Pee Dee Tourism Commission

Pee Dee Tourism Commission South Carolina's P*e Dee region covers seven unique counties: Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, and Williamsburg. What is the P*e Dee Region?

Our seven county region, named after the Native American P*e Dee Indians, still holds the natural beauty that first drew early visitors here. Today, visitors can explore those same wonders. Start planning with our guides on where to stay, what to eat, and things to do. Follow us on social media for tips, inspiration, and event updates!

🏁 The engines are LOUD and the P*e Dee is ready! 🔥It’s RACE WEEKEND at Darlington Raceway! The Track Too Tough to Tame!...
09/05/2026

🏁 The engines are LOUD and the P*e Dee is ready! 🔥

It’s RACE WEEKEND at Darlington Raceway! The Track Too Tough to Tame! 🏎️💨

Welcome, race fans! Come for the racing. Stay and explore the P*e Dee. ❤️🏁

*eDee

🏁🏆 🏁🏆On September 4, 1950, racing history was made in the P*e Dee when the inaugural Southern 500 roared to life at Da...
09/04/2026

🏁🏆 🏁🏆

On September 4, 1950, racing history was made in the P*e Dee when the inaugural Southern 500 roared to life at Darlington Raceway.

Starting 43rd in the field, Johnny Mantz of Long Beach, California, worked his way to victory in a 1950 Plymouth Coupe. The grueling race took 6 hours, 38 minutes and 40 seconds to complete, with Mantz taking the checkered flag an incredible nine laps ahead of Fireball Roberts. His first-place prize was $11,500. 🏎️💨

The race helped establish Darlington as one of stock car racing’s most legendary tracks and began a Southern 500 tradition that continues today.

Have you ever attended the Southern 500? Share your favorite Darlington Raceway memory below! 👇

📍 Darlington Raceway

📸: NASCAR official Bill Tuthill (from left) interviewed track owner Harold Brasington and race-winner Johnny Mantz after Mantz won the inaugural Southern 500. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images.

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Source: https://darlingtoncountymuseum.org/2017/09/04/today-in-darlington-county-history-johnny-mantz-won-first-southern-500/
https://www.nascarhall.com/blog/the-first-southern-500
📘Southern 500: 70 Years of Thrills and Chills, Drama and Dents at Darlington Raceway

🏁 Darlington Trivia! 🏁After more than a decade away, what year did the Southern 500 return to its traditional Labor Day ...
09/04/2026

🏁 Darlington Trivia! 🏁

After more than a decade away, what year did the Southern 500 return to its traditional Labor Day weekend at Darlington Raceway?

A. 2011
B. 2015
C. 2013
D. 2017

Drop your answer in the comments! ⬇️

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Source: Southern 500: 70 Years of Thrills and Chills, Dramas and Dents at Darlington by Morning News

🍽️🐾 — Red Bone Alley 🐾🍽️This week’s takes us to a longtime Florence favorite — Redbone Alley!Opened in 1993, Red Bon...
09/04/2026

🍽️🐾 — Red Bone Alley 🐾🍽️

This week’s takes us to a longtime Florence favorite — Redbone Alley!

Opened in 1993, Red Bone Alley was created to feel like a little escape from the everyday, complete with a Charleston-inspired streetscape, upstairs balcony, glowing lanterns and plenty of Southern personality. The restaurant even gets its name from owner Dale Barth’s daughter’s redbone coonhound! 🐶❤️

And then there’s the food. 😋 From Low Country Shrimp & Grits and Dale’s Famous Cheese Grits to burgers, seafood, steaks, salads, and Southern favorites, there’s plenty to tempt just about everyone at the table.

🎶 Bonus: Red Bone Alley currently features a daily Happy Hour from 4 to7.

📍 1903 W. Palmetto St., Florence

☎️ 843-673-0035

🕒 Hours:
Monday through Saturday: 11-10
Sunday: 11- 9

Come hungry and enjoy a Florence restaurant that has been serving up food, fun and plenty of character for more than three decades! ❤️

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Source: https://www.redbonealley.com/

🏁 From Friday to the Finish Line: Darlington Race Weekend! 🏁Labor Day weekend is packed with racing, community events, a...
09/04/2026

🏁 From Friday to the Finish Line: Darlington Race Weekend! 🏁

Labor Day weekend is packed with racing, community events, and unforgettable experiences at Darlington Raceway! Here’s what’s happening:

🩸 Race To Save Lives Blood Drive
📅 Friday, September 4th from 11 to 5
📍 Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum & Gift Shop

Donors will receive a gift from the American Red Cross and two tickets to Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race, courtesy of Darlington Raceway!

Schedule your appointment: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=darlingtonraceway

🚛 Hauler Showcase & Parade
📅 Friday, September 4th
📍 Florence-Darlington Technical College and Downtown Darlington

See the colorful haulers from all 36 NASCAR Cup Series teams at Florence-Darlington Technical College, meet Ross Chastain, and watch the haulers parade through downtown Darlington on their way to the historic Darlington Raceway, where they will load into the NASCAR Cup Series Garage!

Schedule:
🏁 4 pm – Hauler Showcase begins
🎤 4:05 pm – Official welcome
❓ 4:30 pm – Ross Chastain Q&A
✍️ 4:45 to 5:15 pm – Autograph session
🚛 5:30 pm – Haulers begin lining up
🎉 6 pm – Hauler Parade begins

👟 Terrence Carraway Memorial 5K
📅 Saturday, September 5th at 8 am
📍 Darlington Raceway

Run or walk around the historic track “Too Tough to Tame” in memory of fallen Florence Police Sgt. Terrence F. Carraway. Proceeds benefit the Terrence F. Carraway Foundation, and participants receive a T-shirt, swag bag, and medal.

Race Sign up: https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/Darlington/TerrenceCarrawayMemorial5KAtDarlingtonRaceway

🏎️ FLEETIO 200
📅 Saturday, September 5th at 7:30 pm
📍 Darlington Raceway

Kick off Labor Day weekend with the high-speed NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Fleetio 200!

🏆 COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500
📅 Sunday, September 6th at 5 pm
📍 Darlington Raceway

Feel the speed, history, and excitement as NASCAR’s best battle through 367 laps and 501.32 demanding miles at the legendary track “Too Tough to Tame!”

Make plans for an action-packed weekend in Darlington—from saving lives and honoring a hero to haulers, high speeds, and the unforgettable Southern 500! 🏁

🔗 Find more information about all the events: https://www.darlingtonraceway.com/event-calendar/

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🏁Southern 500 DID YOU KNOW? 🏁Before Hershel McGriff ever took the green flag at the inaugural Southern 500, he had alrea...
09/04/2026

🏁Southern 500 DID YOU KNOW? 🏁

Before Hershel McGriff ever took the green flag at the inaugural Southern 500, he had already caught the eye of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.

In May 1950, McGriff and co-driver Ray Elliott won the inaugural Carrera Panamericana, a grueling six-day road race that stretched nearly the entire length of Mexico — beginning in Ciudad Juárez, just south of El Paso, Texas, and finishing in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, near the Guatemalan border.

France was also competing in the event and came away impressed with the young driver from Oregon.

Just a few months later, McGriff drove his Oldsmobile the 2,909 miles from Oregon to South Carolina to compete in the first Southern 500 at Darlington.

With accommodations scarce, he reportedly spent a couple of nights sleeping on the courthouse lawn. And when he needed a pit crew, he recruited workers from a Florence service station to help him on race day.

The result? McGriff finished an impressive 9th in NASCAR’s first Southern 500.

And here’s one more remarkable part of the story: Hershel McGriff is 98 years old, making him an incredible living connection to NASCAR’s earliest days. 🏎️🏁

From racing the length of Mexico to sleeping on a courthouse lawn before taking on Darlington — they really did race differently in 1950!

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Source: Southern 500: 70 years if thrills and chills, Drama and Dents at Darlington Raceway by Morning News https://zmiller82.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-career-of-hershel-mcgriff.html

🍑🥂 - Peach and Quiet at Victors 🥂🍑Sometimes the best plan is to sip back and enjoy a little Peach and Quiet. 😉Head to ...
09/03/2026

🍑🥂 - Peach and Quiet at Victors 🥂🍑

Sometimes the best plan is to sip back and enjoy a little Peach and Quiet. 😉

Head to Victors, The Carolina Chophouse in downtown Florence and treat yourself to this peachy cocktail — the perfect excuse to gather a few friends, settle in, and toast to almost making it through the week. 🍹✨

📍 Victors, The Carolina Chophouse
126 W Evans Street, Florence

🕰️ Hours:
Monday - Thursday 6:30 am to 10 pm
Friday - Saturday 6:30 am to 11 pm
Sunday 6:30 am to 3 pm

The kitchen closes daily from 3 to 4:30.
🍑 Good drinks. Great atmosphere. A little Peach and Quiet. What more could you ask for?

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Source: https://www.facebook.com/VictorsFloSC

🏁 DARLINGTON TRIVIA! 🏁Nelson Stacy nicknamed “Grandpa,” was 40 years old when he competed in his first full NASCAR seaso...
09/02/2026

🏁 DARLINGTON TRIVIA! 🏁

Nelson Stacy nicknamed “Grandpa,” was 40 years old when he competed in his first full NASCAR season (he had started one race in 1951, beating polesitter, Fireball Roberts for the win) capping it off with a victory in the 1961 Southern 500. 🏆

Before taking on the track Too Tough to Tame, Stacy served his country during World War II.

What did Nelson Stacy do during WWII?

A. Flew fighter planes ✈️
B. Drove a tank under General George S. Patton 🪖
C. Served aboard a Navy battleship ⚓
D. Worked as an Army mechanic 🔧

Drop your answer in the comments! ⬇️

*eDeeTourism *eDeeTourism *eDeeRegion

👻📚 is BACK! 📚👻Some stories fade with time.Others linger. 👀With the release of Haunted South Carolina by JohnG ClarkJr ...
09/02/2026

👻📚 is BACK! 📚👻

Some stories fade with time.
Others linger. 👀

With the release of Haunted South Carolina by JohnG ClarkJr ,we’re dusting off to spotlight a few eerie tales from right here in the P*e Dee Region.

Inside the book, you’ll find these P*e Dee Region stories:

👻 Stagecoach Accident at Burnt Factory Pond - Bennettsville

🏚️ This House Is No Holliday - Marion

📖A Haunted Library - Marion

🏛️The South Carolina To***co Museum - Mullins

🚒 A Haunted Fire Department - Mullins

Historic places, strange happenings. and stories that refuse to stay buried; the P*e Dee has more than its share of haunted history.

If local legends, ghost stories and a little Southern mystery are your kind of reading, pick up a copy of Haunted South Carolina and discover what may still be lurking across the Palmetto State. 👻📖

🛒 Purchase the book here:
https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-South-Carolina-America/dp/1467170259

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🏁 Darlington Trivia! 🏁True or False: In 1957, Darlington Raceway president Bob Colvin paid a $50 fine so the track could...
09/01/2026

🏁 Darlington Trivia! 🏁

True or False: In 1957, Darlington Raceway president Bob Colvin paid a $50 fine so the track could run a NASCAR Convertible Division race on Sunday after Saturday’s event was rained out. 🤔

NASCAR had launched its convertible division in 1956, and the 1957 Darlington event was set to be the biggest convertible race yet. But when rain washed out Saturday’s race, South Carolina’s Sunday “blue laws” stood in the way.

True or False? Drop your answer in the comments! ⬇️

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Source: Darlington Raceway: Too Tough to Tame by Cathy Elliott

Address

2513 West Lucas Street
Florence, SC
29501

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

(843) 669-0950

Website

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