"Aiken's living room" over the past several
years. Equestrians from all disciplines can
be found elbowing up to the old-fashioned
bar, or perhaps slipping into the elegant
dining room for lamb chops or salmon.
The 23 rooms are generously propor-
tioned, with most having fireplaces, and
a full breakfast is served to guests (free-
range eggs from a local farm and stone-
ground grits are just some of the choices
on the menu).
Other places on Aiken's to-do list for visi-
tors must include a stop at Track Kitchen for
strong coffee and the best French toast in
town and a visit to the Aiken Thoroughbred
Racing Hall of Fame and Museum, nestled
in Hopelands Gardens. There are perma-
nent exhibits marking the careers of Aiken
horsemen James Maloney, Pete Bostwick,
Scotty Schulhofer, Mike Freeman, Mack
Miller, and Cot Campbell; a Hall of Fame
honoring Aiken's champions; and the Whit-
ney Tower Research Room.
Azaleas and red buds are in bloom in
March, bursts of color that announce spring-
time to one and all. The sound of hoofbeats
on clay roads, laughter in shedrows, nicker-
ing in paddocks. March has come to Aiken.
