Wayfarer Wednesday

The Peachoid.

It’s a celebrity around these parts.  If you have kids in the car, it’s a roadside “don’t miss.”  Located between exits 90 and 92 on Interstate 85, the Peachoid is a famous Upstate South Carolina landmark.

The small town of Gaffney, in Cherokee County, is the home of the South Carolina Peach Festival.  So it makes sense that they would paint a water tower to look like a peach, right?

We passed it on our way to Charlotte for Reviewers Retreat in early June and then again in late June for Type-A Conference and it thrilled Ariel each time.  Of course, she pretended she was too cool to get excited about it…. and of course, I then had to embarrass her by stopping to take pictures! 

How to get up close to the Peachoid

You can see The Peachoid easily from Interstate 85.  Quick.  Easy.  Done.  But if you’re like me and want to experience its peachy goodness up close, here’s how you approach it.

The Peachoid sits in a small grassy field just off a frontage road.  I exited Interstate 85 at exit 92 and followed the small frontage road west until I rounded a curve …. and it was right there!  I pulled in to the grassy field for a few shots and then into the parking lot of the restaurant next to it.  Ummm, yes, that IS a Fatz Eatz and Drinkz Restaurant!  Legendary for their World Famous Calabash Chicken, Fatz is a beloved Southern staple.  Locating next to one of the most recognized landmarks along the Charlotte-Atlanta connector was brillz.

Here’s the non-leaf side of the Peachoid (photo taken from the Fatz parking lot).

.

And of course, I had to get a shot of both of them together.

.

.

Don’t you just love it?!

Any fun or unusual landmarks you’ve seen while traveling?

.

.