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Aiken - suggestions needed

Editing to add: suggestions for tennis lessons, yoga or pilates - riding with one or two others, no nose to tail rides, things to do, as a single woman I would very much appreciate suggestions. want to see what it will be like to live here, I plan on spending time here in the following several months, then renting for a year to see if I feel comfortable - suggestions on things to do appreciated. I am a dressage rider, use to ride hunter Jumpers. Thank you!

Hello CoTH Friends,

I am visiting Aiken from Dec 18 - 29 – I am thinking of moving there - would like your thoughts on what is going on during that time - I am also looking for places that has a horse and guide to ride through Hitchcock Woods? I would also be interested in checking out some dressage barns? Although realize that is tricky…

Would love your thoughts.
Thank you!

No recognized dressage shows then but Stableview has a schooling event:
https://svfequestrian.com/equestrian-events/

Read the latest issue of The Aiken Horse. There will be a calendar of upcoming events:

Nothing going on at Bruce’s Field, but worth checking out the show facility:
https://aikenhorsepark.org/calendar

Go by the Wilcox hotel on a Tuesday evening (equestrian night) or anytime and you can’t help meeting folks.

Tons of good dressage trainers in Aiken. It’s grown leaps and bounds in the last decade. So many I don’t even know where to start! But here’s a FB thread to get you started:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/305901736587703/permalink/1220999165077951/

Here is a FB thread with some folks mentioned that provide guided trail rides:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/305901736587703/permalink/1159787864532415/

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Thank you! Very helpful!

Hi again. I rented a cottage on Virginia Ave - near Edgefield Ave Is that a safe area? A friend said she thinks it’s scetchy?

Are you on Facebook? There is a very active group called ‘Aiken SC area dressage, Eventing & show jumping’ that will give you much more feed back than here.

I am on FB. Thank you!

Looked on map. Can be a bit sketchy block by block around there and I don’t know that exact area. May be absolutely fine.

Thank you!

never thought much about crime rate, but here is link that can provide you the information

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/sc/aiken/crime

Akin itself is rated 3 out of 100 with 100 being the safest (it is ranked as Safer Than 3% of the cities in the United Stated)… would have never expected that

Yikes!!!

What is your friend’s definition of “sketchy”?

There are “two” sides to Aiken – the affluent, and those just at or below the poverty line. The nexus of Aiken is urban with the more affluent (snowbirds) typically being on the outskirts of town. When I lived there I was in my early 20s, I lived just down the street from Virginia Ave. That’s a pretty accessible location - I used to walk to the little strip mall alone and walk back with groceries.

Other than any typical precaution you would take as a solo traveler/walker/person, I don’t think it is a dangerous area that is more sketchy than other parts of town - at least not in the way other parts of the world are. Just practice common sense: don’t leave valuables in your car, lock your doors when you’re not in the car or home, if you’re walking alone bring pepper spray if you feel you need it.

When I lived in Aiken the highest % of crime was nonviolent crimes like theft.

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Thank you!