Thrills and No Spills at Carolina Motorsport Park

As a child I didn't know anyone who raced in a soap-box derby.  I never had a go-cart or Moped when they were the fad. In fact, I didn't even get my driver's license until after I graduated from high school, but I must say I love the excitement of jamming the gas pedal to the floor and feeling the car's acceleration. While that may sound a bit macho, women enjoy power and speed, too. Certainly the Good Girls do!

Go-Karts at Carolina Motorsports Park

I was in for treat the morning we arrived at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC and was told I could drive a go-cart! After one quick look at the place, I knew this is not your average go-cart track. Carolina Motorsports Park is the work of famed track designer, Alan Wilson. It opened back in 1991 and has continued to expand its facilities and services including: a 200 ft. diameter skid pad, timing tower with meeting and classroom space, race fuel station and open air garage for both cars and karts.

Ready to Go!

Weekdays, the 2.235-mile road course is primarily used for race team practice, car manufacturer testing, TV show and commercial filming as well as law enforcement training. Weekends are busy with auto and motorcycle races, track time events and driver education.

Debi driving the course.

“Carolina Motorsports Park allows drivers of all skill levels to practice, make mistakes and tune up in a safe environment,” said retired NASCAR driver, Ricky Rudd. Rudd has spent a lot of time there doing just that. "It’s the only course of its kind in the Carolinas, I think it’s the best kept secret around.”

Debi in her helmet

I wouldn't be racing a car, just taking a go-cart for a spin. I was given a helmet and maneuvered my body in the low seat (practically on the ground low) of a Birel Racing Kart and followed the leader out onto the 0.7- mile, 16 turn course. My kart had racing tires and was capable of 50 mph, but we didn't go anywhere near that speed. (Judy's hip would not allow her manage getting in and out of the kart.)

Fun?  I should say so; driving the course was a blast, a real adrenaline rush. Each lap I tried to go faster and  really felt like I was racing. Another great secret- driving a go-cart only costs just $20 for a 10 minute session.

Children ages 12 and up are also allowed to rent go-karts. (I imagine my grandson would nominate me for best grandma if I took them there!) Children who join the track's race series get instruction from track manager and guru, David Watkins. He has worked with kids as young as five and six. They are grouped according to age, of course, when sent out on the course. I saw a few of these "kiddie karts" in the garage and they were adorable.  

Child size Go-Karts in the Garage

Carolina Motorsports is home to the 10-race POWERADE Karting Championship, the Maxxis Summer Series and two WKA national events are held at the facility. In 2015, CMP will host The Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals, one of the premier annual events in Karting.

The Party Room at Carolina Motorsports Park 

The facilities would also make a grand outing for a corporation, think team building, or for a group or party. To find out more call 800-475-5006. Carolina Motorsports Park is a fun place!

Exploring Lancaster and Cheraw

One fine morning during the Good Girls road trip, we stopped by the Olde English District Visitors Center, a place right off the highway. We found scads of brochures touting any and everything you might want to do in the state plus a delightful collection of South Carolina made items, pottery, jewelry, photographs and such. The collection of cookbooks was quite wonderful and we succumbed to Dori Sander's Country Cooking, teased by the chapter on cooking and baking with peaches.

On to Lancaster, South Carolina, known as the Red Rose City, after England's House of Lancaster for whom the flower was a symbol in the War of the Roses. The town was established in 1785 by British settlers who moved south from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Today, you'll find many red rose bushes planted in the downtown district.

Sculptor Bob Doster

We first stopped in to meet a famous resident and sculptor, Bob Doster. Bob is a very friendly, down to earth guy. His Backstreet Studio is housed in a row of formerly derelict buildings with an art-strewn garden out back. The brightly painted interior bursts with stunning paintings, sculpture and other objects d'art.

  

Doster's Workshop

Doster works with metal, mostly reclaimed metal and his next door workshop is a hodgepodge of scraps, saws, clamps, and soldering irons. Bob is a man with big vision and he produces some monumental works. His pieces are placed all over the South in sculpture gardens, on downtown streets and outside banks. One is a 40-foot high rocket at the Challenger Learning Center in Columbia; another, a depiction of DNA strands in brass and steel, is displayed in a five-story lobby at the University of North Carolina. 

Bob volunteers much of his time teaching children from elementary to college levels. He guides the students through the process of designing and drawing, then creating and installing a project.

We also met Bob's wife, Cherry, a real dynamo. She is also an artist and major advocate for the arts.

Cherry Doster

Cherry directs the Lancaster Council on Arts and she took us for a quick driving tour, pointing out highlights within the city and the Lancaster Wall of Fame. As always we were surprised to learn unusual details about a place. Did you know this old textile town is the place where all Duracell AA batteries in America are made and that a Lancastrian, Charles Duke, walked on the moon? More trivia facts for my brain!

Lancaster Wall of Fame

Soon we were off to sample some barbeque at Pig-n-Vittles in Pageland. The tiny hole in the wall restaurant (in the best sense of the phrase) is the real deal. Great southern food at amazingly low prices cooked by co-owner Logan Ring. Don't miss this location or the award-winning one in Chesterfield.

Pig-N-Vittles

Following lunch we headed to Cheraw, a town named for the Indian tribe that inhabited the area in the early 1700's.  The town grew as a trading center. In the 1760's it was formally laid out with a gridded street system and later lined with trees. The town green flaunts a collection of 19th century public buildings including the Town Hall, Market Hall, a law office and the Lyceum.

Beautiful Streets in Cheraw

We especially enjoyed the effervescent statue of Dizzy Gillespie, who spent his childhood here. We made a car tour around the streets passing some 50 antebellum and Victorian homes and Gillespie park containing a musical themed fence made by Bob Doster.

Statue of Dizzy Gillespie

Gillespie Park & Fence

 One of Cheraw's treasures is Old St. David's Episcopal Church, 1770, used by both the British and separatists during the Revolutionary War and Confederate and Union soldiers during the Civil War. Soldiers from every American War are buried in the surrounding cemetery. The interior, open by appointment with the Cheraw Visitors Bureau, is simple and elegant. The box pews and pulpit are reconstructions. The steeple was added in 1826. Today, the stately church is home to many civic events and weddings.

Old St. David's Church in Cheraw

Grave Marker in St. David's Cemetery

Interior of St. David's Church

Historically, March, 1865, saw Cheraw become the unwilling host to General William T. Sherman's Union troops. They amazingly left the town buildings and homes alone because they liked them. We did, too, and encourage a visit.

Debi tried out the pulpit.

Don't forget to stop in the River's Edge Cheraw Bakery to taste homemade goodies that actually pass our stringent taste test. Yes, the Good Girls award a thumbs up for the chocolate peanut butter and coconut cream cakes.  The handmade quilts are also worth a look.

Cheraw State Park golf course.

Before returning we drove around Cheraw State Park that contains another hidden gem: an 18-hole championship golf course with a full service pro-shop.