Caesars Head (US-276) climb

Ashley River Road is the nationally designated scenic portion of SC-61 that follows the Ashley River northwest from Charleston through the South Carolina Lowcountry. The byway corridor passes three of the oldest and most significant plantation gardens in North America — Drayton Hall (1738), Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, and Middleton Place — all fronting directly on the road. The route transitions from a four-lane suburban arterial to a two-lane canopy-covered road lined with live oaks draped in Spanish moss as it enters the historic district. The road dates to at least the Lodge-Cook Map of 1771, making it the oldest continuously used road in South Carolina. A National Scenic Byway designation covers the stretch from Church Creek Bridge north approximately 10 miles.

A beloved roadside complex at 107 Country Creek Drive in Pickens, just off SC-11 between Caesars Head and Table Rock State Parks, two miles east of Table Rock. The property includes a Southern comfort-food restaurant, an ice cream parlor, a pizza shop, and a cluster of retail shops in a country-village setting. Owner Teresa Lewis has operated the property for over 20 years, and it has become a well-known refueling stop for riders looping the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway. The location at the foot of Table Rock puts it directly on the most popular motorcycle day-ride route in the Upstate. Open seasonally; hours vary by season.

Atop the Blue Ridge Escarpment at 3,200 feet, the Caesars Head State Park overlook delivers one of the widest panoramas in the Upstate — sweeping views extend into North Carolina and Georgia on clear days, taking in Table Rock, Sassafras Mountain, and the Dismal Forest. The rocky granitic-gneiss outcrop that gives the park its name is a two-minute walk from the visitor center parking lot on US-276 (Geer Highway). The overlook is also the premier raptor-watching perch in the region: thousands of hawks, eagles, and vultures funnel past the escarpment edge each fall (September–November). The visitor center has trail maps, a small gift shop, and restrooms. Park hours are 9 a.m. to sunset; admission is charged per vehicle.