Whistlestop at the American Cafe, Travelers Rest, SC

     A perk of retirement is that free time is abundant and can be gleefully wasted, if you so choose.  The joys of wasting time, after many years spent rigidly budgeting it, are worth exploring so on a recent trip to the upstate, my mother and I took a mystery ride to nowhere.   Taking the names Ruth and Eula for the day, after my grandmother and her best pal who frequently took mystery rides looking for adventure and lunch, my mother and I drove up Laurens Road from Mauldin, SC towards the mountains.   The Ruth and Eula of the 1960's were known to take short cuts over grassy highway medians or drive with that pesky emergency brake on.  While we did not do that, we did get lost, or as lost as you can be with a new iphone and a hastily printed Google map.
     The sky was cornflower blue, the leaves gold, red and burnt sienna and the sun lemony yellow; it was a picture postcard type of day.   As we rolled happily down winding country roads we soon realized that we were not even remotely on the right road for an anticipated lunchtime stop.  I thought we were headed to Brevard, North Carolina but that was a lot farther from Greenville, and a lot harder to find than I realized.   So, we two travelers passed U.S. Route 25 and decided to follow it, hoping to arrive in a town with a friendly cafe.  Luckily the road ended in Travelers Rest, the prettiest foothills town you will find in South Carolina.  As we turned onto South Main Street we immediately saw a black and red, antique train engine parked beside a quaint, mural covered cafe with a jammed parking lot (always a sign of good food), and the Whistlestop at the American Cafe.
      Bordering The Swamp Rabbit Trail, an upstate walking and biking path that stretches nearly twenty miles, the Whistlestop welcomes a steady stream of hungry bikers and hikers to their two dining rooms each day.  We opted for rooftop dining which gave us a view of the path, the main street and a lovely green churchyard.  The pleasant aroma of wood smoke greeted us as we climbed the stairs to the roof where a large, stone fireplace held a roaring fire.  Both the upstairs and downstairs dining rooms have a fireplace and the wood fired grill that cooks up delicious pizzas is located at the rear of the building.  The Whistlestop is known for its pizzas and loaded Coney dogs, along with a long list of custom milkshakes.  I tried the Spiced Apple Milkshake, a thick and creamy shake that was full of apple pie spices and hearty apple flavor.  A second visit to this lovely, little restaurant is warranted, if just to try another of their creative milkshake flavors!
     So, the next time you are lost and wandering north of Greenville, South Carolina, find your way to the Whistlestop Cafe in Travelers Rest.  Ruth and Eula are sure glad they did!