Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
Halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte—and between the mountains and the sea—you might say Greenville hit the “Goldilocks zone.” But it’s not just what’s around Greenville that makes it so attractive—this 70,000-person town brims with restaurants and a popping arts scene. The massive waterfall running right through downtown helps, too.
After the city experienced a decline in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Greenville city leaders decided to revitalize downtown in the '90s. They widened sidewalks, planted trees, hung string lights, and turned the highway that obscured the downtown waterfall into a pedestrian bridge. Now downtown Greenville is an Instagram delight, with 100-plus restaurants, cafés, and bars next to museums, theaters, and public art. Today, it’s one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.
Use the free downtown trolley to get around Thursdays through Sundays; it’s vintage-esque and red, white, and blue.
Scope out West Greenville to see the city’s artistic hub—there are some 60-plus shops and galleries in this district.
Skip I-85 where you can and trade it for the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway 11.
Most visitors drive to Greenville from either Charlotte or Atlanta—it’s roughly two hours from either city—or fly in via the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), about a 15-minute drive from downtown and right on I-85 (all the major airlines service the airport). Downtown is highly walkable and has a free trolley; unless you want to make day trips further afield, you might not need a rental car.
Truly, there’s no bad time to visit Greenville—while there are four seasons, the weather stays fairly mild. Summer is high season, and if you want waterfall time, ice cream cones, and long bike rides (look at Cleveland Park and the Swamp Rabbit Trail), come then. Otherwise, fall in Greenville is spectacular, what with all that Appalachian color, fewer crowds, and great events like Fall for Greenville.
When the weather’s warm, downtown Greenville always has something shaking. The TD Saturday Market is a farmers market that happens every Saturday, May–October. NOMA Square sees Downtown Alive on Thursday nights in summer and on Fridays, Main Street Fridays. Then there are food- and art-centric events like Artisphere, Euphoria Greenville, and Fall for Greenville that are some of the region’s best.
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