Courtesy of VisitGreenvilleSC
Greenville's best restaurant is not on the city's main walkable street. There is nothing within walking distance. Take the highway north of town, pass Lowe's on the right and take the dirt ramp just past the Speedway gas station. AlthoughCafé Oak Hillhas quietly gotten some serious recognition: It was a semifinalist for James Beard's Best New Restaurant in 2020 (that'sacross the country) - his determined but reserved approach speaks to what's been going on in Greenville.
Here's a restaurant in a humble house, with brambles from the 3-acre farm on site lining the parking lot. Oak Hill's hyper-local version takes around 50 steps from harvest to plate, with a series of dehydrators, fermenters and pressure cookers in between that extract every flavor molecule while embodying a zero-waste ethos. The kitchen's "devil's egg" is broken down into emulsified granules of Worcestershire sauce, crème fraîche, Dijon honey and roe, spooned over the mixed egg and spread on toast. it is divine
But Greenville is growing so fast that Oak Hill still feels like it's slipping under the radar. It hides from view, not unlike the Reedy River Cascades that lay beneath a highway for 35 years, now the centerpiece of downtown Falls Park, or the polluted railroad tracks transformed into the vaunted Swamp Rabbit Trail.
In Greenville, growth is contagious. Another public space currently under development, the 60-acre Unity Park, is already bringing creative restaurants and small startup startups to once dilapidated warehouses.die common. Across the river, the massive brick factories that powered this thriving textile city are steadily transforming hulking, unkempt shells into luxurious lofts with intriguing backstories.
local historian John NolanGreenville Historical ToursIt reveals the heyday of the industry in the early 20th century, including a Textile Crescent tour of the factory villages where baseball legend "Shoeless" Joe Jackson got his start. These resurgent cities within a city are fueling a second phase of renaissance that builds on the excitement that Greenville created a decade ago with the revitalization of Main Street. Constant construction rumble means your list of things to try needs to be updated monthly. Right now, Greenville is a city in bloom.
Where to stay in Greenville
Downtown Greenville adds a major new hotel almost every year.
Marriott SpringHill Suites
Reserve now:from $146/night,marriott.com
In 2019, Marriott opened its combinationResidence Inn y SpringHill Suites, with spacious rooms, full kitchens, and a contemporary, tree-themed aesthetic. Rocking chairs hang from the ceiling in the airy lobby, and brightly colored, three-dimensional wooden artworks fill the common spaces. A courtyard pool and barbecue area mitigate hot summer afternoons, and it's just a block from bustling Main Street. Prices are half those of a larger city (eg Charleston) for this level of luxury. Bonus: you're just around the corner from the best place downtown for a drink, the dimly lit but intoxicatingly cozy spot.Swordfish Cocktail Club.
Poinsett Westin
Reserve now:from $199/night,expedia.com
Located right on Court Square, the center of the cityPoinsett Westincombines history with AAA Four Diamond luxury. An ornate lobby and gilded ceilings make you think you're stepping back in time a century. Jesse Jackson was a doorman here in the 1950s, and there are numerous nods to the building's Roaring '20s origins, like a stall in the lobby public bathroom that was built on the hotel's original safe.
More openings in 2021
Several more major hotels are expected to open in 2021, including the long-awaitedgreat bohemian, with a wide view on the waterfall.
Photo the KAD Photo/Shutterstock
Things to do in Greenville
Greenville's recent history has been marked by a number of pioneering public access initiatives, beginning with the founding ofFalls Park on the Reedy, a 32-acre park in the heart of downtown. The signature waterfall is best viewed from the pedestrian-only Liberty Bridge, a cable-suspended path that stretches 345 feet and winds its way around the waterfall below.
The public space extends from north to south along theSumpfkaninchenpfad, a smart city planning grand slam that parallels the Reedy River as it flows 22 miles over a converted railroad. The path leads south to the freshwater swamp.Conestee Lake Conservation Areaand north to Travelers Rest, a bed-sharing community where food is popularinterior arrangementsYWrench Smokehousea worthy destination for a long afternoon bike ride. Two miles north of the city centerSwamp Rabbit Café and grocery storeit sets an attractive benchmark with its park-like outdoor seating, sandwiches on homemade bread, and a cycling spirit. Welcome to Asheville 25 years ago.
In the center of McBee street,cane travelrent seven-speed cruisers (plus a kid-friendly pull wagon) to explore the trail. Book early for weekend rentals - the Reedy Scenic Drive is a popular diversion.
minutes from downtown,Paris Mountain State Parkit rises from the foothills and invites walkers and runners to tackle its terrain. But not all of Greenville's attractions are natural. another new distractionTopgolf Greenville, has three levels with hitting bays and a relaxed happy hour atmosphere. Topgolf turns a driving range into a bowling alley atmosphere with competition for beginners, local craft beers, quick service, and a surprisingly good chicken taco.
Nearby is Greenville's most distinctive and impressive attraction, across the street from the largest BMW manufacturing facility in the world. HeBMW Performance Centerputs you behind the wheel of the company's fastest cars, including the M8 coupe, which can hit 60 mph in under three seconds. There's no faster way to go from giddy eyes to full adrenaline rush than a pro runner ordering you, "Let's go to the ground!" as you switch from full throttle to full braking to drift and screech around a corner. Just remember that when you get back to your own (or rental) car, you don't have ceramic brakes. The BMW facilities also include an off-road course where you drive your X5 "Sports Activity Vehicle" through a river, balancing on two wheels as you climb up and down steep obstacles.
Courtesy of VisitGreenvilleSC
Where to eat and drink in Greenville
Greenville is fully embracing the trend of converting historic buildings to mixed-use developments. Combinations of beer, coffee, food trucks and yoga studios housed in former brick warehouses and textile factories abound in downtown. The most modern of these meeting places is Hampton Station, whereThe birds fly southThe brewery shares a buildingwhite duck tacosStore, facing a central courtyard with picnic tablesTo the southcoffee roaster, aAxtwurfgelenk, AHundehotel,Ya meander.
At Markley Station, the trio includes tenants for dinnerurban wren, a wine shop and an eclectic kitchen with a glitzy industrial motif. And Greenville isn't without a real food hall:Collect GVLhe chose colorful, stacked shipping containers on aging bricks to house his dozens of vendors, who sell everything from acai bowls to lobster rolls.
Just outside of town, in the Village of West Greenville, a revitalized thoroughfare lined with many art galleries,the anchorageit is aptly named for its role in the road. Exposed brick and whitewashed beams complement a menu informed by its relationship to nearby Horseshoe Farm. Opt for the four-course family tasting menu.
Of course, there would be no trendy block perimeter development without a strong urban roots structure. Main Street, now stretching along the river into the once-working-class West End, is a pedestrian thoroughfare in the heart of Greenville. Start the day atmethodical coffee, a quiet and light-filled space with an excellent Tres Leches latte or a Lord Have Mercy detox juice with ginger, cayenne pepper and lemonSouthern Pressed Juice Products. On weekends, you can skip the wait for a brunch table by taking part in a breakfast drive.Foothill Food Tours. It also offers dessert and cocktail tours, solid values that allow guests to dine on Main Street with a minimum of fuss. These are not "tasting tours", you will not leave hungry.
A restaurant worth planning a trip to Greenville for, Out of Oak Hill is the best place to make a reservation.Capsule Barbacoa, where chef and pit master Dave Jensen takes the classic corn meat dish to a new level. After dinner, he rounds out the night with donut holes: cloud-shaped receptacles for salted caramel sauce.Foxcroft Wine Company., charmingly housed in a restored brick building that once housed a Model T-era Ford dealership. Or end the night across the street with a surprisingly light slice of chocolate truffle cake.old europe.
Greenville's main drag hasn't led the way from the Charleston market or lower King streets - restaurants that cater to tourists and locals aren't geographically separated. In Greenville, locals and visitors still dine together. The city is bustling and growing at a dizzying rate, yet it still feels unfamiliar to the visitor.
Just 20 years ago, the notion of Charleston as an internationally coveted destination for culture and cuisine was a mockery. But when South Carolina has its next moment, it will be the brilliant shine of Greenville that captures and holds the world's gaze.
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