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Florence, SC Event Planning

Key Highlights

Hotels 40
Total Sleeping Rooms 3,178
Committable Sleeping Rooms* 190
Committable Meeting Rooms* 16
Largest Exhibit Space 19,750 Sq. Ft.
Average Hotel Room Rate USD $77
Average Daily Meal Cost USD $46
Average Weekly Car Rental USD $340
*Maximum for a single hotel
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Florence, SC Meeting Planning Overview

Welcome to our Florence meeting planning guide – a city guide for Florence meeting planning. Business and vacation travelers enjoy Florence, a contemporary city that is overflowing with natural beauty, thanks to its location along the Pee Dee River and surrounding scenic farmland. Meeting venues in Florence, which frequently serve the off-site meeting needs of the area's pharmaceutical and medical industries, comprise the arts, culture and historical aspects of the Pee Dee region. Florence's Timrod Park area contains many historic homes, and the Darlington Raceway NASCAR track is minutes away.

Conveniently located at the intersection of Interstates 95 and 20, Florence is situated 100 miles north of Charleston, 80 miles northeast of Columbia and just 70 miles west of Myrtle Beach. Florence also features a public bus system that serves the city of Florence and six counties; in addition, the Florence Regional Airport is nearby.

The Florence Civic Center is the largest meeting facility in northeast South Carolina. Perfect for conferences, seminars and group events, the center features 48,750 total square feet of meeting space, which includes a 14,500-square-foot ballroom and 29,000-square-foot arena with 10,000 seats. Florence Civic Center is close to a number of hotels, restaurants and attractions and features adaptable, creative layouts to accommodate a variety of group sizes and requirements.

Among the unique venues in Florence is the 61,000-square-foot Florence Marion University Performing Arts Center. Unveiled in 2011 and located in the heart of the Florence's downtown arts and cultural district, the multi-purpose facility serves as a community space, unique venue for private events and educational space for the university's Department of Fine Arts. Meeting and event spaces include a 900-person main auditorium with a fly tower and 100-seat flexible Black Box space, as well as a 500-person amphitheater. Elsewhere, groups can catch the Florence racing fever at the spectacular Darlington Raceway, an original superspeedway and one of the pillars of the NASCAR establishment. The unique egg-shaped raceway recently underwent a multi-million dollar upgrade and features a number of unique meeting spaces from its on-site museum to the infield.

Additional unique venues include the Florence Little Theatre, a downtown location for a variety of plays and performances. Groups may gather at the 395-seat auditorium, lobby, rehearsal hall and courtyard, among other spaces. Groups can also rent a piece of Florence's natural beauty at the Lynches River County Park. The 676-acre park is a popular spot for fishing, canoeing and picnicking, as well as walking and exploring, thanks to its nature trials and 1,200-foot riverwalk surrounded by cypress trees. Groups can rent such spaces as the park's multi-purpose community building and picnic facilities.

About Florence, SC / Additional Info

Known for its scenic riverways and nature trails, Florence is more than a largely agricultural destination. The city's exciting, culture-rich downtown is bursting with unique shops, theater spaces and arts-minded venues. It's Florence's mix of cultural attractions, annual festivals and unspoiled vistas that make this Southern destination a true charmer. Florence emerged as a railroad junction in the mid-1850s and became a major rail center and the site of the stockade to house Union soldiers during the Civil War. Today, Florence has become an agricultural and industrial development hub, as well as the home of Francis Marion University.

Many of Florence's attractions celebrate its serene agricultural setting. More than 250,000 annual visitors come to the 55-acre Pee Dee State Farmers Market, home to a variety of fresh produce, plants, flowers and pottery for sale. The market features a 45,000-square-foot drive-through farmer shed, as well as a lob cabin gift shop with gardens and greenhouses and 100-year-old barn with a pecan kitchen and cafe. The delightfully magical Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden is home to more than 300 topiary plants, including junipers, hollies, Leyland cypress, pines and oaks. Visitors are welcome to tour the private residence garden and perhaps meet Fryar, who has created topiary in his garden since the early 1980s and recognized in the 2006 documentary "A Man Named Pearl."

Other Florence attractions marry the region's natural beauty with a zest for science. The nonprofit educational institution ScienceSouth welcomes children, adults and families to take part in hands-on science workshops at its 5,000-square-foot pavilion along Jeffries Creek. As part of the institution's growing outreach program, participants can take part in such activities as extracting DNA from a strawberry and building a solar cap. Visitors can also tour the 1.5-mile Clemson Outdoor Education Trail, which snakes through agricultural, forest, lake, wetland and urban ecosystems along the scenic 150-acre Dargan's Pond.

Florence's agricultural strength can also be experienced in area restaurants that utilize fresh, local ingredients. Redbone Alley incorporates local ingredients in its innovative South Carolina regional cuisine, accented with French, Mediterranean, African, English and West Indian influences. Victor's Bistro & Garden Room also incorporates local ingredients in such selections as seared duck breast, sweet potato mash, collard greens and cranberry-Granny Smith apple chutney. Percy & Willie's Food and Spirits is a local favorite known for its friendly atmosphere and American fare, while Starfire Grill & Spirits serves a variety of Greek, American and Southern dishes. For a taste of old country Italy, visit Stefano's Italian Restaurant, which incorporates choice imported meats, cheeses and seasonings into its authentic Italian offerings.

 
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