While the kids were at Camp Primo, my husband and I took a little mini-vacation to the thriving metropolis of Greenville SC! I know, it doesn’t sound like a tourist attraction, but it is the most adorable little town! In fact, Main Street in downtown Greenville was awarded one of the Top Ten Streets in the Country!
Downtown Greenville is full of quaint southern shops, beautiful old buildings and yummy restaurants. So, here are my TOP TEN PLACES TO EAT, SLEEP AND PLAY IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE, SC!
I love buildings with history and this one has it. It was build in 1925 and when we drove into town we saw it immediately because of it’s lovely old neon sign. {The hallways down to the parking garage were lined with wedding photos of sweet new couples posing on the roof in front of that sign. Gorgeous!} When we walked in I turned to Les and said, “I feel like we’re in the Tower of Terror!”
A view of the hotel from the ground.
Les and me in the elevator. We’re so cool.
This was our first actual meal in Greenville. We slept so late that first day we skipped breakfast. Which is a travesty, in my opinion. But the time does not stop my need for breakfast. Mary Beth’s serves breakfast all day long. And I walked away with my tummy full of LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES. Oh my good heavens.
This is the cutest thing ever. There are a bunch of little mice statues hidden all over downtown. Some are a part of other statues, some are doing their own thing but they are all waiting to be found. It’s a big scavenger hunt that a High School Senior designed as a gift to Greenville (or maybe it was his Senior Project, regardless, it was a super cool idea!). This would be so fun for kids to do—ok, I had fun looking for them, too!
5. Falls Park
Just two blocks from our hotel is this amazing park complete with waterfall, swimming hole, crazy amazing bridge and breathtaking flowers. If it hadn’t been for the 9million degree weather, I would have stayed there all day. It was like a movie! There was even a couple getting married in the middle of the park!
6. Smoke On The Water
Their byline is “a saucy Southern tavern”. I like that, don’t you? Our waitress wasn’t all that great and when I asked her what was good she said, “Uhm. The special is good. Wait, what’s the special again? Oh yeah. It’s good.” So, I listened to one of the actual good waiters and he said they were featured in Southern Living for their pimento cheese. Yeah. So, I had to get it.
And it was good. For an entree, I got some kind of fish. It was ok. But the sugar snap peas with red peppers? Oh my. They were divine.
7. Mill Town Emporium
Right next door to the saucy southern tavern was the Milltown Emporium. And it was full of such adorable treasures and southern-belle-ish employees, that I could have stayed all day.
Plus, I bought these super cute bunny bookends and a big red bird. Yeah, it sounds really lame. But I promise, you’ll want some of your own. {And if I get up early enough, I’ll take a pic of them for you!}
8. Go Fish
I’ll admit, we stopped in here because of the fish. I was hoping it was a C28 kinda store. It wasn’t but I was impressed with the kind of store it was—everything was fair trade. The owners travel to different countries and find local artisans. They pay whatever the artisans ask, then bring their wares back to sell in the United States. The employees we talked to were passionate about the store. It was full of beautiful accessories and home decor.
9. Cazbah
Our final meal in Greenville may have been our best. We had eaten a big lunch but I still wanted a good dinner (oh, we had popcorn at the movie theatre, too!) so we found a tapas restaurant called Cazbah. Our first mini-meal was called the Southern Sushi Roll. It was a “crab stick, sashimi tuna, avocado, cream cheese, asparagus, and spicy asian mayo, fried like only a Southerner could!”
And can I just say yee-haw?! It was stinkin’ good.
Now, let’s fisnish it off with some dessert. As we enjoyed an evening of jazz on Main Street (actually we missed it because we stood in line so long to get this dessert) we ate some GELATO. If you have not had gelato, then why are you still sitting down?! Holy cow, run, jump or drive to the nearest gelato shoppe and indulge. I was so overwhelmed by the flavor choices I asked the man in front of me (a funny old man) who said, “Every single flavor is amazing. If they had popcorn flavor you couldn’t go wrong.” I chose Cinnamon Stick. Which was kind of a cross between Panera’s Cinnamon Crunch Bagel and a Cinnabon. Only ice cream.
So next time you need a cute little downtown to stay in consider Greenville, SC. And for bloggers everywhere the entire downtown has FREE WI-FI!!
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That looks like a lovely trip!! The food looks divine…I’m drooling over here.
Ok, so I’ll have one of each food item that you just put in my face!! Yummy!! Glad you two got away & had some fun … I’m jealous:)
my heart. I turned back, the sun was there and a bunch of Tattoo an anmitaion film premiere. Nacho Mountain Film Premiere Christopher Elston PhotographyWe braved the snow storm on Saturday and went to the The Grand Theater in East Greenville,
First time playing!
I have been to Greenville once a long time ago but it was for work & I didn’t see anything. I would definitely like to go back. It looks like you had an awesome trip!
Thanks for the little tour! That mouse hunt really is a cool idea and those pancakes look yummy! Wish I lived close to Greenville, SC!
I love anything lemon, so that lemon ricotta pancake looks & sounds highly edible.
My mother in law lives in SC, so the next time we visit her, I’ll have to get Gunlover to take us to Greenville. I love quirky, random towns that you never hear about!
The travesty is that only an 18-month (or even less) scneente would be given for murder. THAT is a travesty.So-called “hate crime” legislation would have the ‘unintended’ (yeah, right) backlash of restricting free speech.Protecting high-level criminals who are members (or claim to be members of) of a minority is what so-called “hate crime” legislation is all about.This is a very deceptive device they are trying to push through. They are doing it under the guise of fighting hate, so that well-meaning people support this effort.
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Sounds like a good time was had by all!
You had me at pimiento cheese…*sigh*
Oh I needed to know all of this! Hubby and I are invited to a wedding in Greenville this fall, and I was sort of hoping we could turn it into a little vacation. It’s been ages since I’ve been to Greenville, so I wasn’t sure if there’d be enough to do – no worries now!
OH, I haven’t been to G-ville in about three years . . . my sister lives in Simpsonville. I didn’t know about the mice – will be fun to hunt them down if I go with my children. Great list!
I wish your link colors were darker. I can’t always see them when they are embedded in the message. Just a suggestion.
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Hope I make it there someday. Lovely photos.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who judges a town and a trip by their food! Sounds like you ate your way through there like a champ!!
I don’t know about bcc-ing n-many at a time, but you’re right; we might not always be very peznrsalioed in our responses. The point is, it takes a certain amount of effort for someone to send us their application. The courteous thing to do is to respond, and we’ll do our best to encourage applicants and show our appreciation.
girl, you know I love you. But I can’t believe you went to Greenville and didn’t go wander around the lake at Furman (my alma mater)! It’s the prettiest place in town. 🙂
Love that you’re sending some props to one of my favorite southern towns. 🙂
I loved all the info from your trip. We did a trip recently to a little town close to home. Sometimes I think we forget about the great places that are right in our own backyards.
Thanks for hosting!!
It looks like you squeezed alot into a short amount of time! Those lemon ricotta pancakes… Wow! They sound amazing. I am off to look for a recipe after I leave your site. Thanks for hosting Top Ten Tuesdays. I just started participating and am really enjoying it!
I LOVE mini vacations. Sounds like yours was amazing!
Amanda,
I am so glad you enjoyed our mini city! I have grown up in this area my whole life and can’t imagine living anywhere else. Although I threaten to move every summer (when the humitiy can be unbearable) I never make good on my threats.
You simply MUST visit our amazing mountains next time you come our way. You are just a hop, skip, and jump away from the blue ridge mountains and believe me it is nothing short of heaven on earth.
The best way to go is through table rock (hwy 11), make a stop at ceasars head, go into the cute town of Brevard NC and into Pisgah National Forest. From here you can take a drive up to the blue ridge parkway. It’s about 2 hours from Greenville.
Make sure you stop to get some boiled peanuts on the side of the road, some fresh pressed apple cider, some homemade fudge, and see some beautiful water falls!
FYI, spring (late April-Mid May) and fall (early October-early November) is the best time for such a trip.
Hope ya’ll come back soon!
Thanks for this. I’m going to Greenville this weekend, and this will be my vacation guide.
Headed to Greenville this weekend, thanks for all the GREAT information!
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What a beautiful video Steve as sonoeme expecting in the not too distant future, this got all my maternal love flowing tonight! What a beautiful family you have and what a gorgeous little baby boy. I hope Evelyne is well and that you are all enjoying these first very precious few days with your gorgeous boys .Annabel xXx
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We’re looking forrawd to having you on board Dan! And don’t worry about the lack of blog posts you’ve produced in the last year, you’ll make up for it on our blog.
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Love this post! I live in Greenville and LOVE everything about it!! Thanks for sharing and lease visit again!! I also love the Top Ten Tuesday idea…. I will most definitely join in on that! Stop by and visit my blog – I’d love to hear from you
Greenville is a fun place and this blog post definitely highlights that! Don’t forget to stop by Palmetto Home & Garden; Over 6000 sq ft of home decor, some even local vendors to the Upstate. Look forward to seeing you there!