The Nashville Mom

Dear Greenville, you have my heart! If you didn’t know, I couldn’t be more proud to call Greenville, South Carolina home. For years, Greenville was a ”best kept secret” but the word is out on this amazing town! Southern Living just recognized Greenville as the Best of the South’s City on the Rise!

Greenville is an ideal destination and has so many family friendly activities to offer! Sometimes, I cannot believe all the transformations that have taken place since I was growing up!

One of the most unique features in Greenville is how the Reedy River runs through the middle of downtown! These beautiful falls can be enjoyed at Falls Park and from the Liberty Bridge. Take a picnic blanket, relax in the swings or stroll along the many galleries, restaurants and shops near the park.

The Swamp Rabbit Trail is a 22 mile trail along the Reedy River connecting Greenville and Travelers Rest. Reedy Rides offer bike rentals along the trail, making your ride even more convenient!

Lily Caroline and I had an end of summer staycation in our favorite hometown city! I will say that this trip made me so homesick! Luckily, my family still lives there so we get to visit often. We have stayed at Spring Hill Suites several times! It is in such a convenient location, within walking distance to Main Street! Spring Hill Suites also offers complimentary breakfast (LC loved their pancakes!) and we the evenings by the pool!

Our adventure started off at the Greenville Zoo! I’ve been coming to this zoo my entire life, I have such vivid memories of field trips and then of course, bringing my kids here when they were little. We loved seeing all of the animals and had an extra special encounter feeding Miles, the giraffe! It was such a fun experience getting to feed Miles his leaf cookie treats! Who knew that giraffes have purple tongues that can stretch out 22 inches long? After the zoo, the girls played at Cleveland Park and cooled off with snow cones!

Next up was lunch at Gather Greenville, an outdoor food hall type venue! There were so many fun restaurants like The Lob Father, Coco BowlZ, The Pasta Addict and many others! This is the place you want to meet up with friends, listen to live music (that they often have) and enjoy a night out!

After lunch, we visited The Children’s Museum of the Upstate, which is one of the best children’s museums we’ve ever been to! We’ve loved this museum since it opened (fun fact: the building used to be the library!), Owen even had his third birthday there! This museum has so many fun exhibits that encourage creativity, imagination and play! LC’s favorites are the ”bank”, the music room and water areas! You could spend all day at the museum!

We were very excited to try a new to us ice cream shop, Clare’s Creamery and it did not disappoint!! Not only was Clares an adorable space but they had unique and delicious ice cream selections. LC and I both had a scoop of Teddy Graham! We cannot wait to go back and try a few other flavors!

Roper Mountain Science Center is another near and dear place that I have a lifetime of memories at! We attended their Starry Nights in the planetarium! It was so much fun learning about the stars, watching a Magic Treehouse: Space Mission and even going on a ”roller coaster” on Mars!

If you’re looking for a dinner with the best view of Greenville, Up on the Roof is a must! My dear friend, Heather met us for delicious appetizers including the best fried brussel sprouts and watermelon and watercress salad {which we couldn’t get enough of!} Between the company, gorgeous foods and tasty food and drinks, it was the most wonderful evening!

The next day, we spent time strolling a few of our favorite shops on Main Street and then met my mom for dinner at Cantina 76. We noshed on chips, guacamole, enchiladas and enjoyed the lively atmosphere.

As you can see, we made the most of our time in Greenville and hit up several of our favorite spots! Sadly, our time ran out too fast but we will be back soon! Here are some other spots to make note of if you plan to visit the area.

*Restaurants*

Stax Original (A staple meat-and-three since the 1970’s)

Brick Street Cafe (You have to try their sweet potato cake!)

Mike and Jeff’s BBQ (This is my family’s barbeque restaurant-tell them I sent you)

Smoke on the Water

Chicora Alley

Coffee Underground (I spent many high school nights here with friends-grabbing desserts and coffee! It was one of the only spots we would go to downtown at that time)

Tsunami (my favorite place for sushi)

Sidewall Pizza

*Shops*

Mast General (their vintage candy selection is amazing)

M. Judson Books

O.P. Taylor’s Toy Shop

*Attractions*

Unity Park (this is a new spot I haven’t gotten to try yet)

Greenville Drive Baseball games

Mice on Main (a scavenger hunt of tiny mice statues throughout downtown), you can find the accompanying book-Mice on Main at Mast General

*This is just a sample of all that Greenville has to offer! It truly is such a fabulous city with lots to offer! Thanks so much to Visit Greenville for hosting us in our hometown! Make sure to check them out if you need more ideas on Greenville! Stay tuned for my Travelers Rest Guide coming soon!

#yeahthatgreenville