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city in South Carolina, United States
North America > United States of America > South (United States of America) > South Carolina > Upcountry South Carolina > Clemson

Clemson is a college town in Pickens County, in Upcountry South Carolina.

Understand

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Although there are nearly 20,000 permanent residents, people who visit are typically students, family of students or college football fans. The busiest time of the year is typically on Saturdays of Clemson Tigers football home games (September–November). In 2015, the Princeton Review named Clemson as the #1 college town in the United States when it came to the relationship between college students and full-time residents. While it is a smaller town, there are numerous restaurants, shops and activities.

Get in

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By bus

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Clemson Area Transit provides free bus transportation connecting to the surrounding cities of Anderson, Central, Pendleton and Seneca.

By car

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  • US Highway 76 (Clemson Blvd) enters Clemson from the east at Exit 19B on I-85 in South Carolina.
  • US Highway 123 (Tiger Blvd) bisects the city running north to south allowing for travel from Greenville 30 miles (48 km) to the north and Seneca 10 miles (16 km) to the south.

By train

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Amtrak's Crescent connects Clemson with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans The Amtrak station is situated at the intersection of Tiger Blvd and College Avenue.

Get around

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Map
Map of Clemson

By bus

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Clemson Area Transit, sponsored by the City of Clemson and Clemson University, this bus line is not only fare-free, it also does not generally suffer from many of the problems that plague larger city bus systems (schedule delays, sketchy clientele, dirty buses, etc.) For this reason, the CAT bus system is one of the best public transit systems in the entire nation. Several larger cities have come to Clemson to observe the system, which even carries many university students and well-to-do professors to class. Clemson Area Transit covers many major destinations, including most of the area's hotels, motels, and most major eateries. For the traveler on a budget, or even those not on a tight budget, the CAT bus system may be the way to go. It covers the campus and surrounding cities, including Anderson, Central, Pendleton and Seneca. Travelers on the CAT bus going to Anderson can, upon transfer, obtain a fare-free day pass to the Electric City Transit system which serves the city of Anderson.

By car

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  • SC State Highway 93 (Old Greenville Hwy) is the de facto boundary between Clemson University and City of Clemson. The road is 4 lanes without a middle turn lane and provides no public parking.
  • SC State Highway 133 (College Ave) begins at the intersection with Old Greenville Hwy at the border of Clemson University and intersects with Tiger Blvd less than a mile to the north. College Ave is home to many of the Clemson Bars, Sandwich Shops, and Clemson Fan Apparel.

Parking

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Public street parking exists on both sides of the street for the length of the downtown area. Parking is free 24 hours a day but there is a 1-hour restriction during business hours. The City of Clemson Parking deck is located at the intersection of Keith Street and College Avenue.

Greater Clemson

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  • 1 Mountain View Park at Lake Hartwell, 340 Mountain View Lane, ☏ +1 864 624-1120. Park along man-made lake created by Hartwell Dam, which supplies hydroelectric power to the area. The lake and nearby forests are maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers, and there are many places for swimming, sunbathing, camping, fishing, and hiking. 
  • 2 Old Stone Church, 101 Stone Circle, ☏ +1 864 654-2061. Built by Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens, this Presbyterian church is one of the most interesting historical attractions in the Upstate and was the second structure built by the religious community. Although the church is no longer in service, there is a cemetery on site that contains numerous old tombstones including those of Pickens and his family. 

Clemson University

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  • 3 Class of 1944 Visitors Center, Alumni Circle, ☏ +1 864 656-4789, . M-F 8AM-4:30PM, Sa 9AM-4:30PM, Su 1PM-4:30PM. Closed on all University holidays, and Sundays in May, June and July. For thousands of prospective students, special guests and Upstate tourists each year, the Clemson experience begins at the University's Visitors Center. Made possible by gifts from the Class of 1944, the Visitors Center is a comfortable and educational starting point for exploring the Clemson campus and surrounding areas. The Class of 1944 Visitors Center, located on Alumni Circle, is the front door to Clemson -- a friendly place to get information, assistance and an introduction to this beautiful and historic university and community. Guided hour-long walking tours of the campus are led by the Clemson University Guide Association. 
  • 4 Bob Campbell Geology and Natural History Museum, in the S.C. Botanical Garden, ☏ +1 864 656-4600. Th-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1-5PM; other tours by appointment. The University's extensive geology collection including meteorites, minerals, dinosaur fossils and the largest faceted-stone collection in the Southeast. Admission and parking are free. 
  • 5 Carillon Garden, the area between Sikes Hall, the Outdoor Theater and Tillman Hall. A gift to the university during Reunion 1993 by the Golden Anniversary Class of '43. The garden is dedicated as a lasting tribute to the entire class and particularly to those who lost their lives during World War II. It is used for a number of activities ranging from student meetings, traveling games and even weddings. 
  • 6 Clemson Memorial Stadium (AKA: Death Valley), Williamston Road, ☏ +1 864 656-1935. One of the 10 largest on-campus stadiums in the United States. 
  • 7 Robert Muldrow Cooper Library, Center Campus, ☏ +1 864 656-3027. Open 24 hours a day, from 10AM Sunday to midnight on Friday. Sa 10AM-midnight. Houses more than 1.7 million volumes, documents and reports, along with the papers of many prominent South Carolinians. 
  • 8 The Walter T. Cox Jr. Union Plaza, in front of the Edgar A. Brown University Union. A gift from the student bodies of 1997-98 and 1998-99. It is used for a number of activities ranging from student fairs, traveling games and other student events. 
  • 9 Fort Hill, Fort Hill Street, ☏ +1 864 656-4789. M-F 10AM-4:30P, Sa 10AM-noon & 1PM-4:30PM, Su 2-4:30PM. Closed University holidays. The home of John C. Calhoun from 1825 until 1850 and the home of his son-in-law, Clemson University founder Thomas Green Clemson, from 1872 until 1888. An admission donation of $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and $2 for children is suggested. Group tours by reservation only. 
  • 10 Hanover House, in the S.C. Botanical Garden, ☏ +1 864 656-2241. Sa 10AM-noon & 1-4:30PM, Su 2-4:30PM; group tours by appointment. The Colonial home of French Huguenot Paul de St. Julien, which was built in Berkeley County, South Carolina, in 1716. 
  • 11 Memorial Square, in front of Mell Hall. Dedicated to the university in February 1993 as a gift from the Class of '44, The square, features an original life-size bronze sculpture of a student and a soldier sitting back to back, representative of the sudden shift from boyhood to manhood as a result of war. 
  • 12 Military Heritage Plaza, overlooking Bowman Field, ☏ +1 864 656-5896. Features a life-size statue of a cadet and 41 sets of footprints of former Clemson cadets to commemorate the spirit of Clemson's military heritage. 
  • 13 Outdoor Theater, in front of the Cooper Library's reflection pond. A gift from the Class of 1915. The stage is a sunburst of gray, red and beige marble with the year 1915 set in. It is used for a number of activities ranging from pep rallies, outdoor movies and concerts. 
  • 14 The South Carolina Botanical Garden, Perimeter Road, ☏ +1 864 656-3405. Open 365 days a year from dawn until dusk. A 295 acre public garden, features several thousand varieties of ornamental plants. Of special interest are the Camellia Trail, Hosta Garden, Conifer and Xeriscape Gardens along with nature-based sculptures and miles of nature and walking trails. 
  • 15 Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs, behind Cooper Library, ☏ +1 864 656-4700. Home to more than 34 tons of papers and memorabilia of S.C. Sen. J. Strom Thurmond, the Graem Yates Collection of Presidential Portraits, the rare book collection, the University Archives and manuscript collections. 
  • 16 Tillman Hall Bell Memorial, in the Carillon Garden between Sikes Hall and Tillman Hall. It displays the bell that hung in the clock tower of Tillman Hall for 80 years, "where it faithfully tolled the hours until replaced by the Carillon in 1985." The memorial was erected by the Class of '39 in memory of classmates who gave their lives in the cause of freedom. The memorial also features an Award for Excellence plaque given to the faculty by the Class of '39. 

Greater Clemson

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  • Spend a Friday night bar-hopping at Downtown Clemson. (See the Drink section for more)
  • Go Boating on Lake Hartwell, the water temperature is usually perfect in the summer for any kind of on-the-water activity.
  • 1 Robert Howell Brooks Center for the Performing Arts, ☏ +1 864 656-3043. Brings an exciting array of concert, theater, dance, comedy and other live performances to the Clemson community. 
  • 2 T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena, off U.S. 76 near Tri-County Tech, ☏ +1 864 646-2717. A 100-acre complex, it is the showplace for livestock activities as well as industrial and agricultural exhibitions in South Carolina. 
  • 3 Walker Golf Course, 236 Madren Center, ☏ +1 864 656-0236, . open year round. Clemson's 250-acre, 18-hole championship golf course is gaining a reputation as the country's most accessible course for individuals with disabilities. 

Clemson University

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  • 4 Clemson Tiger Athletics, ticket office is at the southwest corner of Memorial Stadium, ☏ +1 864 656-2118, fax: +1 864 656-0415, . Office Hours: M-F 8:30AM-4:30PM. Clemson competes at the Division I level in the following sports: Men's: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming & Diving Tennis Track & Field, Women's: Basketball, Rowing, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball. ($-$). 

Like most college towns, Clemson is home to numerous fan apparel shops along College Avenue in Downtown Clemson. A few to check out are:

Clemson is home to an unusual number of sandwich shops, this is due to a rumor that the Clemson Subway Sandwich Shop was at one point in time the highest grossing Subways in the world. Clemson also has numerous fast food restaurants on Tiger Blvd as well as many casual and formal restaurants in Downtown Clemson.

Budget

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  • '55 Exchange, Hendrix Student Center. M-F 11:30AM-6PM, Sa 1-6PM, Su 1-6PM. Made possible by a generous gift from Clemson's Class of 1955, the ’55 Exchange is a student run retail operation that sells and serves Clemson’s world famous ice cream and other Clemson produced items, including meat, organic produce, and blue cheese. All revenues generated through the retail center go to support Clemson students and academic programs. 
  • Columbo's Pizza, 203 Pendleton Rd Ste 1, ☏ +1 864 654-1103. Chicago style. 
  • Mac's Drive-In, 404 Pendleton Rd, ☏ +1 864 654-2845. A Clemson tradition; great cheeseburger steaks. 
  • Pot Belly Deli, 109 Wall St, ☏ +1 864 653-3663. 
  • Todaro Pizza, 105 Sloan St, ☏ +1 864 654-3001. New York style. 

Mid-range

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Splurge

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Drink

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  • 1 356 Sushi and Cocktail Bar, 366 College Ave. Upscale bar with live music most nights. 
  • 2 Backstreets Pub & Grill, 102 Earle St, ☏ +1 864 653-7581. Cheap liquor pitchers and pizza on Tuesdays. 
  • 3 The Esso Club, Old Greenville Hwy, ☏ +1 864 654-5120. Live music on football weekends. 
  • 4 Loose Change, 349 College Ave, ☏ +1 864 654-1090. Live acoustic most nights. 
  • 5 Nick's Tavern, 107-2 Sloan St, ☏ +1 864 654-4890. Wide selection of obscure beers; one of the few bars in town rarely patronized by the fraternity crowd (see also Sloan Street). 
  • 6 Sloan Street Tap Room, 109 Sloan St, ☏ +1 864 654-7210. 
  • 7 TD's Food & Drinks, 339 College Ave, ☏ +1 864 654-3656. Karaoke Tuesday nights, live music on the weekends. 
  • 8 Tiger Town Tavern, 368 College Ave, ☏ +1 864 654-5901. Pool tables, HDTVs, outdoor seating, Wednesday night trivia. 
  • 9 Top of the Tavern, 366 College Ave # A, ☏ +1 864 654-6600. Private club. Cheap cover, year membership available, open Sundays. 

Sleep

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Hotels

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  • Comfort Inn, 1305 Tiger Blvd, ☏ +1 864 653-3600, fax: +1 864 654-3123, . Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. Nearby restaurants; 122 rooms, 56 NS, handicap-accessible, 18 suites with whirlpool, tv/vcr, Microwave, wet bar; pool, hot tub, health facilities; meeting room for 130, laundry; coffee shop open 6AM-10AM with complimentary continental breakfast. All major credit cards with special rates for government/corporations, AAA, AARP. ($~$$). 
  • Days Inn, 1387 Tiger Blvd, ☏ +1 864 653-4411, fax: +1 864 653-4411, . Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. All double, king and queen size rooms, Wi-Fi Internet access, free HBO, copy and fax access, some handicap and NS rooms, free continental breakfast. Major credit cards accepted. 
  • Hampton Inn, 851 Tiger Boulevard, ☏ +1 864 653-7744, fax: +1 864 653-8437. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. Remote TV, some NS rooms, pool, free continental breakfast. Restaurants nearby. Major credit cards. 
  • Best Western Plus Clemson Hotel & Conference Center, 1310 Tiger Blvd, ☏ +1 864-986-6200. 
  • Inn @ Clemson, 1303 Tiger Blvd, ☏ +1 864 653-6000. 
  • James F. Martin Inn, 230 Madren Center Dr, ☏ +1 864-502-8962, . Surrounded by the Walker Golf Course at Clemson University. 89 rooms, interior-corridor hotel features 27 luxurious suites and 62 guest rooms, hospitality suite and health club including pool and tennis, restaurant, complimentary continental breakfast. Owned and Operated by Clemson University. 

Bed and Breakfast

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Camping

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  • Clemson University Outdoor Lab Suites & Cabins, Off of US Hwy. 76, ☏ +1 864 646-7502. 5 miles from the Clemson University campus, this unique conference center and camp has residential cabins (accommodating up to 10) and suites available for rental from mid-August through May. Discounted rates are available November 1-February 28. The Outdoor Lab accepts Visa, Master Card and Discover. 

Go next

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Routes through Clemson
Charlotte ← Greenville ←  N  S  → Gainesville → Atlanta
Chattanooga ← Clayton ←  W  E  → Anderson → Columbia


This city travel guide to Clemson is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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