♪[ opening music ]♪ ♪ ♪ <Devyn Whitmire> When you think about South Carolina, there are so many ways to experience the true wonder of this place we call home.

Hey y'all.

I'm Devyn Whitmire.

In this episode of Go For It, we look at iconic experiences.

You know the ones that really speak to what makes South Carolina's so unique.

Ready to take a road trip?

Let's make some memories and learn a bit about what makes the palmetto state so special.

♪ One of the most iconic foods in the south, barbecue.

And no state can do it quite like us.

Let's take a trip to one of the most legendary establishments in South Carolina, Scott's Barbecue.

♪ In South Carolina, we take barbecue seriously, and by barbecue, I'm not talking about a backyard cookout.

No, no, y'all.

I am talking about pork that is cooked slow and low and preferably, at least for me, accompanied by one of our state's four distinct sauces.

So can you guess at all about what I get to do today?

My mouth is already watering.

Let's go for it!

♪ Alright y'all, we are here with Rodney Scott, the James Beard Award winning pitmaster.

Rodney, thank you so much for chatting with me for a few minutes today.

<Rodney Scott> Thank you for having me.

<Devyn Whitmire> Ooh, I'm so excited!

<Devyn Whitmire> So can you tell me just a little bit about what makes South Carolina barbecue so unique?

What sets it apart from the rest of the country?

<Rodney Scott> Well, I think one of the first things that makes South Carolina barbeque so unique is the fact that barbecue is known to be found in South Carolina.

My opinion.

And whole hog is one of the most popular things in the areas of South Carolina, especially around the east coast.

You hear a lot of people talk about whole hog barbecue, and whole hog barbecue for me is described as a difference that you can taste, because you don't just get one texture, one bite, you get a full bite of every section of the hog.

<Devyn Whitmire> Absolutely!

And here, barbecue isn't just like a backyard cookout, right?

It's a little bit different.

<Rodney Scott> Barbeque here is more of a big thing: a party, a wedding, a reunion.

It's a big celebration because it's a 12 hour preparation or cook time to get it done.

So you're talking about a half a day for this event, so it's usually pretty big.

<Devyn Whitmire> Yeah, it's all about that meat, right?

<Rodney Scott> Yes, everybody loves a whole hog.

<Devyn Whitmire> Yes, absolutely, so tell me a little bit about where you got your start in the world of barbecue.

<Rodney Scott> In the world of barbeque, I got my start in Hemingway, South Carolina.

I was born in Philadelphia, and my family moved back to South Carolina, and we started this, they started a general store where, you know, in the south a lot of kids have chores, different responsibilities.

<Mmhm> <Rodney Scott> And one of mine was to help cooking hogs.

<Devyn Whitmire> Yeah.

<Rodney Scott> And I found out that cooking the hog was a lot easier than farming in the fields, so that's where my start kicked in.

It was food.

It was a lot easier.

It was a lot more fun to just stand around and fire a hog all day, rather than be in the sun, so I got started in the family business in Hemingway.

<Devyn Whitmire> That's awesome.

So tell me a little bit about Hemingway in that region in South Carolina.

If someone were to go and visit, what would they find that's unique about that area?

<Rodney Scott> Wow, the one thing that's so unique about Hemingway is it's a rural area, and you would think it's in the middle of nowhere.

It's a tiny town with about three stoplights, but it's one hour from the North Carolina border, it's about an hour from Myrtle Beach.

It's about three hours from Savannah, I think, two hours from Columbia.

So I kind of feel like it's in the middle of everywhere, but it's so rural around the area, you hardly see anything, but it's an area known for farming, and usually at the end of farming there's cooking whole hogs.

There's barbecue events.

There's a lot of big celebrations around firing meat.

<Devyn Whitmire> Yeah, so it's about that community.

<Rodney Scott> Yes, it's definitely a community, definitely a small community, but it's a great area.

<Devyn Whitmire> Yeah, so what would be your pitch for someone to try South Carolina barbecue for the first time?

<Rodney Scott> For the first time, my pitch for someone to try South Carolina barbecue is come and taste where it all started.

Come and taste the whole hog.

Come and see the difference you can taste versus any other region of the United States.

<Devyn Whitmire> That's awesome.

Alright, I have one last question for you, and it's kind of intense, so I hope that you're ready for it.

What I love a lot about barbecue, obviously, the meat is the star, right?

<Yes> But there's these sides that come alongside it to accompany it, right?

<Yes> So what is Rodney Scott's go-to side?

Like, what is the one, if you can only have one, to accompany your pulled pork or your ribs?

What would it be?

<Rodney Scott> Wow!

The go-to side I would say I would grab first, if I had the pulled pork, I would probably say the baked beans.

<Devyn Whitmire> Okay.

<Rodney Scott> Yes.

I am a baked beans lover.

<Devyn Whitmire> Yes.

<Rodney Scott> I try to avoid them because I love them so much, and I would probably grab the baked beans first.

<Okay> <Rodney Scott> Yes.

<Devyn Whitmire> And is there a difference in ribs, or you do you still stick with the baked beans?

<Rodney Scott> Baked beans across the board.

<Devyn Whitmire> Alright.

<Rodney Scott> Yes, and sometimes if I get a little careless, I'll try to spill some beans mistakenly, and kinda take the pork sandwich and kinda mix it all in.

<Yes> Oh, it's such a good bite.

<Devyn Whitmire> Do you know what I love to do with baked beans?

Is actually like barbecue chips.

I like to dip <Really> chips in baked beans.

Is that weird?

<Rodney Scott> Mental note.

< laughs > Mental note.

<Devyn Whitmire> It's really good.

I would say mine would probably be coleslaw.

I love to pile coleslaw on top of pulled pork.

<Rodney Scott> Especially if the pork has a nice little bite to it <Yes> and the cole slaw is nice and crispy.

Yes, I can see that.

<Devyn Whitmire> Alright, y'all, well you heard it here.

Rodney Scott said baked beans are the way to go.

I'm a coleslaw girl, but I'll give the baked beans a try, one hundred percent.

<Rodney Scott> Just try it.

<Devyn Whitmire> Thank you so much.

I really appreciate you chatting with us.

Do you want to talk a little bit about this book right here?

<Rodney Scott> Wow, this book right here is "Rodney Scott's World of Barbecue."

So, it pretty much has my life story in here of growing up, farming, going to school, everything from my graduation to recipes that I've experienced in my career, people I've met along the way, so many different things, even learning how to build my own whole hog pit in the backyard with cinder block.

So my entire life pretty much is wrapped up in this book.

<Devyn Whitmire> Wow!

<Rodney Scott> It's a great book.

I felt like, you know, I wanted to present my world to the world, and here it is.

In "Rodney Scott's World of Barbeque" every day's a good day.

<Devyn Whitmire> Every day's a good day.

How can it not be when you're eating barbeque, right?

<Rodney Scott> Yes, especially when you're eating barbeque, every day is a good day, yes.

<Devyn Whitmire> Awesome, well thank you so much, Rodney.

<Rodney Scott> Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

<Devyn Whitmire> Yes!

♪ So we are going back where it all started.

I am in Hemingway, South Carolina at the original Scott's Barbecue.

This place is a local legend famous for its whole hog pit smoked barbecue, and I have the great privilege of getting to try it for the first time today.

♪ Can I get the barbecue plate with baked beans and coleslaw, please?

♪ Have a good one.

♪ I'm about to take my first bite of Scott's barbecue.

This is kind of monumental.

I hear about this barbecue all the time.

I mean, it really is, it's like famous across the state.

♪ Oh, is that too much?

I got a little generous with the sauce there.

♪ Happy dance!

♪ It's so good!

♪ Y'all, the thing I love about South Carolina barbecue besides just how delicious it is, is that like the states, some of the best experiences are actually off the beaten path.

So, the next time you hear about a place like Scott's that's only open a few days a week, and they only served until they sell out, you better go for it!

♪ There really is something special about South Carolina and the food we make here.

Up next, there's much ado about horses and there's no other region in South Carolina that can talk about horses like thoroughbred country.

Let's head to Aiken to learn more.

♪ Good morning, y'all.

We are up and at 'em so early this morning in beautiful Aiken, South Carolina.

You might know about Aiken when it was voted South's best town in 2018.

By Southern Living and just looking around.

It is easy to see why this place is so charming and a perfect stop for your next South Carolina road trip.

But why are we up so early?

You might ask?

Well, Aiken is actually iconic for its horse history, specifically, thoroughbreds.

So today we are going to get firsthand experience of why this area is called thoroughbred country.

Let's go for it ♪ Y'all, this is Lisa Hall.

She is the museum coordinator at the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame.

Lisa, thank you so much for having us out today.

<Lisa Hall> Glad y'all could come down.

Yes, ma'am.

<Devyn Whitmire> So tell me why this area is called thoroughbred country.

<Lisa Hall> Well, it's, we've got a lot of thoroughbreds here that not only train for flat racing like the Kentucky Derby, but we also have polo horses and we have steeplechase horses.

We have all different disciplines in our climate and the makeup of our soil is really good for training horses.

They can train year round.

The track opened in 1942 <Oh, wow> and a lot of the people who first started bringing their horses down here were rich northerners who came down to escape the winter from up north.

So, a lot of them had racehorses.

So they built a training track here.

♪ <Devyn Whitmire> Okay, so Lisa, where are we right now?

<Lisa Hall> We are at the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum inside historic Hopelands Gardens.

<Devyn Whitmire> So people can come and learn about thoroughbreds and the history.

<Lisa Hall> They can come here and learn about the history of the horses in Aiken, as well as our famous racehorses, some of our owners, some of our trainers.

We have activities for children to do as well.

<Devyn Whitmire> And people can tour historic barns?

<Lisa Hall> They can.

I do historic barn tours backstretch tours, which gives you a little bit of a look behind the scenes of the training.

And you can find out about that on aikenracinghalloffame.com <Devyn Whitmire> And tell me about the Triple Crown that they have here in Aiken.

<Lisa Hall> the Triple Crown races are in March, and they consist of three things.

We have polo, flat racing and steeplechase.

And the flat racing where the Aiken trials usually happens, the second Saturday in March, followed by the steeplechase, followed by Polo.

And they are big events.

Everybody loves them.

A lot of people come see them and they're just a lot of fun to get out and tailgate.

<Devyn Whitmire> Yeah.

Oh yeah, absolutely.

That's like this area's version of like, college football or the Superbowl.

<Lisa Hall> Exactly.

♪ <Devyn Whitmire> Y'all, we have done so much today from seeing thoroughbreds running on the training track, to visiting the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame.

Aiken has such a rich history when it comes to horses and even for someone like me who has no background, I have been fascinated today.

Please, please add this to your list for your next stop on your South Carolina read trip and the next time that you are wanting to try something new, just go for it.

♪ There really is something so majestic about horses.

Now from Aiken, we head over to Edgefield.

Known as the town of 10 governors, Edgefield has quite the history.

For over two centuries, It has been the epicenter for one of the most iconic stoneware arts in our state.

Pottery.

♪ Hey y'all, I am so excited to welcome you today to Edgefield, South Carolina.

It is about an hour and a half west of Columbia.

And y'all it is such a cute small town.

One of my favorite things about being a native to South Carolina, is that you get to see all these sweet little small towns across the state and there's just something really magical about them.

It's almost as if when you walk through, you're taking a step back in time.

And it has this familiarity that makes it feel like it's your town.

And so today, not only are we going to explore Edgefield, we're actually going to dive into what makes it really special.

The fact that it is home to one of South Carolina's most unique art forms, old Edgefield pottery.

So I'm going to try and make some on a potter's wheel and whether I make it or break it, let's go for it.

♪ Justin is the master potter here at Old Edgefield pottery.

And what are you working on?

<Justin Guy> Well, this is just the newest creation and our long line of history here and making pots.

And so it's just the most recent one.

Just coming off the wheel.

<Devyn Whitmire> We're gonna make that today?

<Justin Guy> We might not make one this big, but we're definitely going to make some pots.

So yeah, that's the newest one.

But what most people come here to really see are the old ones.

And they live over here.

And this is just a good assemblage of many of the pots that were made over the last 200 years in the Edgefield area.

Now pottery making in South Carolina goes back way farther than that about 6000 years by Native American standards.

But we really get a unique production here starting about 1805, which is represented by these pots here.

And really this is sort of a born out of the American Revolution.

After the war, we didn't like Britain so much, but we didn't want to go back to war with them.

So Thomas Jefferson started an embargo, which means we couldn't get all those really nice things that we wanted to get from London and England in general.

So they started making these really nice, really high quality stoneware pieces right here in Edgefield, South Carolina.

A guy named Dr. Abner Landrum is who we credited with actually doing this.

He basically took a Chinese style celadon glaze, put it on local clays.

And many of them were made by African Americans who are actually in slavery at the time, who later became emancipated, yet still continue to actually turn pots, as we call it in the tradition.

♪ Get a little ball in there.

And so from this comes something awesome, right?

<Right> Alright.

Ready?

<Ready> Let's go.

Very good.

Alright.

Now we're gonna smear those edges so they stick to the wheel head.

That clay is not gonna go anywhere now.

<Devyn Whitmire> It doesn't want to come.

[ laughs ] <Justin Guy> Just keep adding pressure over time every time the wheel comes around.

♪ <Devyn Whitmire> How's that looking?

<Justin Guy> It's looking Fabulous!

<Devyn Whitmire> Fabulous!<Yeah>That's what I like to hear.

♪ <Justin Guy> Yes, it's good.

<Devyn Whitmire> It looks like a bowl.

<Justin Guy> Yeah, it is a bowl.

It's functionally a bowl.

You have a vessel.

<Devyn Whitmire> Ooohh, look at me go!

<Justin Guy> Yep, hang on to it.

There you go.

It gives a nice visual base.

So it look like it's sitting on something.

<It does> <Devyn Whitmire> For my first time, I mean, I don't think that's too shabby.

Thank you so much, Justin.

I had so much fun.

While I won't be adding pottery to my resume necessarily, it was a really great experience.

Y'all Old Edgefield Pottery is open on Thursday through Saturday from 10AM to 4PM.

And it is definitely a hidden gem that you need to check out on your next South Carolina road trip.

Thank you so much for trying something new with me today.

And the next time that you're thinking about discovering something new in South Carolina, just go for it.

♪ Getting my hands dirty that day was quite an experience.

Now let's head to the coast where I get the chance to take in Myrtle Beach from the sky.

That's right.

Strap in because we are taking a ride on the Myrtle Beach Skywheel ♪ Hey y'all, we are in Myrtle Beach today one of the most popular destinations for families here in South Carolina for so many reasons.

And while I am no stranger to the Grand Strand, there is one view of this 60 miles of uninterrupted beach that I have yet to see from the sky.

So let's go for it.

♪ Y'all.

I'm here with Rachel Beckerman here at the SkyWheel Myrtle Beach.

Rachel, can you tell me why you think it is that the SkyWheel has become such an iconic fixture and experience when people come to Myrtle Beach?

<Rachel Beckerman> First is that nostalgic of that old school ferris wheel that people remember from the carnivals and things like that.

But it really is just that, you know, family fun experience that you could do with everyone and it's something new and exciting and different.

And it's a best place to view the Myrtle Beach skyline.

<Devyn Whitmire> Absolutely.

So I can imagine that you have seen a lot of different reactions from your time here for people going up.

What has been a standout?

What's been your favorite?

<Rachel Beckerman> I think the most impact that I've ever seen is somebody having a gender reveal, where we actually light the wheel, blue and pink.

We have them rotate back and forth and then it lands on their gender.

And to see those reactions, <Oh my gosh> if somebody finding out if they're having a boy or a girl in the sky lit up is unbelievable.

It's unlike anything else.

<Devyn Whitmire> That is amazing.

I would have never thought of something like that, but how fun and creative.

<Yes> So why do you think that people should experience South Carolina from the sky?

<Rachel Beckerman> Well, it's just such a unique experience and it's the only place that you can actually get that beautiful majestic view of the Grand Strand.

You can see for miles and miles and what better place to see it in the sky and get to see this beautiful South Carolina view.

<Devyn Whitmire> Awesome.

Well, I can't wait to go see it.

So let's go for it.

<Rachel Beckerman> Alright sounds good.

♪ <Devyn Whitmire> SkyWheel Myrtle Beach has become such an iconic fixture on the Grand Strand and I am so excited that I got to take it in today from the top.

Whether it is a view, an experience or a meal, there's always something new to discover in South Carolina.

And the next time you want to try something for the first time, you should just go for it.

♪ There's nothing quite like the incredible experience of catching that breathtaking view of our beautiful state.

If you'd like to check out more Go For It, visit SouthCarolinaETV.org And you can read more about each of my adventures on DiscoverSouthCarolina.com And if you're thinking and experiencing some of these iconic places for yourself, well, just go for it.

♪ ♪