Bursting the Bubble

November 11, 2014

Addie Lawrence stands in the midst of Spartanburg’s natural offerings. The columnists swear they didn’t photoshop this picture.

SEEDY GRAPES AND STRANGE BUTTERFLIES—

Writers Addie Lawrence and Elaine Best have set out to explore the world outside of the Wofford Bubble, hoping to find gems and adventures in the supposedly miserable Spartanburg.

They hope to be the renegades of a new movement, that students will pop this bubble and explore what Spartanburg and the areas surrounding Wofford have to offer.

Glendale Shoals

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Where: Lawson’s Fork of the Pacolet River in Glendale, SC

Price: Free

What it is: A mill that burned to the ground, leaving behind a few buildings overgrown with plants. Glendale now functions as a public park and a spot for outdoor recreation. The Goodall Environmental Studies Center, located in the park, is the center of Wofford’s activity at Glendale.

Our thoughts:

E: A nice area with friendly people who demand you try the Glendale grapes (which are delicious, in fact, as long as you are aware of the sneaky pack of seeds that will assault you as soon as you take a bite).

A: After nearly choking on seeds, we walked along the river’s edge and felt like archeologists discovering the ruins of a lost civilization. The brave will find waterfalls to jump off of and rapids to ride. Those who seek the sun will find plenty of rocks for tanning and benches for pretending to read for your English class.

E: The not-so-brave can enjoy a pleasant walk around the park while having cute little mosquitos nibble on your flesh and blood. Ah, nothing beats nature.

Ratings:A: I give Glendale as many points as the amount of baby spiders in an egg sac.E: And I give Glendale as many points as the amount of seeds in their grapes. Bonus for the potential wine they may be making from them.

Hatcher Garden & Woodland PreserveWhere: 820 John B. White BlvdPrice: Free

Hours: Dusk to dawn

What it is: According to their website, Hatcher Garden is “a community supported urban garden” that was started by Harold Hatcher along with his wife, Josephine. With waterfalls and flowers that look like they were taken out of a fairy tale, Hatcher Garden provides a nice nature get-away that is only nine minutes from campus. Hatcher Garden also holds many events, so be sure to see what they have to offer if you choose to visit this little paradise.

Our thoughts:

A: I honestly had no idea that this existed, let alone that it was a mere 10 minutes away from campus.E: Same here. There are many things to enjoy at Hatcher Gardens and one of them is not the giant, terrifying butterfly that is decoratively hung from a tree. Aside from that, this place was quite charming and picturesque.A: I felt like I was walking into a postcard for fall, or even the very essence of fall itself. The ponds were covered in red, yellow, and orange leaves to the point where we almost walked across the surface, not realizing that we would find water beneath our feet.

E: Perhaps one of the best discoveries we made was an open sandbox where I demanded Addie make me something out of the sand. Her creation was left unidentified due to its deformed shape. Let’s just say the world should be happy she’s not going to be an architect.

A: It was abstract art. Along our journey through the trees, we found a bog that looked like it could’ve housed an alligator or a body. We’ll say that the layers of accumulating pond scum were atmospheric.

E: Yes, along with that darling mega-butterfly.

Ratings:

A: I give Hatcher Gardens a large glass of purified water after a long day of being really thirsty.

E: I give Hatcher Gardens a 10/10 poisonous apples for seeming like it came straight out of a fairy tale. The apples are poisonous, however, due to the tainted, terrifying sculptures they had randomly lurking about. Otherwise, amazing.

Moral of the story:

E: Hanging out in nature is a great way to escape stress and annoying people. Unless you’re working on a column with them. Then it’s a great opportunity to throw them in the beautiful ponds or throw sand in their faces.

A: You don’t have to go far to immerse yourself in nature. That said, if someone brings you into the depths of the woods “for a column,” run. Run and don’t look back.

The Zen Garden section of Hatcher Gardens provides plenty of sand for artistic interpretation and sandcastling (water must be provided in the form of saliva).

This giant steel butterfly guards the entrance to Hatcher Gardens. No smaller steel butterfly brethren were spotted during the columnists’ excursion.

— Addie Lawrence and Elaine Best, Staff Writers

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