Clemson

Clemson is a college town in Pickens County, in Upcountry South Carolina.

Understand
Although there are nearly 20,000 permanent residents, people who visit are typically students, family of students or college football fans. The busiest time of the year is typically on Saturdays of Clemson Tigers football home games (September–November). In 2015, the Princeton Review named Clemson as the #1 college town in the United States when it came to the relationship between college students and full-time residents. While it is a smaller town, there are numerous restaurants, shops and activities.

By bus
Clemson Area Transit provides free bus transportation connecting to the surrounding cities of Anderson, Central, Pendleton and Seneca.

By car

 * US Highway 76 (Clemson Blvd) enters Clemson from the east at Exit 19B on I-85 in South Carolina.
 * US Highway 123 (Tiger Blvd) bisects the city running north to south allowing for travel from Greenville 30 miles (48 km) to the north and Seneca 10 miles (16 km) to the south.

By train
Amtrak's Crescent connects Clemson with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans The Amtrak station is situated at the intersection of Tiger Blvd and College Avenue.



By bus
Clemson Area Transit, sponsored by the City of Clemson and Clemson University, this bus line is not only fare-free, it also does not generally suffer from many of the problems that plague larger city bus systems (schedule delays, sketchy clientele, dirty buses, etc.) For this reason, the CAT bus system is one of the best public transit systems in the entire nation. Several larger cities have come to Clemson to observe the system, which even carries many university students and well-to-do professors to class. Clemson Area Transit covers many major destinations, including most of the area's hotels, motels, and most major eateries. For the traveler on a budget, or even those not on a tight budget, the CAT bus system may be the way to go. It covers the campus and surrounding cities, including Anderson, Central, Pendleton and Seneca. Travelers on the CAT bus going to Anderson can, upon transfer, obtain a fare-free day pass to the Electric City Transit system which serves the city of Anderson.

By car

 * SC State Highway 93 (Old Greenville Hwy) is the de facto boundary between Clemson University and City of Clemson. The road is 4 lanes without a middle turn lane and provides no public parking.
 * SC State Highway 133 (College Ave) begins at the intersection with Old Greenville Hwy at the border of Clemson University and intersects with Tiger Blvd less than a mile to the north. College Ave is home to many of the Clemson Bars, Sandwich Shops, and Clemson Fan Apparel.

Parking
Public street parking exists on both sides of the street for the length of the downtown area. Parking is free 24 hours a day but there is a 1-hour restriction during business hours. The City of Clemson Parking deck is located at the intersection of Keith Street and College Avenue. 

Greater Clemson

 * Spend a Friday night bar-hopping at Downtown Clemson. (See the Drink section for more)
 * Go Boating on Lake Hartwell, the water temperature is usually perfect in the summer for any kind of on-the-water activity.

Buy
Like most college towns, Clemson is home to numerous fan apparel shops along College Avenue in Downtown Clemson. A few to check out are:

Eat
Clemson is home to an unusual number of sandwich shops, this is due to a rumor that the Clemson Subway Sandwich Shop was at one point in time the highest grossing Subways in the world. Clemson also has numerous fast food restaurants on Tiger Blvd as well as many casual and formal restaurants in Downtown Clemson.