Yeah, That Greenville

Greenville is more than ready to become a destination for everyone

Written by Dave Mahanes / Photos by Melissa & Dave Mahanes and Visit Greenville

Melissa and I recently had a chance to visit Greenville, SC, for the first time. Just a one-hour flight from Nashville on Contour Aviation, Greenville is a beautiful mid-sized city sitting at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The city oozes Southern allure and hipster chic. It has a rich history and a significant commitment to the arts, and the ever-growing culinary scene is a food lover’s playground.

Greenville was originally Cherokee hunting grounds. It wasn’t until 1770 that the first white settler arrived. Named after Nathaniel Greene, commander of the Southern forces in the Revolutionary War, Greenville was originally the Upcountry summer vacation destination for the tony Lowcountry folks from Charleston. After the Great Boston Fire of 1872, when many of their textile mills were destroyed, the first mill was built in 1876, allowing mill owners to be closer to their raw material— cotton. By the mid-20th century, much of the textile business started moving to China, and Greenville began a long and steady decline. Downtown was not a place anyone wanted to be. In the latter part of the 20th century, the town fathers started to make significant urban developments to their infrastructure to make downtown Greenville more attractive to tourists and businesses.

Upcountry History Museum

When Michelin chose Greenville as its North American headquarters in 1986, and BMW and its suppliers arrived in the 1990s, Greenville began its major comeback. Greenville is currently building a new convention center to attract even more attention and jobs to the area. To dig deeper into the fascinating history of Greenville, a tour of the Upcountry History Museum is highly recommended. We were also treated to a West End walking tour with John Nolan of Greenville History Tours—a published author of guides to Historic Greenville. Through his storytelling, he was able to tell us how the city has changed and what original features remain.

Westin Grand Poinsett

The beauty of Greenville cannot be overstated. We stayed at the historic Westin Poinsett, which sits in the very center town square laid down when the town was first planned. Built initially as a hotel in 1925, the AAA Four-Diamond hotel was one of the first skyscrapers in Greenville. It was named for Joel Poinsett, Secretary of War under President Millard Fillmore and the man who is credited for bringing the poinsettia to the United States from Mexico. The downtown architecture is a mix of renovated old Southern charm and gleaming modern buildings. It is a very walkable city, and a leisurely walk down the beautiful shady tree-lined Main Street with its charming boutiques, shops, and restaurants is not to be missed.

The heart of Greenville, Falls Park on the Reedy, was designed by landscape architect Andrea Mains in 1999, at a time when the area was still industrial. By 2003, the community’s devotion to the Reedy had created a new identity for Falls Park and Greenville’s city. The new East Gateway Master Plan includes the soon-to-becompleted Grand Bohemian Hotel Greenville, taking the form of a mixed-use park view lodge with unique retail, spa, and food and beverage amenities that will attract locals as well as visitors. The best place to view this is from the curved Liberty Bridge, a 345-foot walking bridge held in the air by a single suspension cable, the only one of its kind in the country. A stroll along the walking path by the river will lead you to the beginning of the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail, a 22-mile multi-use trail that is one of the best urban bike trails in the country. There are also places to rent electric bikes, and an excursion to Traveler’s Rest a few miles away down the trail is strongly encouraged to visit the historic town and have lunch and shop and work off the calories on the way back.

Greenville is a treasure trove of performing and visual arts for the art lover. There is a lively theatre scene, with concerts, lectures, and ballets on stages throughout Greenville. In addition, there are over 100 outdoor public works of art. My favorite was the bronze memorial to Charles Townes, Greenvillian and inventor of the laser, who holds a pen with an actual illuminated laser at its tip. Another highlight was the red steel sculpture at the end of the Liberty Bridge by Joel Shapiro named “Untitled 2002-2003,” more commonly known by the locals as “Gumby.” The Greenville County Museum is well known for its extensive collection of works by Andrew Wyeth and Jasper Johns, which houses an outstanding collection of Southern art. The MAC gallery in the historic West End features works of MAC’s local artists. Housed in a repurposed textile mill, the Greenville Center for Creative Arts is the center for Greenville’s visual arts community. It offers classes and exhibitions and has resident artists working in individual studios. In addition, they host lively First Friday art crawls where gallery-goers can interact with artists over cocktails. Finally, for the jewelry enthusiast, please make an appointment with Kate Furman (yes, that Furman family) and see her exquisite handmade jewelry and her studio.

Built using antique bricks reclaimed from local mills and modeled after Boston’s famous Fenway Park, Fluor Field at the West End is more than just home to the Red Sox Single-A affiliate, the Greenville Drive. Fluor Field proudly anchors the city’s revitalized West End, which is part old, new, inviting yet pleasantly intimate, and always packed with fun and excitement. Nicknamed “The Well,” Greenville’s downtown Bon Secours Wellness Arena is a world-class, 15,000-seat sports and entertainment venue that rocks and rolls with the best of them. From major music acts to the circus to monster truck jams and more, the arena also serves as the home ice for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team.

For foodies like Melissa and me, Greenville is a culinary paradise. For breakfast, try Camilla’s strata at M. Judson Booksellers or visit Southern Pressed Juicery, a 100% organic, plant-based cold-pressed juicer and restaurant for oatmeal and açai bowls topped with fresh fruit and local honey. I recommend the Passerelle Bistro for lunch, featuring traditional French bistro fare with a breathtaking view from their stone patio overlooking Falls Park on the Reedy by the Liberty Bridge. I had the mussels with saffron, garlic, white wine, cream, and tomato with a grilled baguette. This dish was complemented by the frites with remoulade. We had a wonderful time chatting with the owner, Michael Minelli, who transplanted his family a few years ago from New Jersey because he loved a prior visit to Greenville. Another excellent lunch alternative is Coastal Crust in the West End for delicious wood-fired pizza.

Melissa and I had the pleasure of having dinner at three very different restaurants during our stay. On our first night in town, we went to Soby’s New South Cuisine—a converted warehouse space serving South Carolina twists like shrimp and grits with andouille sausage, tasso ham, roasted tomatoes, and Anson Mill’s grits. The menu was a delicious beginning to our visit to Greenville. On our second night, we visited Halls Chop House, a traditional high-end steakhouse with only the best cuts of USDA prime beef, including dry-aged, wet-aged, and wagyu steaks. The service was impeccable, and the raw oysters tasted fresh from the sea. The side-item recommendations were incredible, particularly the creamed corn side skillet, local corn shucked and baked in cream and pepper jack, and topped with crispy breadcrumbs. We are thrilled that Halls first outpost outside of South Carolina will be opening in Nashville at Broadwest in June.

On our final night, Melissa and I began our evening with cocktails and charcuterie at Up on the Roof, an elegant rooftop bar on top of the Embassy Suites with a spectacular view of downtown. After we finished our cocktails, we walked over to Urban Wren, a fabulous establishment inspired by the love of food, wine, and hospitality specializing in shareable small, creative, and delicious plates. Melissa and I shared the kalbi, Korean barbeque flanken ribs, quick-chi, roasted pear, scallion glaze, and the chorizo-lobster corn dogs served with grapefruit slaw and avocado. We will return to dive further into their exceptional menu and lively atmosphere. Writing this article made me relive our wonderful visit to Greenville. I can’t wait to go back and spend more time there. So, if you are looking for a quick getaway from Nashville that has beauty, art, parks, fine dining, and fascinating cultural history, book a trip to Greenville, South Carolina. You won’t be disappointed.

The Westin Pointsett / 120 South Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601 / 864-421-9700 / www.marriott.com • Soby’s New South Cuisine / 207 South Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601 / 864-232-7007 / Sobys.com • Camilla Kitchen / 130 South Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601 / 864-603-2412 / mjudsonbooks.com • Falls Park On The Reedy / 601 South Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601 / 864-467-4350 / www.greenvillesc.gov/167/Falls-Park • Passerelle Bistro / 601 South Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601 / 864-509-0142 / www.passerelleinthepark.com MAC Gallery / 16 Augusta Street, Greenville, SC 29601 / 864-467-3132 / www.greenvillearts.com • Halls Chophouse / 550 South Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601 / 864-334-4200 / hallschophouse.com Southern Pressed Juicery / 2 West Washington Street, Greenville, SC 29601 / 864-729-8626 / southernpressedjuicery.com • Greenville Center For Creative Arts / 101 Abney Street, Greenville, SC 29611 / 864-735-3948 / artcentergreenville.org • Upcountry History Museum / 540 Buncombe Street, Greenville, SC 29601 / 864-467-3100 / www.upcountryhistory.org Kate Furman Jewelry / 547 Perry Avenue, Greenville, SC 29611 / 864-230-3347 / katefurman.com • Up on the Roof / 250 Riverplace, Greenville, SC 29601 / 864-242-4000 / eatupdrinkup.net/greenville-sc Urban Wren / 116 North Markley Street, Suite 102, Greenville, SC 29601/ 864-867-1081 / www.urbanwren.com • Village of West Greenville / www.villagewgvl.com