Aiken, SC

Aiken's equestrian history is connected with the winter colony of wealthy northeastern visitors who came for riding, polo and foxhunting. In the 1890s Thomas Hitchcock and William C. Whitney acquired land that became central to this activity. The Aiken Horse Show began in 1916, and the Hitchcock Woods Foundation was established in 1939 to preserve woodland used by riders and walkers.

Music is represented by Joye in Aiken, founded in 2008 by Sandra Field and Gregory White Smith. Its March festival brings performing artists, many associated with the Juilliard School, together with an educational outreach programme. The name recalls Joye Cottage and its earlier private musical performances. These institutions document two distinct strands of the city's cultural history: its equestrian landscape and its performing arts activity.