CLEVELAND, S.C. — Many people are finding peace during the pandemic at Pretty Place Chapel in the Upstate of South Carolina.
With the coronavirus pandemic impacting almost every aspect of our lives, people have been looking for ways to find peace.
On the top of a mountain in the Upstate, people all over the country have traveled to find Pretty Place, seeking a moment of rest and reflection to think about life in a different way.
Cory Harrison is the Executive Director of YMCA Camp Greenville and Pretty Place Chapel.
"We are at 3,500 elevation high atop the Blue Ridge Mountains here at YMCA Camp Greenville's Pretty Place Chapel," said Harrison. "Camp Greenville was given Pretty Place Chapel from the Cleveland Family in 1921. It was not a chapel at the time. It was just a cliff that overlooked the beautiful view."
In 1941, the Fred Symmes Foundation donated money to help build the chapel that is there today.
"On a daily basis, we see somewhere around 400 cars in visitors at Camp Greenville on any given day," said Harrison.
A group of those visitors who visited Pretty Place Chapel includes Rebekah Hawthorne and Alex Velazco. They traveled with their group of friends from Birmingham, Alabama, to celebrate graduating from college.
"There's nothing like seeing a place like this in-person, not only the beauty of the chapel, but just the whole landscape and scenery," said Hawthorne. "I think it blew us away."
The group of friends discovered Pretty Place through social media and made it a goal to come visit. While they came early in the morning to experience the sunrise, they worshipped together and had quiet time reading the Bible.
"To be out here, this is awesome, just this view," said Velazco. "By the cross, it means a lot. I think it's a visual reminder of the world and just who the Lord is in comparison to us and just being out here and being able to enjoy what he's created."
While the pandemic has continued, many people have traveled to this outdoor location to experience the view and the peace that comes along with it. The venue has been able to host weddings as well since it is outdoors. Harrison says they've seen people all over the country come visit.
"Pretty Place for me is a place where people can experience a bit of solitude, a bit of connection with creator, with creation and it's an opportunity for anybody of any faith of any background to come sit and just refresh and reconnect with themselves and the world around them," explained Harrison.
While the Pretty Place Chapel is a private venue, they open it to the public. Since the chapel can be rented out for weddings, the venue may be closed to the public at certain times.
YMCA Camp Greenville has a schedule of when they are open and closed to help people plan their visits. For a link to that schedule, click here.