Aiken, SC Travel Guide: Parking, Areas and Events

Destinations › Midlands › Aiken

Aiken is in Aiken County, in South Carolina's Midlands, with about 32,694 residents (2024 Census estimate). Aiken is the county seat of Aiken County, in western South Carolina, about 20 miles northeast of Augusta, GA and about an hour from Columbia, per the Visit Aiken fact sheet.

Population32,694Census estimate, July 2024
CountyAiken CountyMidlands region
Our Guides Nearby4parks, attractions, venues within 25 mi
Things to Do16 pickshours, costs, kids, dogs

Plan It in Three Lines

Things to Do
16 picks with hours, costs and kid, dog and rain notes.
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Where to Park
Hitchcock Woods entrances:
All parking below
What's On
Dated events in and around Aiken, checked on organizer pages.
Events page

Things to Do in Aiken Aiken Events

About Aiken

Aiken is the county seat of Aiken County, in western South Carolina, about 20 miles northeast of Augusta, GA and about an hour from Columbia, per the Visit Aiken fact sheet. source
Aiken was chartered as a city in 1835 and grew up around the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company line; the town is named for William Aiken, the company's first president. source
Visit Aiken says the city became a retreat for Winter Colonists escaping northern winters and a hub of equestrian activity; it calls Aiken the heart of SC's Thoroughbred Country. source
Visit Aiken's equestrian page lists miles of trails, Sunday polo matches and the Aiken Training Track among the city's horse-country draws. source
The Aiken Downtown Cultural District is the 12th official Cultural District in South Carolina, per Visit Aiken. source

Areas Visitors Use

Downtown Aiken / Aiken Downtown Cultural District SC Arts Commission-designated Cultural District with the Amentum Center for Performing Arts, Aiken Center for the Arts, the Alley and public art. source
Hopelands Gardens and the Winter Colony / South Boundary area Hopelands Gardens, the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame, the Gerde Carriage Museum and the Hitchcock Woods foundation office are on or near Dupree Place and South Boundary Avenue. source
Hitchcock Woods About 2,100 acres of forest on Aiken's south side with sandy trails, entered from several gates including South Boundary Avenue SW. source
Aiken Training Track / Two Notch Road Thoroughbred training facility at 538 Two Notch Road, close to Hitchcock Woods. source
Bruce's Field (Aiken Horse Park) Equestrian competition grounds at 931 Powderhouse Rd SE. source

Getting There and Around

Aiken is in western SC, about 20 miles northeast of Augusta, GA and about an hour outside Columbia, SC, per the Visit Aiken fact sheet. source
Augusta Regional Airport is about 30 minutes away and Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) about one hour away, per Visit Aiken's fact sheet. source
Aiken Transport Express offers airport transfer packages between Aiken and Atlanta, Columbia, Charlotte and Augusta, and scheduled pickups with a $25 minimum charge. source
Historic Aiken Trolley Tours leave the Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum (406 Park Ave SE) at 10 am each Saturday; reservations strongly encouraged; arrive by 9:45 am; the trolley is enclosed and has a wheelchair lift. source

Visitor center: Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum. 406 Park Ave. SE, Aiken, SC; Opens at 9:00 am on Saturdays for trolley ticket holders; staff phone line Mon-Sat 9 am-5 pm (per trolley page); (803) 293-7846 source

Parking in Aiken

Where	Rate	When	Notes	Source
Hitchcock Woods entrances			Seven main entrances; horse-trailer parking at 263 Rubins Cottage Ln and limited along the Aiken County Historical Museum wall on South Boundary Ave SW. Admission is free.	source
Aiken Trials race day (Aiken Training Track)	General Admission Parking $25 in advance and at the gate	Aiken Trials, Saturday, March 14, 2026 (next: Saturday, March 13, 2027)	Every vehicle needs a parking pass; tickets cash only at the gate.	source
Blessing of the Hounds, South Boundary entrance			Hitchcock Woods noted its South Boundary entrance closed to vehicles (pedestrian access only) for the 2023 Blessing of the Hounds; this was an event notice.	source

Dogs

Hitchcock Woods dog walkers: dogs not on the owner's property must be on a leash or physically attached restraint under Aiken County ordinance Sec. 4-30; hunt-season restrictions apply Tuesdays 1:30-5:00 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 a.m.-noon, Oct 15-Mar 15. source
Historic Aiken Trolley Tours do not allow pets; service animals only. source

When to Go

Hitchcock Woods: during the Aiken Hounds hunt season, October 15 through March 15, dog walking is restricted Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings and non-hunting equestrians are advised to use extreme caution. source
Aiken Horse Show in the Woods 2026: horse show Friday March 27 to Sunday March 29, with a cocktail party Thursday March 26. source
Aiken Trials race day is held in March (83rd running March 14, 2026; 84th March 13, 2027). source
The Aiken Training Track says winter training season in Aiken has cold mornings and warm afternoons; the Track Kitchen is open through the winter season. source
The Clifford S. Gerde Carriage Museum is open Sundays 2-5 PM only March through November. source

Coming Up in and Near Aiken

Oct 31Aiken Fall Steeplechase (33rd running)Aiken · about 1 mi
Nov 5–8Experimental Relief (USC Aiken ten-minute play festival)Aiken · about 1 mi
Nov 17Jerron Paxton and Dennis Lichtman (Cultural Series)Aiken · about 1 mi
Nov 26Aiken Turkey Trot 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run (15th annual)Aiken · about 1 mi
Dec 338th Annual Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting (Aiken)Aiken · about 1 mi
Dec 4–556th Annual Christmas Craft Show (Aiken)Aiken · about 1 mi

10 more on the full events calendar.

Events within 15 miles, measured in a straight line to the centre of the event's town. Dates come from our checked events list; confirm with the organizer.

Near Aiken

Around Aiken within 25 miles

1Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museumsports history museumabout 1 mi
2Hopelands Gardenscity estate gardenabout 1 mi
3Redcliffe Plantation State Historic SiteState Historic Siteabout 11 mi
4Aiken State ParkState Parkabout 14 mi

Straight-line distances between map points, not driving miles. Dots sit in their true compass direction; distance is stretched near the middle so close neighbors stay readable.

Nearby Towns With Their Own Guide

ColumbiaAbout 59 mi straight-line, Midlands

FAQ

Is Hitchcock Woods free?

Yes. The Woods are open 365 days a year from sunup to sundown and admission is free. source

Can I bring my dog to Hitchcock Woods?

Yes, on a leash or physical restraint. During hunt season (Oct 15-Mar 15) dog walking is not permitted Tuesdays 1:30-5:00 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 a.m.-noon. source

Can I watch horses train in Aiken?

The Aiken Training Track runs training hours from 7 am to 11 am and its site describes a Clockers' Stand for watching morning workouts. The track is privately owned; call 803-648-4631 to confirm visitor access. source

When is Hopelands Gardens open?

Visit Aiken lists hours as 10am to sunset; the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inside is open Tue-Fri 2-5 pm, Sat 10 am-5 pm, Sun 2-5 pm and is free. source

What airport do I fly into?

Visit Aiken's fact sheet gives Augusta Regional Airport at about 30 minutes and Columbia Metropolitan Airport at about one hour. source

Where can I buy local produce?

The Aiken County Farmers Market runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 7:30-11:30 a.m. all year. source

How many people live in Aiken?

About 32,694, the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimate for July 1, 2024 (Census table).

What We Could Not Confirm

Not confirmed: we looked for these on official pages and did not find them. Check with the town or operator before you rely on them.

Downtown Aiken parking (rates, time limits, lots): cityofaikensc.gov blocks automated fetch; Visit Aiken search found no parking page. Left out.
Hopelands Gardens dog rule: no official city or Visit Aiken text read; left blank.
Aiken official city page (founding, government): cityofaikensc.gov returned a Cloudflare challenge; 1835 charter year taken from Visit Aiken's Inclined Plane page.
Highway names (e.g. I-20) for reaching Aiken: not stated on pages read; fact sheet gives only distances.
Visitors Center hours (other than Saturday opening and phone line hours) and trolley ticket price: not on the page read.
Aiken Training Track visitor access beyond Clockers' Stand description, Aiken Historical Museum hours/cost, Planetarium prices: not found on pages read.

Sources

Read on October 26, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.

Cite this page: It's South Carolina, “Aiken, SC Travel Guide”, itssouthcarolina.com/destinations/midlands/aiken/ (updated 2026-10-26). By the It's South Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.

Aiken, SC Travel Guide

Things to Do

Where to Park

What's On