Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 57

Clemson University has been in the blue
cheese business since 1941.

came and taught us exactly how
Junior made his chili."
The Whistle Stop pays allegiance to the history of Travelers
Rest, a storied stop at the foot of
the Blue Ridge Mountains where
Conestoga wagons once passed
through and where the Swamp
Rabbit steam engine stopped for
coal. Today, bicyclists traverse the
Swamp Rabbit Trail, taking breaks
for walk-up drinks and shaved ice
at the Caboose Express, on the
back side of The Whistle Stop.
Inside, you can sit on the original stools at the original counter,
installed at the Williams Café in
1932. It's a place where customers
once loaded their Dr Peppers and
Coca-Colas with peanuts. Hawkins
says her usual spot was the second
stool from the end.
The Whistle Stop is filled with
fascinating railroad history. An
electric train circles the ceiling.
The Swamp Rabbit smoker, a replica of the original steam engine,

sits outside.
As further testament to the restaurant's regional ties, we found
Appalachian-style apple and peach
fried pies, homemade, in the dessert case. And, yes, with a name
like Whistle Stop, there are fried
green tomatoes.
Whistle Stop at the American
Café, 109 South Main Street,
Travelers Rest, South Carolina
864-944-7853; whistlestopattheamericancafe.com

Lobster bisque on
tiger bouLevard
"There was almost nothing on
this highway in the early 1970s
except kudzu," says George
Corontzes. That's the time when
Bill Hopkins and his wife Pixie
opened Pixie & Bill's in Clemson,
South Carolina.
Talk to most anyone around
Clemson, and you'll find out
quickly that Pixie & Bill's is the
community's go-to place for any

Seafood and steaks draw fans to Pixie & Bill's.

kind of celebration imaginable.
"This was Clemson's first finedining restaurant and had the
only prime rib for miles," says
Corontzes, who waited tables and
worked in the kitchen there while
he was in graduate school at
Clemson University. Corontzes
ended up buying the restaurant
from the Hopkins estate in 1991,
five years after Bill's death.
In addition to Clemson Tiger
orange, Corontzes has restaurant
work in his blood. His grandparents - a Lebanese grandmother
and Greek grandfather - opened
July/August 2015 57


http://www.whistlestopattheamericancafe.com http://www.whistlestopattheamericancafe.com

Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015

Sweet Summer Weekends & Overnights in 7 States
The Great Divorce: Virginia-West Virginia
Swimming Holes for Summer: The Photoessay
Grand Hotel Comebacks of Western Virginia
SUP in the Mountains?
Northern Shenandoah Weekend
A Home in, on and from the Mountains
Far Beyond Sweet Tea: Great Restaurants of Upcountry South Carolina
From the Editor / Worth a Click
Mill Creek Stories
The Hike
Creature Feature
Great Home Buys in the Mountains
Festivals & Events
Country Roads
Mountian Garden
Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 3
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 5
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 6
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - From the Editor / Worth a Click
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Mill Creek Stories
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 9
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - The Hike
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 11
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Creature Feature
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Great Home Buys in the Mountains
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Festivals & Events
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 15
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 16
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 17
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Country Roads
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 19
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Sweet Summer Weekends & Overnights in 7 States
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 21
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 22
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 23
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 24
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 25
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 26
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 27
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 28
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 29
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - The Great Divorce: Virginia-West Virginia
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 31
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 32
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 33
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Swimming Holes for Summer: The Photoessay
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 35
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 36
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 37
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Grand Hotel Comebacks of Western Virginia
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 39
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 40
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 41
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 42
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 43
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - SUP in the Mountains?
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 45
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Northern Shenandoah Weekend
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 47
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 48
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 49
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - A Home in, on and from the Mountains
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 51
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 52
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 53
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 54
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Far Beyond Sweet Tea: Great Restaurants of Upcountry South Carolina
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 56
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 57
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 58
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 59
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 60
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 61
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 62
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Mountian Garden
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 64
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 65
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - Cover4
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