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Saturday, February 28, 2015

Walking Around Downtown Aiken, South Carolina








Eric & the beautiful
Welcome to Aiken
sign




Aiken's horses celebrate
 the area's equine culture.

Aiken offers Steeplechasing,






Eric and I live near Saratoga Springs, New York, which is known for Thoroughbred and Harness Racing.







Aiken's City Hall

















Woodmen of the World is a fraternal organization that does volunteer work in communities across the United States.






The Savannah River 
Nuclear Solutions
Building dominates
this corner.






The Savannah River Site covers 310 miles in Allendale, Aiken and Barnwell counties.  It was constructed in the 1950s to produce the nuclear materials used to manufacture nuclear weapons.   Savannah River Nuclear Solutions cleans up nuclear sites.  The company also does research into clean energy.








Visitor Maps are available
throughout downtown.

This is very handy for
visitors.








The Aiken Brewing Company

We'll stop in for a drink after
we walk around downtown.















The Aiken City Clock










Moon Beans Fine
Roasted Coffee















Another "Painted Pony"













The stately Carriage
House Inn





housed in this  beautifully






"A Study of Doors"













serves pizza & more...











The 1953 Gas Explosion
Historical Marker










At 8:30 am on January 7, 1953 a natural gas line explosion in the basement of the Jones Electric Company sparked a fire that burned the electric company and four other buildings.  Ten people died and downtown was a disaster zone.  The explosion was felt miles away.

 

































Aiken's Confederate
Monument




Eric waits for me while
I take pictures.

I've been known to lag
behind on our walks.










The Park on Newberry Street




A statue of William
Aiken Sr.

He sits on the bench,
patiently waiting for
the train.





William Aiken, Sr. was the President of the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company.  His company brought the railroad to the former crossroads community.  The City of Aiken is named in Mr. Aiken's honor.














With the large plaza in front of the church, I am reminded of churches in Nicaragua.







The Hotel Aiken spans
the length of a city block.








Downtown Aiken is very walkable with lots of free parking and easy to navigate with maps of the city available in multiple locations.  There are lots of restaurants and shops to explore.

Now it's time to stop in at the Aiken Brewing Company.

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