For history lovers, animal lovers, and nature lovers alike, a visit to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in West Columbia is a trifecta of delight. From the many species of creatures (more than 350), to a botanical garden displaying a diverse variety of 10 different gardens on 70 acres, the Zoo and Gardens alone make for a fun-filled day of adventure. But there’s more to see…
Lovers of South Carolina history will find the short 0.3-mile trail past a nearly 200-year-old factory ruins fascinating.
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It’s located on the Saluda River and can be accessed via the Saluda River Interpretive Center near the river crossing in the zoo.
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The trail is user-friendly and leads to some extraordinary ruins of a factory (The Saluda Manufacturing Factory), that opened in 1834.
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Visitors on the short trail don’t need to look very hard to find evidence of the granite foundation of the old mill.
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The walls of the foundation of the once busting factory that operated for 50 years along the Saluda River are easy to spot.
Google Images/Alan Marshall
Other clues are equally impressive, like this stone arch.
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And the remains of what was likely a sluice along the river take visitors back to the days when the water of the Saluda served as fuel for the mill’s inner workings.
Google Images/Alan Marshall
Any visit to Riverbanks Zoo will be made more memorable by making sure to venture onto the factory ruins trail that leads from the Saluda River Mill Interpretive Center.
Google Maps/Alan Marshall
Admission to the zoo and gardens is required to explore this particular interpretive historic trail. You can learn about the zoo’s current hours of operation, admission costs, and any other current policies regarding the pandemic, by visiting the official website for Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens. More information about the Saluda Factory Interpretive Center and the Saluda Factory Ruins is also available on the zoo’s website.
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Google Maps/Pete Pantsari
Google Images/Alan Marshall
Google Maps/Alan Marshall
Know of another trail in South Carolina with extraordinary ruins to explore? Nominate it here for a featured article like this one!
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Address: Riverbanks Botanical Garden, 1300 Botanical Pkwy, West Columbia, SC 29169, USA
