Photo Courtesy of the Greenville convention and visitors bureau.
Falls Park on the Ready
Venture inland for a more authentic experience of Carolina’s coolest season.
There is something about the heart of winter that inspires coastal residents to venture inland to a more cozy, hilly landscape where we can curl up beside a stone fireplace with an enthralling novel, inhale the crisp, country air from a balcony above frigid waterfalls, or walk the creaking wood floors of outdoorsman shops looking for that ideal winter coat we will rarely use but are in the spirit to purchase. The chill in the air beckons us three and a half hours upcountry to Greenville, S.C., for a more authentic experience of Carolina’s coolest season. Once there, Lowcountry visitors are pleasantly surprised to find a “sister” city that shares a culturally rich climate, a colorful appreciation for the arts, and an entrepreneurial energy that is spreading across the state.
THEN
Like many communities in and around the Blue Ridge Mountains, Greenville’s past includes a myriad cast of Cherokee Indians, Revolutionary War heroes, blue collar mill workers and factory owners, cotton farmers, and yellow-fever-fleeing plantation owners from our own hometown.
While it has been steadily growing since the early 1800s, Greenville really crossed the tracks into a flourishing economy in the mid-19th century via the railroad line from Columbia, which drew new students to Furman University and Greenville Baptist Female College. In the early 1900s the booming cotton industry made Greenville the textile capital of the world. Although that title has since been handed overseas, forward-thinking Greenville continued to attract big-dollar international industry to its area, making the upstate a progressive melting pot and a driving force for regional economic expansion.
NOW
Frequently referred to as a shining example of “the New South,” Greenville is a city that makes sense in a South that is embracing the outside world while refining and protecting its own heritage through everything from the fusion of foods it serves to the historic properties that it restores. Now home to thriving automobile, technology, research, and education industries, Greenville also enjoys a thriving hospitality sector with high-quality, often unforgettable restaurants and accommodations more commonly found in larger metropolitan areas.
While the culinary scene is competitive, some of the simpler kitchens like Brick Street Café, Michael’s on Main, and Tommy’s Country Ham House still do it best like mama would. Even Tyler Florence, local-kitchen-help-turned-celebrity-chef, knows that! Home cooking aside, there are enough accomplished chefs, artists, and musicians to go around, and the creative combination fuels large festivals all year, most notably Artisphere in late April.
During the fairly mild temperatures of winter, visitors can still ride the downtown trolley beneath a canopy of maples and oaks on Main Street, passing Mast General Store, the galleries at River Place, countless cafes, pubs, and fine-dining venues, and Falls Park on the Reedy. I personally have never seen a public city park so awe-inspiring, with its cascading 60-foot waterfall, natural amphitheaters, constantly blooming terraced gardens, and show-stopping 355-foot-long suspended pedestrian bridge. The park’s Liberty Bridge glows at night for the most romantic after-dinner experience.
The city is particularly proud of its refurbished West End Historic District, which surrounds Falls Park and ends at Shoeless Joe Jackson Memorial Park. This minor league field is a tribute to Greenville’s hometown hero and is modeled after Fenway Park, the home of the team’s major league affiliate, the Boston Red Sox. (These people love their city baseball and college sports.)
Considering Greenville’s eclectic offerings, its active refurbishment of neighborhoods, and its increasingly cosmopolitan focus, it is no wonder that this city is getting so much positive buzz at the dinner table. Grab a mug of fresh-pressed apple cider, drop in a dollop of local honey, snuggle up in your new winter jacket, and find out for yourself!
Photo Courtesy of the Greenville Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Liberty Bridge at night
LET’S SLEEP
Hyatt Regency Greenville |220 N. Main St. | (864) 235-1234 | greenville.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
Lukas: Beautiful atrium hotel in the heart of downtown.
The Westin Poinsett Greenville | 120 S. Main St. | (864) 421-9700 | www.westin.com/poinsett
Lukas: Greenville’s only four-diamond accommodation.
Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown Riverplace | 171 Riverplace | (864) 271-8700 | www.hamptoninnandsuitesgreenville.com
Lukas: Ideal location above Reedy Falls Park and the arts and entertainment district.
The Phoenix – Greenville’s Inn | 246 N. Pleasantburg Dr. | (800) 257-3529 | www.phoenixgreenvillesinn.com
Lukas: A larger inn for those who prefer B and Bs.
The Loft at Soby’s | 22 E. Court St. | (864) 232-7007 | www.sobys.com
Lukas: A luxury, urban loft experience a little out of the ordinary.
LET’S EAT
Devereaux’s | 25 E. Court St. | (864) 241-3030 | www.devereauxsdining.com
Lukas: I daydream about the entrees I’ve had here.
Larkin’s on the River | 318 S. Main St. | (864) 467-9777 | www.larkinsontheriver.com
Lukas: Tenderloin is taken to another level.
Latitude | 631 S. Main St. | (864) 467-1101 | www.latitude-westend.com
Lukas: I can’t decide what’s better – brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Saffron’s Sidewalk Café | 1 Augusta St., Suite 101 | (864) 241-0401 and 300 E. McBee Ave. | (864) 241-6963
Lukas: For delicious, cheap eats.
Photo Courtesy of the Greenville Convention & Visitors Bureau
Downtown Trolley
LET’S HANG
The Handlebar | 304 E. Stone Ave. | (864) 233-6173 | www.handlebar-online.com
Lukas: Loud music venue for the young at heart.
The Brown Street Club | 115 N. Brown St. | (864) 250-9193 (Located in the bottom floor of the historic Brown Street Antiques building off Main Street) | www.brownstreetclub.com
Lukas: For early and late evening jazz, blues, and fine dining.
AcousticSeen at the Coffee Underground | 1 Coffee St., off Main Street | (864) 298-0494 | www.dryridge.org/acousticseen/eventsthis...
Lukas: The place where locals get heard.
LET’S GO
Set off for the theater, the symphony, or one of several state-of-the-art performance centers in the area. Greenville has a lot to offer in regards to the sound and stage.
www.bilocenter.com
www.peacecenter.org
www.greenvillesymphony.org
www.centrestage.org
www.greenvillelittletheatre.com
www.warehousetheatre.com
Take a leisurely drive through one of Greenville’s handsome historic districts: Pettigru, Earle and James Streets, Hampton-Pinckney, Pendleton, and Overbrook. Look for Charlestonian Henry Middleton’s large second home, Whitehall, at 310 W. Earle St. www.greatergreenville.com
Visit the Greenville Zoo, recently rated one of South Carolina’s top 20 visitor attractions by the South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department. www.greenvillezoo.com
LET’S PLAY
Hit 18 holes at the Furman University Golf Club championship course, home to LPGA golfer Betsy King and PGA golfer Brad Faxon. www.furman.edu/golf
Experience the visual arts of Greenville by visiting the 29 galleries that open their doors from 6-9 p.m. the first Friday of each month. www.firstfridaysonline.com
Families with young children will enjoy locating the Mice on Main, nine bronze mice sculptures based on the popular children’s book Goodnight Moon that are installed along Main Street, beginning at the Hyatt Plaza. You can find them on your own or get a hint sheet from the Visitors Center. www.greatergreenville.com/visitors/mice....
GETTING THERE
If you wait as late as mid-April to get away to Greenville, hang a left off of I-26 to the World Grits Festival in St. George. The festivities include square dancing, clogging, country music, a rolling in the grits contest for kids and various grit tasting opportunities. This is what small town America is all about! www.worldgritsfestival.com
Feel like pulling off for a pig-pickin’? Try Goodland Bar-be-que, 30 minutes outside of Orangeburg off Highway 4 in Springfield. This popular, off the beaten path restaurant is all about small-town tradition, local recipes, pork, chicken, and fried fish. Open Thursday and Sunday for lunch, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. www.springfieldsc.us/Goodland_Barbeque
Comments
Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)