Aiken's style comes from its longtime reputation as a good place for leisure pursuits.
First, there is golf. Aiken is home to one of America's oldest and finest courses - The Palmetto. There are eight additional courses nearby, including The Highland Park Country Club course, Houndslake Country Club, Woodside Plantation and Cedar Creek.
Then there are horses. Aiken's early families loved horses. With the area's warm climate, horse shows, polo games, races and drag hunts could be held year-round.
Today is no different. Polo is still played at Whitney Field, the site of the longest consecutive period of play on one field in the United States. Almost every major race in the country has at least one Aiken-trained horse in it.
Aiken's love for horses comes to a crest during Aiken's Triple Crown - three successive weekends of Harness Racing, the Aiken Trails and the Aiken Steeplechase.
And there are its old houses and gardens. In addition to the green parkways adorning much of the inner city, Aiken has one of the largest urban forests in America - Hitchcock Woods. The entire city of Aiken has been declared an arboretum where you'll find many rare trees and shrubs.
Aiken's appeal as a sporting hub has a long history. New York sportsman Thomas Hitchcock was among the first to notice Aiken's potential for winter sports. He examined the mild, comfortable climate and sandy soil - cooperative elements for horse training.
The city was already becoming a winter health resort in the late 1800s for Northern patients suffering from lung disorders. They ventured South to benefit from a more comfortable climate.
The Hitchcocks purchased a home in Aiken, at the southern end of Laurens Street, and persuaded many of their Northern friends to venture South.
"The Hitchcocks told them about the weather and the woods, horses and hunting," said Jane Davis, a member of Aiken's Historic Preservation Commission who has researched the Winter Colony. "Some of them are still here."
Mr. Hitchcock transported his horses to the town and introduced the English sport of steeplechasing to the area.
On Mr. Hitchcock's advice, New York banker and sportsman William C. Whitney purchased winter stables in Aiken. A number of wealthy sportsmen from all over the world followed Mr. Whitney's lead.
The area was soon teeming with winter sports: fox hunting, polo, horse racing, steeplechasing. This "Golden Era," as it was called, lasted 50 years.
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