1. Winthrop University
City: Rock Hill, SC
Category: Education
Telephone: (803) 323-2211
Address: 701 Oakland Ave.,
Description: Winthrop was founded in 1886 as a women’s college. It became coeducational in 1974 and is now a national-caliber, comprehensive teaching university. Its 6,300 undergraduate and graduate students may choose among 82 undergraduate and 45 graduate programs of study in the arts and sciences, business administration, education, and visual and performing arts. The university also offers the New Start Program for undergraduate students age 25 and older, as well as nationally accredited Executive MBA and traditional MBA programs.In 2004 Winthrop was named one of the South’s Top 10 Public Universities by U.S. News & World Report, the 12th consecutive year the school received the honor. The Princeton Review also named Winthrop to its first Best Southeastern Colleges list.
2. York Technical College
City: Rock Hill, SC
Category: Education
Telephone: (803) 327-8008
Address: 452 South Anderson Rd.,
Description: Just south of Charlotte in Rock Hill, York Technical College offers technical training in business, health, computers, and industrial and engineering technologies, in addition to associate’s degrees in the arts and sciences.
3. Winthrop University
City: Rock Hill, SC
Category: Education
Telephone: (803) 323-2211
Address: 701 Oakland Ave.,
4. Waterford Golf Club
City: Rock Hill, SC
Category: Golf
Telephone: (803) 324-0300
Address: 1900 Clubhouse Rd.,
Description: The Charlotte regional area is blessed with many top-notch private golf clubs, with memberships ranging from a few thousand dollars to more than $50,000. Prospective members can choose from clubs that are more golf-centric, to traditional, family-oriented country clubs with a significant emphasis on non-golf amenities such as swimming pools, tennis centers, fine dining, and social events.If you want to play a private course in Charlotte, inquire about the guest policy or ask your home club’s professional about reciprocal agreements. Most private clubs allow members to bring guests and invite prospective members to play.Venerable private courses include Charlotte Country Club, consistently ranked among the Top 10 courses in North Carolina and also nationally recognized, and Quail Hollow Club, a five-star course where Charlotte’s PGA event is held each May. Myers Park Country Club, which recently underwent a fantastic renovation by architect Kris Spence of Greensboro, and Carmel Country Club are two more that round out the quartet of venerable private clubs in Charlotte.Newer clubs with plenty of prestige include TPC at Piper Glen, Providence Country Club, the Club at Longview, Ballantyne Country Club, The Peninsula Club, The Point Lake & Golf Club, and the Club at Irish Creek in Kannapolis. For a more affordable option, Raintree, River Run, Cedarwood, River Hills, Cowans Ford, NorthStone, and Carolina Golf Club offer memberships ranging from $2,000 to $10,000.Some of the newer private courses serve as centerpieces of suburban residential developments. Many were designed by golf professionals and famous course architects. Jack Nicklaus sculpted one of his signature courses at the Club at Longview, a beautiful design set on rolling hills behind Old English–inspired rock walls and wrought-iron gates in the Union County town of Weddington.At Lake Norman, private golf clubs line the water and are dotted with million-dollar homes. There you’ll find the Peninsula Club designed by Rees Jones, River Run Golf & Country Club by Raymond Floyd, and The Point Lake & Golf Club by Greg Norman. NorthStone Country Club, located in a more moderate neighborhood in Huntersville, features a P. B. Dye signature course and expansive clubhouse.
5. Piedmont Medical Center
City: Rock Hill, SC
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (803) 327-4664
Address: 222 South Herlong Ave.,
Description: Piedmont Medical, part of the national Tenet Healthcare Corp., is the primary general hospital for York, Chester, and Lancaster Counties just across the South Carolina line from Charlotte. The 288-bed hospital offers 24-hour emergency care; critical, cardiac, and cancer care; a sleep disorders center; pediatric, surgery, and rehabilitation services; extensive imaging and diagnostics; and a digestive disease center. The hospital has a PET scanner to pinpoint and treat cancer more accurately, and women undergoing cancer treatment can receive appearance enhancement help with free wigs, scarves, and turbans. The $34-million, four-story Women’s Center features private rooms, Jacuzzi suites, sleeping sofas, and Internet access. The 95,000-square-foot center also includes the Community Health Education and Resource Center. Patients at Piedmont Medical Center can set up secure Web pages to keep friends and family posted.
6. Glencairn Garden
City: Rock Hill, SC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (803) 329-5620
Address: 725 Crest St.,
Description: The gift of a few azaleas to Dr. David and Hazel Bigger in 1928 grew into 400 profuse and colorful bushes 30 years later. The private garden was later donated to the city of Rock Hill, which has transformed Glencairn into a botanical jewel with 3,000 azaleas, a three-tiered fountain, a Japanese arched bridge, and six acres of beauty. Trails wind under canopies of dogwood, oak, cherry, wisteria, and crape myrtle, and past camellias, day lilies, lily ponds, and sweeps of bulbs. Plants grow and bloom year-round, but the peak is during Rock Hill’s annual Come See Me Festival each April, when azaleas, rhododendrons, and dogwoods explode in color. Hostas, ferns, lilies, and annuals are also showcased. A multistage renovation has added more features to the garden in recent years. Open dawn to dusk daily; free.
7. Westminster Towers
City: Rock Hill, SC
Category: Retirement
Telephone: (803) 328-5000, (800) 345-6026
Address: 1330 India Hook Rd.,
Description: Opened in 1989 and since remodeled, Westminster Towers is a not-for-profit community of Westminster Presbyterian Church. It was the first retirement community in South Carolina to earn accreditation through the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission. Retirees can choose a studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom apartment in the independent-living community, or move to the assisted-living manor or nursing-care facility, if needed. Amenities include housekeeping, prepared meals, an indoor heated swimming pool, a fitness facility, and planned outings and events.
8. Museum Of York County
City: Rock Hill, SC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (803) 329-2121
Address: 4621 Mount Gallant Rd.
Description: This museum is a true find for children and adults as well. With more than 200 fully mounted animals of Africa, the largest collection in the Southeast, the museum’s phenomenal animal exhibits are reminiscent, though on a smaller scale, of New York’s Natural History Museum. The museum also features a planetarium, astronomy exhibits, the artwork of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies “Snap, Crackle, Pop” creator and area native Vernon Grant, and curriculum-based school programs. It offers an excellent gift shop, nature trail, and picnic facilities. Hours are 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Mon through Sat and from 1 until 5 p.m. on Sun. Admission is $5 adults, $4 seniors, $3 students, free for children younger than 4.