Recent Travels

The co-founders of the Carolina Vettepack will be meeting sometime this month to get our ideas going for 2008. But for right now, I can tell you about some great times we had in 2007, our founding year. Last month, we got up on a chilly, cloudy Saturday morning and cruised through the countryside to a little crossroads in Belton, South Carolina, where there is a old country store that has been turned into a restaurant called Grits and Groceries. The owners, Joe and Heidi Trull, spent a number of years in New Orleans cooking up Lousiana specialties. They bring a Cajun spin to Southern breakfast traditions. Visit their website at http://www.gritsandgroceries.com/ to get all the latest info. on menus and special goings on. Don't be in a hurry 'cause you will want to linger over their excellent coffee and desserts!

Left, an earlier visit to Grits and Groceries, the guys weren't in any hurry to leave!

After, we had stuffed ourselves full of praline bacon, cajun sausage & peppers, and apple fritters, we carefully got back into the Vettes and headed off toward Greenwood, SC. There was an ad in the newspaper the day before about a new Jackson and Perkins outlet store that had just opened in Greenwood in the Piedmont Plaza (old Wal-mart location). I believe the road is Hwy. 72 bypass in Greenwood, SC. Truthfully, I was expecting some little dinky store but I was WRONG! It was a large store stuffed with great deals on garden related tools and decor!! You would not believe the stuff all of us managed to cram into the back of our Corvettes! Of course, I could have done a lot more damage if I had had my trusty Chevy Silverado that day! I did mangage to knock out some Christmas gifts and get some cool stuff for us at the same time.

On the way home, we stopped at a local dairy in search of some really good eggnog to take home for Christmas. The Happy Cow Creamery on McElvey Rd. in Pelzer, SC, really came through! They were happy to give us samples of what was the best "purchased" eggnog I have ever had! The group had fun shopping in their little store and we bought wonderful cheeses and butter. They carry a lot of local South Carolina specialties and other neat stuff. Visit their website at http://www.happycowcreamery.com/ You won't be sorry!