New Spin On History: Exploring Drayton Mills

Local history, delicious food, relaxing and romantic atmospheres, handcrafted brews, corporate offices, luxury lofts, natural destinations, and more all exist at one location, right here in Spartanburg County: Drayton Mills. (1800 Drayton Rd)

Live, Work, Play: you can do it all at Drayton Mills.

The nearly 250 acre former textile mill campus was renovated in 2015, and is the largest historic restoration project in South Carolina, to date. There's plenty to explore at Drayton, but here's a few of our favorite ideas:

Exercise At Drayton Mills

Enjoy your lattes and craft beer guilt-free, with an intensive workout from Burn Boot Camp next door.Focused on both cardio and strength-training, Burn offers customized 45-minute workouts and one-on-one sessions for every fitness level. The fitness community also offers free childcare during workouts and a nutrition program with your BBC membership.Most importantly, Burn Boot Camp is a community focused around helping women feel comfortable and strong in their surroundings.

Explore Nature At Drayton Mills

If exercising outdoors or solo is more your speed, hop on the DAN Trail-- Spartanburg's 32-mile interconnected trail system.Drayton Mills has two trail segments on either side of Drayton Road: The Lower Drayton Trail loop, and the Upper Drayton Trail that connects to Spartanburg Medical Center's Mary Black Campus. Both trails are paved, making them accessible to bicycles, strollers, wheelchairs, and trail-users of all ages.Find more Drayton Trail details here.  There's plenty of nature to observe, both on the trails and on Drayton Mills' campus. The mill pond-- once necessary to the textile mill's function-- is now home to colorful fish, turtles, and a growing family of geese.On the Drayton Trails, nature flourishes; a new bug species was even discovered on the trail recently by USC Upstate professor, Dr. Jon Storm.

Eat At Drayton Mills

After all that exercising and exploring, you've probably worked up quite an appetite! Good thing Drayton Mills is home to two delicious restaurants.Pi-Squared Pizza features Detroit-style pizza-- thick crust pizza, baked "upside down" in steel pans. Cheese and your toppings of choice are layered, with sauce added on top, leaving the pizza light and airy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Or, try their wings, subs, salads, and cheesy bread. Pi-Squared's outdoor seating overlooks the mill pond, for the perfect sunset dining. View the menu.If you're looking for an upscale meal or brunch date, check out Dray: Bar + Grill. This dog-friendly gastro-pub features a newly-redone patio and firepit, "Snack Shack" walk-up window, live music outside, an extensive cocktail menu, Sunday brunch, and rotating dinner specials of their innovative comfort food. View the menu.Speaking of cocktails,... $1 from every specialty, dog-themed drink is donated to the Spartanburg Humane Society. "Bartender, we'll have another!" Check out Dray: Bar + Grill's upcoming events, music series, drive-in movies, and dog meet-ups on their Facebook page.

Live At Drayton Mills

What could be even better than experiencing all of these businesses by day...? Living just footsteps away, in a luxury loft apartment!Drayton Mill's loft apartments feature original details, such as expansive mill windows, soaring 17-foot tall natural wood ceilings, original maple hardwood flooring dating to 1902, with modern additions such as marble countertops and steel appliances, in 68 unique floor plans to fit your personal style. Drayton residents also enjoy unique perks on-campus, such as access to the private pool, two-story workout room, and dog park.Three years in a row (2017-2019,) Drayton Mills Loft Apartments was voted "Best Apartment Community," in Spartanburg Herald-Journal's Best of the Best Awards. (We can see why!) Residents enjoy pet-friendly living and apartments with the Energy Star energy efficiency performance award.  Schedule a tour of one of their 289 luxury apartments today.

Relax At Drayton Mills

Remember when we mentioned a pool...? A 60-foot salt water lap pool, to be exact. Drayton residents can tan poolside, cool off with a dip in the water, and cook at the outdoor luxury kitchen.Relaxation goes beyond the water at Drayton Mills though. Pamper yourself with a trip to the Lauren Ashtyn Collection salon, for a new haircut or customizable, world-famous clip-in extensions. Or, adjust your spine (and mindset) with a visit to Sparkle City Chiropractic. Or, spread out a picnic blanket on Drayton's grassy lawn, to enjoy a takeout meal or beverage from the businesses on-site.

Celebrate At Drayton Mills

Drayton Mills' beautiful, historic campus is also the perfect venue for your next event. 1800 Drayton Catering & Events is now booking dates for weddings (up to 500 guests,) private dinners and events (20-300 guests,) corporate parties, and photoshoots.

Learn At Drayton Mills

Throughout Drayton Mills' campus, textile history can be found-- in the original hardwood flooring, exposed brick walls of the loft apartments and business spaces, the two iconic water towers, and more.“It is so rare, based on what we’ve seen, to come across a mill whose operators are still in existence,” Tara Sherbert, CEO of The Sherbert Group, said. “Pacolet Milliken did such a wonderful job of preserving this mill. It was shuttered in 1994 and it looks like it closed yesterday.“Every step of the restoration process by Pacolet Milliken Enterprises Inc. and Charlotte-based partner, TMS Development, had to be approved by the South Carolina State Preservation Office and the National Parks Service. The spinning mill, constructed in 1902, is an example of Romanesque Revival architecture that influenced textile mill buildings at the turn of the century, according to the mill’s historic places registration. Its frame is made entirely of heavy timber. The weaving mill, which was added some years later, is mostly made of steel.In 2018, Drayton Mills was recognized with a Preservation Excellence Award, one of South Carolina's highest honors for historic preservation.We hope you enjoy your visit to Drayton Mills! Tag us in your experiences with @intheburg864 and @draytonmills.Read more about Spartanburg County's textile mill history and these mills' past, present, and future connection to Spartanburg's economic development, here.