Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
Beautiful Downtown and Affordable Activities
By: Emily Crisman
DRIVE TIME: 4 hours from downtown Chattanooga
GREAT FOR: Couples › Culture › Outdoors › Families
BEST IF YOU HAVE: 2-3 days
With the Blue Ridge Mountains serving as a backdrop and a waterfall flowing through its center, Greenville’s walkable downtown is exceptionally photo-worthy, and it’s full of enough restaurants, parks and museums for a fun-filled weekend.
> WHAT TO DO:
Falls Park on the Reedy
601 S. Main St.
The Reedy River cascades over rocks in this city park in the heart of downtown. The best view of the falls is from Liberty Bridge, a 345-foot-long “floating” pedestrian suspension bridge. Bring a picnic and take a stroll on the park’s nature trails. The city offers a free downloadable Falls Park Guide and Activity Book (greenvillesc.gov/188/Visitor-Information) to help tourists explore. Though geared toward children, it offers interesting history and trivia.
» Each Wednesday in May and September, the park hosts a Moonlight Movie Series with food trucks and (adult) beverage providers, though guests are welcome to bring their own picnics.
Greenville Zoo
150 Cleveland Park Drive
864-467-4300
Featuring more than 200 endangered animals in exhibits including “Asia,” “South America” and “Farm Animals,” this interactive attraction is a family favorite. Though small, the zoo is home to big draws including giraffes and African lions, as well as lesser-known species like ocelot, a seeming cross between a jaguar and a house cat.
» The zoo is located at the lush Cleveland Park. In addition to playground areas, tennis courts, a volleyball court, softball field, and fitness trail equipped with workout stations, the sprawling park is the site of the Rock Quarry Garden, the Fernwood Nature Trail and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Dark Corner Distillery
14 S. Main St.
864-631-1144
This craft microdistillery in downtown Greenville offers tastings of its variety of liquors, including unique options like espresso whiskey that will make you want to take a bottle or two home. At $7 for six samples and a shot glass, it’s also a budget-friendly way to spend the afternoon.
» Home to a growing number of breweries as well, there are multiple tour options to help acquaint you with the hop-centric side of things.
Rent bikes at Reedy Rides (12 W. McBee Ave.; 864-419-2944) and take this paved urban trail built upon an old railway line along the Reedy River, which runs from Greenville north up to Travelers Rest. Do the entire trail, about 20 miles round-trip, stopping at Travelers Rest for lunch. It’s an easy ride and a great way to see the area.
This storied downtown dinner theater has been “serving up silly” since 1978 and is purportedly the South’s only comedy dinner theater. Wednesday-Saturday evenings, guests can sit down to a meal of Cheeto catfish, lamb and wild mushroom meatloaf or a grilled portobello stack before laughing off the calories to humor that always gets guests laughing. There are several seating options depending on how hungry you are (appetizers, entrees, dessert), or just come for the show. Though the food gets high marks as well.
> COMING UP:
This highly anticipated event focuses on the city’s thriving culinary scene, with celebrity chefs and master sommeliers leading tasting events, cooking demos and seminars, and hosting multi-course dinners. The weekend (Sept. 19-22 this year) also includes live musical performances by national recording artists. Tickets went on sale April 28 and some events sell out quickly. Visit euphoriagreenville.com for more.
> FREE FUN:
Mice on Main
Main Street between The Westin Poinsett and Hyatt Regency hotels
Go on a scavenger hunt for the nine bronze mice hidden on a five-block section of Main Street, using clues found on the town’s website. Conceived by a Greenville high school student for his senior project, the small sculptures were created by local artist Zan Wells and inspired by the book “Goodnight Moon.”
First Fridays
Various galleries
Greenville is home to a thriving arts scene, which you can experience for yourself for free through the Greenville area gallery crawl held the first Friday of every month from 6-9 p.m. Start your crawl at Greenville Center for the Creative Arts, where you can pick up a glass of that week’s signature drink before making the rounds among the crawl’s 25 participating galleries.
» No matter when you’re in town, you can still take explore the city’s arts scene with the free downloadable public art tour map (gis.greenvillesc.gov/publicarttour/index.html), which details locations, themes, history and more.
Downtown Alive and Main Street Fridays
NOMA Square, 220 N. Main Street
Every Thursday and Friday evening through September, NOMA Square turns into a concert venue for these two popular free summer music series. The fun usually goes from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Bring a chair, or plan to dance while the kids play on inflatables.
> DON'T MISS:
Over the course of 10 days (June 14-23 this year), you’ll hear the stories of revolutionaries performed in costume by nationally acclaimed historical interpreters. The free, interactive shows will allow you to debate democracy with the infamous Andrew Jackson or survive JFK’s assassination with grieving wife Jackie O. Visit HistoryComesAlive.org for full schedule and details.
> WHERE TO EAT:
COST KEY:
$: Under $10
$$: $11-$30
$$$: $31-$60
$$$$: $61+
The Trappe Door
23 W. Washington St.
864-451-7490
Cost: $$
A Belgian gastropub with a great atmosphere and bar scene, The Trappe Door boasts a wide selection of beer along with a book of cocktail options. Popular dishes include the steak frites and the mussels.
Kitchen Sync
1609 Laurens Road
864-568-8115
Cost: $$
You’ll want to visit this restaurant outside popular mealtimes, but don’t be surprised if you still have to wait for a table. Diners with adventurous palates will love the unique menu options, such as the Thai Pie, a veggie potpie with a Thai twist. Eco-conscious details like compostable to-go containers and coasters made from pieces of old menus will make you feel less guilty about gorging yourself on all that delicious grub.
Mike & Jeff’s BBQ
2401 Old Buncombe Road
864-271-5225
Cost: $
The meat at this family owned and operated barbecue joint gets its smoky flavor from a multistage cooking process that extends over 16 hours.
PRESENTED BY
