-class golf courses, the area continues to draw the interest of golf lovers from around the world. It comes as no surprise that new clubs continue to spring up across Aiken’s landscape, each featuring distinct character that adds to this rich tapestry of golf in South Carolina’s heartland.

When you visit The Willcox and head out for the greens this spring, know that you’re teeing off in the setting of a long, fascinating golf story that continues to grow alongside this rich city. It’s incredibly exciting to witness the remarkable proliferation of golf courses across Aiken and welcome the wonderful guests who come to visit them. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, there’s a slice of green heaven for players of all ability levels located just minutes from the hotel.

Learn more about these stunning courses in the Golf Digest article at the link below, which covers the exciting details about golf in Aiken.

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

 

The history of women’s suffrage in the United States is a long and tumultuous story, one that Eulalie Chafee Salley, an Aiken, South Carolina resident, helped to write. Eulalie was the wife of Aiken’s mayor, Julian Booth Salley, a caring mother of two, and a tenacious suffragist. Her passion in advocating for women’s right to vote began in 1909, when Lucy Tillman Dugas’ children were deeded to her husband’s mother during an illness. Outraged, Salley took to a Carolina newspaper to respond to an advertisement seeking new members of the South Carolina Equal Suffrage League (SCESL), and claimed it was “the best dollar I ever spent.”

Salley served as the first president of the SCESL and organized a number of evocative campaigns for women’s suffrage, flying in an airplane dropping suffrage flyers below and canvassing door- to-door in the unpaved countryside. While her husband was mortified and some of the public outraged, Salley harnessed her determined spirit to empower other women to fight for their rights. She received her real estate license in 1915, becoming South Carolina’s first female real estate agent, helping put Aiken on the map as one of the South’s most charming small towns.

Finally, at the age of 85, Salley witnessed former Governor Robert McNair sign the 19th Constitutional Amendment into action in the State of South Carolina. It is because of Salley’s persistence, compassion, and tenacity that women’s right to vote transformed from a dream into reality. The City of Aiken and The Willcox are proud to honor the inspiring legacy of a woman who had a large hand in writing the story of women’s suffrage. Salley exemplified every characteristic of what it means to be a true Southern woman, igniting change that would last for generations to come.

As the leaves turn brilliant shades of red and gold,it’s a time most South Carolinians use to explore the great outdoors during fall festivals and holiday gatherings. Still, this cherished time of year can quickly slip away as the calendar fills up with long- awaited activities. Just as the trees shed their leaves and creatures of the wild begin to hibernate, the natural world offers a poignant reminder every autumn. Rest is a necessary aspect of life.

Nature encourages us to appreciate the simple joy of slowing down amidst life’s busyness. Maybe it’s with the help of a good book, a phone call with an old friend, a crackling fire, or a warm cup of tea, but nothing encapsulates the comforts of this cozy season more than a fresh-baked pumpkin pie that’s fresh from the oven with a dollop of whipped cream.

With a rich history, early American colonists adapted traditional English pie recipes to incorporate native pumpkins, creating a precursor to the modern pumpkin pie. Over time, pumpkin pie became synonymous with Thanksgiving, and it has since evolved into a beloved dessert enjoyed best on an evening at home with loved ones to share it with.

CLICK HERE for a classic Southern Pumpkin Pie Recipe from Southern Living!

As the all-too-familiar humidity of summer yields to the crisp, cool magic of fall, South Carolinians still find themselves in pursuit of something to warm their bones. Whether it’s gathered around a cozy campfire or crowded amongst loved ones during a beloved holiday celebration, the spirit of fall often takes shape in the form of a cocktail glass and an old friend to share it with.

Many distilleries call the Palmetto State home, and there’s no better time to raise a glass than during the comforts of the fall season. Here are just a couple that we’re pleased to offer at The Willcox:

Firefly Vodka

Made from locally-grown tea leaves less than five miles from the distillery in Charleston, Firefly Spirits is a versatile favorite used in many libations, but are most famous for their sweet tea vodka that captures the heart of any Southerner. Creating the world’s very first sweet tea vodka, Firefly’s sweet tea vodka trail-blazes both in flavor and originality.

Spiked Sweet Tea Cocktail

Throughout America and across Great Britain, hunters, hounds, and onlookers gather on Thanksgiving Day to celebrate the time-honored tradition known as “The Blessing of the Hounds.” With origins that trace back to the eighth century with St. Hubert of Liege, patron saints of hunters, the cherished bonds between humans and hounds are affirmed once again as enthusiastic viewers assemble to pay homage to this age-old partnership at the dawn of a new fox hunting season.

The heart of South Carolina’s thoroughbred country lies in Aiken, where sprawling fields, dense forests, and a deep love for equestrian and hunting traditions are as firmly planted as the live oak trees. This Thanksgiving Day tradition began in Aiken in 1914 when The Aiken Hounds was initially founded. For over a century now, this celebration marked so distinctively by the autumn season has an inexplicable tie to Aiken’s longstanding hunt culture.

With modern adaptations now the norm, the cunning fox can rest easy during this bustling event, where an artificial scent now takes its place. Recognized as the oldest drag hunt in the nation, hounds take to this fixating scent of a saturated cloth that has been dragged across the terrain to create a winding trail for the hounds. At the same time, riders outfitted in traditional clothing reminiscent of their 19th-century counterparts hark to the cry of the hounds and direct the chase atop their horses.

As Aiken approaches its 110th season, this historic chase is not to be missed for thrill seekers who admire such time-honored traditions. Although Black Friday sales have swept the nation to mark the day after Thanksgiving, this morning looks much different in Aiken, South Carolina, where loved ones huddle together in crisp November air to experience this priceless show.

Learn more