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A wide-eyed “Wow”<\/strong> was my most-used word last week on our trip to South Carolina<\/strong>, where we visited old friends and previous next-door neighbors, Dave & Sharon McKinley<\/strong>. The McKinley’s moved next door to us in 1986 and moved out in 1990; I guess it took them a few years to realize that moving next to us was a big mistake. Dave, now retired, was a brilliant business leader who dressed for success and was very, very successful! He is someone that anyone would want to work for or with \u2013 just a standup guy! Sharon was a stay-at-home Mom to Jocelyn and Dusty , and is now the \u2018Hostess with the Mostess\u2019<\/strong> and a gourmet cook. They are both trim and fit. Early Saturday evening, they picked us up at the airport and took us to downtown Greenville<\/strong>; its name is well deserved as there is greenery wherever you look. The fact that they get 51 inches of rain a year, might be a factor. We even experienced a little of that while we were there. It was my first time in this bucolic Southern city, which the Reedy River<\/strong> runs through in spectacular fashion; and because it was a Saturday night, the main downtown street was cordoned off so that merchants could set up their tents and offer their wares \u2013 everything from masterpieces to moonshine. A street band was playing some great music as we walked to dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Soby\u2019s<\/strong>, where I acted like I belonged there and ordered a combo plate of grits, shrimp, corn and crabcake along with a local brew. Actually I just ordered what Dave ordered.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My first real ‘Wow’ <\/strong>came when we arrived at the McKinley Mansion in 6 Mile, South Carolina<\/strong>. It is spectacular! It is built on a forested lot on man-made Lake Keowee<\/strong>. Actually, it could have been built on two lots as they bought the one next to them so no one would build there and spoil their view. Their home is a little over 8,000 square feet<\/strong>, 12,000 <\/strong>if you count the covered porches on both levels of the home. The kitchen has every modern convenience imaginable and there is a \u2018grandkids bedroom\u2019 with bunk beds and amenities that would make any grandkid want to move in permanently. The recreation room has a pool table, a shuffleboard table, a big screen TV and lots of comfortable couches. There’s another bedroom on the third floor which also houses Dave’s art studio; he’s quite an artist. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the house has an elevator and a bookshelf that opens into a hidden ‘safe room’. I’m sure I missed lots of stuff, but you get the idea. The home is elevated from the lake, so there is a beautiful, winding stone path, past a sitting area with a circular stone firepit, to their dock and boat. It is a spectacular property! <\/p>\n\n\n Sunday morning we got on their boat (I don\u2019t know boats very well, so I can\u2019t tell you the make and model, but, surprise, it was very nice!) We did a tour of the lake, well, only a partial tour, it\u2019s 26 miles long! Dave said that we would be embarrassed to come back to their home once we saw the really spectacular homes on the lake. We obviously weren\u2019t embarrassed, but I have to say, it provided me with my next several \u201cWows!\u201d<\/strong> I\u2019ve seen a lot of magnificent lake homes in my day, both here and abroad, and in my opinion, no place could match this. I suppose that\u2019s part of the reason why people like golfers Jack Nicklaus <\/strong>and Matt Kuchar, <\/strong>and Oprah Winfrey, Kevin Costner, ex-NFL quarterback, Dan Marino, Darius Rucker, Bill Murray <\/strong>and many other celebrities are all rumored to have property on this lake.<\/p>\n\n\n We retuned home for lunch (delicious!) and drove to a park with amazing walking paths, one of them leading to my favorite type of scenery in nature, waterfalls. I think I\u2019ve mentioned how magnificent the greenery is around here, but . . . yes, lots of \u201cWow!\u201d <\/strong>moments occurred as we reached Whitewater Falls<\/strong> (the photo doesn\u2019t do it justice).<\/p>\n\n\n\n We returned home in time to get ready to go to the club house of one of the seven golf course<\/strong> they belong to, for Mother\u2019s Day<\/strong> dinner. Not surprisingly, the views of the golf course and surrounding greenery was amazing and the food was delicious!<\/p>\n\n\n Monday was supposed to be a day to play golf, but the weatherman said we were going to get some of those 51 inches of liquid sunshine. So, Plan B<\/strong> was to visit the Biltmore Estate <\/strong>in Asheville, North Carolina<\/strong>, about a 90-minute drive from 6 Mile. The Biltmore was built by George Vanderbilt<\/strong> in 1897, after he purchase 125,000 acres<\/strong> to create a country estate that would include a working farm. It is the largest privately owned home in America at 178,926 sq. ft. of floor space<\/strong>. Paintings by Renoir, Whistler, Monet <\/strong>and many other artists are displayed in this four-story plus basement home. It remains one of the most prominent examples of Gilded Age<\/strong> mansions, and provided lots of \u201cWows\u201d<\/strong> throughout our several hours tour of the home and grounds. I could go on and on, I\u2019ll just say if your ever back that way \u2013 go see it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back to McKinley\u2019s humble abode for another of Sharon\u2019s gourmet dinners and a delicious dessert that I had not only had never had, but had never heard of, Semifreddo<\/strong>. \u201cWow!<\/strong> I got the recipe!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a most amazing trip to a beautiful place to reconnect with great old friends. I have reported back to the neighbors who knew the McKinley\u2019s when they lived here, that they seem to be doing just fine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow A wide-eyed “Wow” was my most-used word last week on our trip to South Carolina, where we visited old friends and previous next-door neighbors, Dave & Sharon McKinley. The McKinley’s moved next door to us in 1986 … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/McKinley-1024x630.jpg\")
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