Florence (South Carolina)

Florence is a city in the Pee Dee Country Region of South Carolina. It was the site of the Florence Stockade, a Confederate POW camp, notably bad but still maybe not as bad as Andersonville, then a railroad hub, and nowadays a regional center for medical care and manufacturing, including as it sits at the terminus for I-20. Even though it got started rather late, in 1871, it's more or less the hub for northeastern South Carolina, aka Pee Dee Country.

• PDRTA Florence Transit, 313 S Stadium Rd, ☏ +1 843 665-2227. Offers 7 fixed-route bus services in the city. $1.50 for regular one-way fare. (updated Dec 2021)

Florence Public Library

• 🌍 Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves St., ☏ +1 843 676-1200. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 2-5PM. Art and local history. Antiques, paintings, Civil War, South West American Indian exhibits and more. 
• 🌍 Florence Stockade Visitor Center, Stockade Dr, ☏ +1 843 669-8783. Between 1864 and 1865, about 16,000 Union soldiers were held captive here, in abysmal conditions that consummated in the deaths of about 2,800 of these men. The site is not as developed as Andersonville State Historic Park is in Georgia today, but it still offers opportunity for a reflective mood. (updated Dec 2021)
• 🌍 Florence National Cemetery, 803 E National Cemetery Rd, ☏ +1 843 669-8783. M-F 8AM-4:30PM. Next to the stockade, this is where a lot of the POW camp casualties ended up. (updated Dec 2021)

Florence National Cemetery

• Magnolia Mall Shopping Center, 2701 David McLeod Blvd., ☏ +1 843 669-0725. 10AM-9PM. Many well known stores inside such as Best Buy, Sunglass Hut, Express, JC Penney, Foot Locker, Barnes & Nobles, etc. 

• Red Bone Alley Restaurant and Bar, 1903 W. Palmetto Street, ☏ +1 843 673-0035. Southern food restaurant with weekly entertainment and reasonable prices. 
• Quincy's Family SteakHouse, 1924 W Lucas St, ☏ +1 843 667-6996. You can really chow down here at this American buffet. $. (updated Dec 2021)
• Woodstone BBQ and Seafood, 1247 S Irby St, ☏ +1 843 629-1290. BBQ and seafood buffet. (updated Dec 2021)

• Howard Johnson by Wyndham Florence, 2038 W Lucas St, ☏ +1 843 669-4241. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Pool and light breakfast. $56 (Dec 2021). 
• Abingdon Manor Inn & Restaurant, 307 Church Street, ☏ +1 843 752-5090, abingdon@bellsouth.net. Charming southern inn. Multi-course prix-fixe dinner served for $65. Rooms have a private bath, TV, and wifi. $210. (updated Feb 2022)