On Saturday, September 24 – over the rivers (the Lowcountry and Pee Dee regions are blessed with more than a few!) and through the woods, there’s a bar-none Beer Fest happening in Lake City, SC. The ninth annual event, featuring breweries from around the Southeast, has turned into an event beloved by ale enthusiasts near and far.
The event is being held at Moore Farms Botanical Garden (MFBG), a scenic spot in the countryside outside Lake City, a bustling little town undergoing a makeover of sorts. Artfields, a now renowned annual event referred to The South’s Most Engaging Art Competition and Festival, got the proverbial ball rolling and great things have been happening in and around town ever since.
Moore Farms Botanical Garden is a non-profit organization committed to gardens that inform, inspire and delight. In this place where research and education in horticulture, agriculture and forestry are top of mind, The Garden is passionately reinterpreting the beauty of Southern gardens. Although the Garden is not open to the public on a regular schedule, this special event makes MFBG the perfect place to spend a Saturday with beer and camera in hand. (If interested, tours are available when scheduled in advance. Follow the Garden on Facebook or find out more here.)
The easy day trip from Pawleys Island will deliver the beer necessities and, all reports indicate, one of the season’s first beautiful Fall days. More than twenty local and regional craft breweries will be represented, offering a variety of beers and ciders sure to please even the most discerning brew aficionados among you. Beginning at noon and running until 5 PM, there will be live music, as well as delicious food served up by a locals’ favorite restaurant, the Green Frog Social House. Come and experience Southern hospitality in this jewel of the Pee Dee!
All proceeds will benefit the Florence County Disabilities Foundation, and guests must be 21 or older to attend. No pre-registration is needed to utilize a free Sober Ride shuttle service that will run between Moore Farms Botanical Garden and The Inn at the Crossroads in downtown Lake City.
Speaking of The Inn, treat yourself and a guest to a real treat by coming on Friday to shop a bit, dine in one of the local restaurants and settle in to sleep at The Inn at the Crossroads – an unexpectedly lovely boutique hotel on West Main Street. Find info here or call (843) 394-2100. Mention “MFBG Beer Fest” for a special room rate!
The address for Moore Farms Botanical Garden is 100 New Zion Road, Lake City, SC 29560. Tickets can be purchased online (or at the gate).
