Celebrate fall at Pumpkintown in Pickens County

It’s almost October and there’s no more appropriate place to celebrate in the Upstate than in Pumpkintown.

While the town’s annual Pumpkin Festival will not be held in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns, a Fall Craft Fair will take place on Saturday, October 2, from 8 am until 4 pm at The Market at the Mill, 225 Pumpkintown Highway, Pickens SC 29671. The daylong event features artisans from around the Carolinas, fall crafts, antiques, live music and food.

Also open is the Pumpkintown Mountain Opry at 3414 Highway 11. The Opry has a gift shop and a restaurant that serves a deli style lunch Thursdays through Mondays from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. On Saturdays, enjoy the Saturday Market at The Opry which features fresh local produce, local crafts and baked goods from Noon until 5 p.m.

If you’re looking for a great breakfast or lunch spot, there’s also Pumpkintown General Store & Café. The onetime general store has been transformed into an 80-seat café known for its breakfast menu complete with country ham and old-fashioned grits, and a lunch menu that arguably features one of the best hamburgers in the Upstate. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

And if you’re near Pumpkintown on a Friday night, you’ll want to drop in for the Friday Bluegrass Jam at the Oolenoy Community House, 5301 Dacusville Highway, from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. Come pick, listen or clog. It’s family friendly, fun and free.

Also in this neck of the woods is Table Rock State Park where trails take hikers past mountain streams and waterfalls to the tops of Pinnacle and Table Rock mountains. Visitors also can rent paddleboats or canoes and enjoy the lake.

And nearby Hagood Mill Historic Site is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. The historic Pickens County site features an 1845 grist mill, Hagood Creek Petroglyph site and nature trails.