Off The Front Porch

CAYCE, S.C. -- Along the banks of the Congaree River , this burgeoning suburb of South Carolina's capital city has embraced the arts and its ability to drive economic revitalization . State Street in downtown Cayce once was a row of shuttered buildings. Now, the CAYCE RIVER ARTS DISTRICT is becoming a magnet for creative people to settle and make their daily life and earn a living in this visionar...

CAYCE, S.C. -- Lovers of blues music from across South Carolina gathered at a fun and funky little arts center on a steamy Saturday in this riverside suburb of Columbia to pay tribute to a true legend of Carolina Blues, the 93-year-old  Drink Small . This celebration of "the Blues Doctor" and his musical legacy was a presentation of the newly-minted CAROLINA BLUES PRESERVATION SOCIETY , a nonprofi...

MACON, Ga. -- For a full decade, from 1969 to 1979, Capricorn Studios was the vibrant musical home to Southern Rock icons the Allman Brothers and a whole host of artists. By 1980, the studios were silent. In 2015, Mercer University and a visionary team of partners began a nearly five-million-dollar project to revitalize the historic Capricorn Sound Studios and Museum . Today, the studios are once...

MACON, Ga. -- About an hour south of Atlanta, the small city of Macon sits along the banks of the Ocmulgee River on land that has been occupied by humans for at least 17,000 years. But Macon is much more than ancient history; it is a place where modern-day life moves to its own unique and soulful rhythm. In this first of a two-part series, we sit for a conversation with  MARISA RODGERS , Vice-Pres...

BARNWELL, S.C. -- It was found inside King Tut's tomb. A devoted follower anointed the feet of Jesus Christ with it, and Queen Cleopatra dabbed some on her wrists to entice Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. History and legend have long celebrated the power of lavender to delight and enthrall. On the KING GEORGE LAVENDER FARM in rural Barnwell County, South Carolina, this aromatic flower reigns suprem...

SNELLVILLE, S.C. -- In the fall of 1981, a then-33-year-old DANNY FORD led the Clemson Tigers college football team to a perfect 12-0 season and the National Championship. He remains the youngest man ever to lead a program to the pinnacle of America's favorite sport. Flash forward 45 years. Ford is now 78 and farming land he acquired during his tenure at Clemson. This spring, he is lending his cel...

SWAINSBORO, Ga. -- Tucked inside an antique mall in the town that calls itself "The Crossroads Of The Great South" is one of the most impressive collections of music memorabilia anywhere south of the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, or the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. With pieces from artists ranging from George Strait to Bob Dylan, from Johnny Cash to The Beatles, collec...

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- Ten years ago this spring, the literary world lost a true giant: Pat Conroy . With such familiar best-selling titles as The Great Santini , The Prince Of Tides and Beach Music , Conroy's emotionally-charged, largely autobiographical novels have transported millions to the South Carolina Lowcountry through the lens of a complex and deeply-flawed cast of characters. The legacy of t...

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- With the opening of the new Jonathan Green Maritime Cultural Center on the campus of the University of South Carolina Beaufort, the work of world-renowned artist JONATHAN GREEN is celebrated against the backdrop of the wider study of art inspired and informed by African culture. In this second installment of our visit to the Lowcountry, our conversation turns specifically to the...

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- The artist JONATHAN GREEN is known worldwide for his paintings that capture the beauty, pride and dignity of Lowcountry culture, the people and the places who have lived and worked on South Carolina's sea islands for centuries. Green's passion for his heritage now has burst off the wall and into the galleries of the new Jonathan Green Maritime Cultural Center on the campus of the...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Whenever the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team or baseball team take to the field, the school's famously furry and frenetic mascot Cocky is usually close at hand to entertain the faithful. On many occasions, the festivities also include the school's real-life mascot, an honest-to-goodness fine feathered fowl, a majestic and dignified creature named  Sir Big Spu...

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Our   weekly podcast exploring the Southern experience, premieres on this second Sunday in April 2026 -- which happens to be the Sunday afternoon of arguably the world's greatest golf tournament, held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Golf takes center stage not just on the hallowed grounds of the Augusta National but also at the AUGUSTA MUSEUM OF HISTORY . Tod...