Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 48

SAM DEAN

Shopping is popular in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, the "Hub City" overlooking the mountains.

The quite-walkable downtown won
a new addition this year with the opening of The Children's Museum of the
Upstate (864-233-7755) on Magnolia
Street. Erin Munroe, the site coordinator, showed off the museum's water attraction with magnetic fishing poles.
"It's designed for five and younger, but I
have fun here," Munroe says with a grin.
Same goes for my 11-year-old son,
John, who walks away after our tour and
says, "There's a lot of stuff in there that I
would have fun playing with."
On the outskirts of Spartanburg, John
and I take a johnboat for a paddle on the
forested lake at Croft State Park, which
takes its name from Gen. Edward Croft,
the commander when this site was an
infantry training center during World
War II.
These days, with more than 7,000
acres, Croft ranks among the largest
state parks in South Carolina.
"And I absolutely love this lake here
at this park," says park manager Tim Ritter. "It's something about the way this
lake is laid out. I think it's one of the
most beautiful lakes in the park service."
Back at the AC Hotel, John and I cool
off in the saltwater swimming pool that
sits below the towering, 10-story hotel.

BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM

But, be patient.
Sometimes,
when crossing
the creeks, you
have to wait
for the llamas
while they cool
their heels.
Then we tear into the terrific fried chicken at Wade's (864-582-3800) and take a
turn to Motte & Sons Bootlegging Company (864-308-1844).
Talk about full circle: Croft State Park
is a favorite place for Kayla Lambert, the
distillery's retail manager. Lambert is
also a server at Cribb's Kitchen and even
a fan of the Marshall Tucker Band. "And

I like Spartanburg," says Lambert. "It's
really pretty in the fall."
Motte & Sons is a four-year-old operation overseen by Augenis Motte and
three of her sons. "Our goal wasn't to be
a distillery of moonshine but more of
a distillery of regular products," Motte
says. "And a popular drink for the fall?
Definitely, the cinnamon whiskey. It's a
warmer feel when it goes down."

TENNESSEE
One llama dropped to its knees. And
within minutes, practically all-Coconut, Chocolate Moose, Chester, Iceman,
Flash and Fidelo-would take a pre-hike
break in the shade of the Horse Creek
Recreation Area near Greeneville, Tennessee.
That's where I meet Sandy Sgrillo,
the proprietor of The Wandering Llamas
(423-426-7626), a trek service which
took off in the Cherokee National Forest on a sunny Sunday-after all those
llamas got back on their feet.
"It's fun to be hiking. And, with a
llama, it's even more fun," says Sgrillo.
"It's unique. They carry all your stuff."
For the record: I first met Sgrillo 10
years ago in Cosby, Tennessee, and
wrote about her for Blue Ridge Country.

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Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018

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