The best way to take the pulse of South Carolina is to park the car and walk a main street. Across the Palmetto State, small downtowns hum with front-porch conversation, antique-shop finds, ice cream counters, and opera houses that have been putting on a show for a century. These nine stand out for the way they come alive at street level.
Seneca
Seneca’s main drag has one of the best names in the state: Ram Cat Alley. As the story goes, stray cats once prowled the fish-scrap-strewn street, and the name stuck. Today the Alley, merging into Main Street, is the lively core of this old railroad town. Shop for antiques and home goods at M. Tannery & Son, then chase it with a wildly inventive cupcake, something like Honey Lavender or Strawberry Basil, from Cardamom Bakeshop. It is small, walkable, and full of character.