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I will be spending a couple days in Greenville next month and staying overnight downtown.
My wife and I are considering a move to the area. We have one day to spend in town. Any "must" sees, or where would you take us if you were our tour guide?
Do you have any particular interests? There are so many different things to see and do in and around town that it would be helpful to know a little more about you (age group, preferred activities, hobbies, etc.). Where are you coming from, so we will know what may or may not be uniquely interesting to you in this area? Do you know which days of the week you will be in town? Would you prefer to drive around to see more of the broader region, or remain within or near the city? Will you be taking time during your visit to review neighborhoods, and if so, what price range and list of amenities are you interested in?
Regardless of the many other options, definitely spend time strolling in Downtown and Falls Park on the Reedy. Enjoy the people and the numerous shops, restaurants, art galleries & studios, museums, theatres, parks/paths/trails, etc. Talk with the friendly local shop proprietors and artists.
Do you have any particular interests? There are so many different things to see and do in and around town that it would be helpful to know a little more about you (age group, preferred activities, hobbies, etc.). Where are you coming from, so we will know what may or may not be uniquely interesting to you in this area? Do you know which days of the week you will be in town? Would you prefer to drive around to see more of the broader region, or remain within or near the city? Will you be taking time during your visit to review neighborhoods, and if so, what price range and list of amenities are you interested in?
Regardless of the many other options, definitely spend time strolling in Downtown and Falls Park on the Reedy. Enjoy the people and the numerous shops, restaurants, art galleries & studios, museums, theatres, parks/paths/trails, etc. Talk with the friendly local shop proprietors and artists.
Agreed! Without knowing much about what you like, Downtown and Falls Park are DEFINITE must-sees. Everybody likes to eat, stroll, sightsee & shop, right?
it's gonna be really nice when you get here. We came for a 3 day visit in June of '07 and our jaws literally dropped when we got down town. Needless to say we've been here 3 years and love it.
Thanks, Everyone, for your reply. We will be coming from Colorado, and will be in town on a Wednesday and Thursday. We will be checking out a few neighborhoods, but we are looking more for the big picture (quality of life, traffic, cleanliness, outdoor activities, etc). Any housing decision would be done after a very extensive search. I can tell by looking on-line that the housing in the area is 1/4 of what we would pay in Colorado per sq. foot.
Quality of life here is off the charts. There is downtown (already mentioned); great parks and greenways; a wonderful arts scene here (Greenville Symphony Orchestra, Carolina Ballet Theatre, South Carolina Children's Theater, The Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities, various other theatres and music venues, etc.); great retail for a city our size; easy access to the mountains; great foodie scene; wonderful grocery shopping choices, from Aldi to Whole Foods to The Fresh Market, and several other chains in between; really decent public schools (depends on the area); many events held downtown and throughout the area year-round, etc. Greenville is also a cycling-friendly city, and is VERY dog-friendly.
Traffic can be a bear on Woodruff Rd from about I-85 outwards from the city and I-385, and in some other areas, but we're told it's nothing compared to the large cities. Cleanliness can vary by area, but downtown is generally immaculate, and the parks stay very clean as well.
Hope you find what you need here - many people have moved here from all over the country and loved it!.
If you were business associates being relocated to the area and had two days to check out the place, this would be the itinerary I would suggest:
First, call the visitor's bureau and have them send you all of the information they have on the area for local events, restaurants, etc..
Plan to stay at a hotel in the downtown area. I like the Hampton Inn on the River and the Westin - the location and the properties themselves.
Day 1
8-12:30 - Grab coffee and danish at one of the downtown coffee shops. I hit liquid highway because I dig their philosophy but of course there is a Starbucks as well. There is a good variety of lunch options downtown but I highly suggest the Lazy Goat, my personal fav. Take your coffee and walk Around Falls Park for about an hour, taking in the scenic beauty. That should get you to about 9:30....... Shops will begin to open around 10:00 a.m. Meander in and out of the shops and ask the proprieters about their experiences in Greenville. Be sure to walk down to the West End and check out the Fluor Field (baseball) area. Put the Peace Center on your walking tour itinerary as well.
After lunch, hop in the car and begin working your way out from the center of Greenville. Check out the homes in the neighborhoods surrounding downtown. Note that there are townhomes for sale right in downtown, depending on your family needs and budget.
I'd suggest driving to Traveler's Rest and checking out that area as well. I think one of the primary advantages of Greenville is that it is located at the base of the mountains and there are some spectacular views. You may want to save an hour of your day and walk part of the newly developed walking/bike trail there. That area has more of the Colorado "vibe" to me and is my favorite.
Finish the day by driving over to and around Simsonville and Greer. Those are two other areas where families are settling in our area. You just have to drive through the areas, stop at coffee shops and get a feel for the vibe. You don't know until you stop and experience the area.
After that, head back to your downtown hotel and plan for cocktails at High Cotton before heading back to your room. Ask for suggestions for dinner from the concierge based on what you are in the mood for. There are lots of good options in Downtown. I like Trios pizza and salads but there is high end Italian and Continental, Asian, Indian.....
Day 2
Pre-arrange a meeting with a realtor before traveling to Greenville in order to establish a local contact to do legwork for you while you are back in Colorado. Have him/her suggest a local diner to meet for coffee and/or breakfast and ask them to bring a list of neighborhoods meeting the criteria you have already sent over to them. Ask if they will escort you through a couple and then tackle the rest at your leisure for the rest of the day. It will be warm so surely there will be people out walking in the neighborhoods. Stop and ask folks questions about their neighborhoods and the area. After you have hit the various neighborhoods, drive through the Village at Greenridge. It is a congested shopping area that gets mixed reviews on the forum but it is good to check out. I think they have live music on Thursday nights. Once you see it during the daytime, you can determine if you woul dlike to go back for drinks/dinner and maybe one of the concerts in the village if they have it on Thursday evening. If not, there is Downtown Alive on Thursday nights on Main Street so you can plan for a second evening down on Main. If there is time, in the afternoon you may want to drive on over to Clemson and get a feel for that area. I'm a Carolina fan (Columbia) but if you are a college football fan, Clemson is the mecca in Fall for much of the Upstate. It is a beautiful area with a college vibe.
Well, hopefully that is enough to get you started. You can fill in the gaps with other suggestions from other posters for a completed itinerary.
Good luck and let us know your thoughts after the trip. Your input will help us to help others in the future.
Nice suggestions Tinabean. If you have time, check out a game at the Greenville Drive Stadium also. Actually called Flour Field now (sorry G-Man) , sometimes we just get used to the original name.
Nice job, thanks for taking time out of your day to help all of us planning trips to Greenville.
Next week will be my second trip, and will be my wifes first. I want to make sure the boss feels the same sense of 'wow' I felt.
Thanks, Everyone, for your reply. We will be coming from Colorado, and will be in town on a Wednesday and Thursday. We will be checking out a few neighborhoods, but we are looking more for the big picture (quality of life, traffic, cleanliness, outdoor activities, etc). Any housing decision would be done after a very extensive search. I can tell by looking on-line that the housing in the area is 1/4 of what we would pay in Colorado per sq. foot.
We moved here from Colorado (via short detour in VA). One thing that stands out here over Colorado is the lack of public amenities - no greenspaces, no rec centers, scant bike lanes and sidewalks, very few (and small) parks (all these compared to Colorado, mind you). Most everything here is privately owned (and much of that is for sale), which is largely why land and housing are so cheap and will remain that way. I lived in Fort Collins and could reach everywhere by bike. That is very, very difficult here without endangering your life.
My advice: don't buy here until you've lived here a long time. The neighborhoods are quirky. Extremely nice places are very close to extremely rundown places. Also, there is A LOT of property for sale here - more than you could see online. So as an investment, the chances of return are only good over the very long haul. As long as whole areas are being clearcut to make way for new developments without restriction, home values will remain low here. And as long as the people in charge here are still in charge, chances for restrictions are slim and none.
Move here, buy an inexpensive house that will remain inexpensive, burn whatever you want in your yard (cause your neighbor will be too), clearcut whatever trees you want (cause your neighbor might decide to as well). Help continue the path of turning what used to be a forest into mediocre sprawl run amok.
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