Son graduated Clemson in May '24 on the 5 year plan. My wife and I loved the trips there so much we are considering Lake Keowee for retirement.
The town of Clemson is SMALL. VERY SMALL. Downtown (College Ave) is where you should concentrate your meals and shopping. Shepherd Hotel is a very nice hotel on College that your wife will love. It is also a training program and employment center for those with Down's Syndrome which is pretty cool.
We usually stayed at the Courtyard in Clemson but have also stayed at the Fairfield in Seneca which was nice but 10/12 minutes from campus.
For food downtown it runs the gamut - Evolve Kitchen is really good sit down for a college town. TD's is best for college food like wings and sandwiches. Best downtown college pizza is Todaro's. Charleston's pub is a SC chain and just okay. Burgers at Loose Change are pretty good and when you graduate, you staple a dollar bill to the wall/ceiling with your name, class and whatever else you want to say. Wallpaper'd with dollar bills.
I'd say Calhoun Corners is the best restaurant in town. Reservations required. Locals say Frank Erwin's, which is very very good, but it's a steak house and steak houses outside Texas just don't do a whole lot for me.
What to do? Baseball is big there and the team is ranked top 10. Stadium is great but smaller. If your kiddo is outdoorsy, visit the Snow Family Outdoors center across the lake but still on campus. There are lots of waterfall hikes in the area if that's your jam. Cashiers and Highlands are great mountain towns an houror so away. Beautiful drive but it will be shoulder season so there may not be as many stores or restaurants open. Check before driving that way.
Tiger Town Tavern (triple T's) is their version of The Chicken. If you've been to the Chicken then TTT's will look, feel and smell very familiar. Best upscale adult bar is Shepherd hotel rooftop. Nick's Tavern is a cool, small pub that's mostly professors and grad students.
MH Frank's is an old school men's clothier downtown with fantastic customer service and high quality clothes and shoes. Owner (or GM not sure which) actually saw my Aggie ring and told me he went to A&M Galveston for a year. Super talkative guy.
Tell your kiddo NOT to read the plaque on Thomas Green Clemson's statue. Tradition is to wait until graduation day to read it otherwise you never graduate. Mine skimmed it during our visit and he claims it's why it took 5 years to graduate. Also not supposed to tour John C Calhoun's home (It's on campus). He stayed outside while the rest of the family went through it and it's worth the time to walk through.
Downtown Greenville is a great place to spend a weekend in the Spring. Walkable, great shopping (hit the Mast Store), food's pretty good and all the restaurants have outdoor seating.
We and my son loved Clemson. We have a senior at A&M and the quality of student/customer service, advising and support is night and day. From a parents perspective it was wonderful. Plus it's a great area to visit.
Fell free to DM me if you have any questions.
