The Peachoid

A working water tower first, roadside curiosity second — the Peachoid has been doing both jobs since 1981, when the Gaffney Board of Public Works commissioned the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company to solve a straightforward water-storage problem in a distinctly un-straightforward way. The shape of a peach was chosen deliberately: Cherokee County wanted to make the point, in the largest possible terms, that South Carolina — not Georgia — was the dominant peach-producing state in the South. The result is a 135-foot tank painted by artist Peter Freudenberg to realistically resemble a Georgia Belle peach, stem, leaf, cleft and all. Locals call it "The Peach"; passing motorists have coined nicknames that are a little less flattering, owing to the structure's prominent crease.

For riders coming up I-85 from the south, it appears well before the exit — visible for several miles from the interstate — which is exactly the point. The SAH Archipedia entry on the structure notes that the Peachoid was originally intended to mark the eastern end of SC Highway 11, the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway, which is precisely why it works as a ride waypoint. You pick it up off Exit 92 on Peachoid Road. The pull-off puts you close enough for photos, though a gate blocks the private road to the base. There's no fee, no hours to worry about, and the stop takes as long as a photograph requires — making it a clean bookmark for the start of the SC-11 loop rather than a destination in itself.