Keb Mo Solo Prescott Park Arts Festival August 22

Get Downtown - Decades of revitalization have made Greenville'southward center commune a hub for conveniently experiencing art, history, music, food, and fun.  (inset) Big Time - At the Greenville Zoo, which celebrates its 60th birthday next year, the giraffes are a chief (but far from only) attraction. Photographs (skyline) courtesy of VisitGreenvilleSC/Chris Leyland Photography; (zoo) courtesy of VisitGreenvilleSC/Chelsey Ashford Photography

On a recent sunny afternoon, three towering giraffes ambled around their preserve at the Greenville Zoo, nibbling on leaves while awestruck kids, parents, and beast lovers of all stripes gazed up intently. From there, the visitors moved along to see African lions, primates from Southeast Asia, flamingos from Latin America, and farm critters from closer to domicile—just some of the more than 80 species of animals at the zoo. One of Greenville'south year-circular attractions, the zoo is an apt metaphor for a city that offers a cornucopia of choices as information technology grows, diversifies, and builds its cachet.

Just ane hour'due south drive from Asheville and with a population of about 70,000, Greenville, South Carolina, has a mix of historic charms and modern offerings that's sparking national attention. After losing its crucial cloth industry, the city has launched downtown revitalizations that take catapulted Greenville'southward reputation equally a identify to live and visit. Its roster of recent accolades includes making the short lists for the "South's best cities" (Southern Living), "cheap summer travel" (Forbes), "top new foodie cities" (People), "America's greenest cities" (Hertz.com), and "must-see destinations" (Expedia.com). Likewise pouring in is praise for Greenville'southward arts and museums, outdoor activities, music and sports venues, and culture of thriving independent businesses.

Greenville'south greenways and network of trails—including Liberty Bridge at Falls Park on the Reedy (pictured)—make the city a bully place to walk. Photograph courtesy of VisitGreenvilleSC/Bendingwood Studio Arts/Jeff Gandy

For a getaway just down the mountains from Western North Carolina, this jewel of the Upstate is a powerful draw—merely it tin can help to plan ahead to make the most of a visit, exist it for a day trip, weekend, or longer. Hither are some of Greenville's standout offerings.

Arts & Entertainment

Greenville'due south cultural scene is increasingly something to crow about. The Greenville County Museum of Fine art, regarded as one of the finest in the South, houses the world's largest public drove of watercolors by Andrew Wyeth, a sizable choice of works past Jasper Johns, and pieces by other noted artists. New and upcoming exhibitions include "Persons of Interest"—a compelling selection of portraits of and past famed southerners, drawn from new acquisitions, and a career retrospective on the late painter Arnold Mesches. Remarkably, the admission at GCMA is free.

You could fill a weekend (and more) with visits to Greenville's arts and cultural offerings, which include performance venues like the Peace Center (top) and the Greenville County Museum of Art (bottom left). Photographs (clockwise from superlative) courtesy of VisitGreenvilleSC/Kris Decker; VisitGreenvilleSC/Gabrielle Grace; VisitGreenvilleSC/Mira Photographs/Michelle Mogavero

A couple of blocks away and also situated on downtown'due south lovely Heritage Green is the Carolina Music Museum. Though it was established only final yr, the museum is already garnering acclaim for its collections of historic instruments, including more than than forty vintage pianos and harpsichords. Sandwiched between these ii museums is the Greenville Piffling Theatre, which hosts popular musicals, plays, and more. Other venues—for professional and youth theater, ballet, and the Greenville Symphony Orchestra—abound, every bit do galleries and studios downtown and in the growing arts hub dubbed Hamlet of Westward Greenville.

When it comes to staging the large shows, Greenville likewise delivers. The multivenued Peace Middle hosts some 300 events a twelvemonth, from a range of the performing arts. Upcoming concerts include Gladys Knight (August 20), Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (August 21), and Keb' Mo' Solo (September 17), alongside multinight stage shows including The Ring'south Visit, Ella Enchanted, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Larger yet are the entertainments at the newly renovated Bon Secours Health Arena, which seats up to xv,000 for music, sports, and family performances. It's preparing to showcase the likes of New Kids on the Cake, with Salt-Northward-Pepa and Naughty by Nature (July 10), Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss (August 16), and Judah & the Lion (September 8).

Non to exist missed is Greenville's annual Artisphere, a iii-twenty-four hours celebration that marked its 15th anniversary in May 2019. Drawing more than 80,000 revelers in all things artistic, the festival hits the streets with live music, street nutrient galore, and the chance to see (and pick up) works by hundreds of the Upstate's peak artists.

Ways to Play

Sports and wellness make a healthy pairing in Greenville—forth with outright playfulness. For the spectator, first of all, there's the metropolis's Minor League Baseball team, the Greenville Drive, a Class A affiliate of the Boston Cerise Sox. With a regular season that lasts until early September, the Drive plays its home games at Flour Field at the West End, which was built in 2006 with an heart toward classic baseball stadium design, making for an accurate night at the ball field.

Another local favorite of sports fans is the Swamp Rabbits, Greenville's professional hockey team, which plays its home games at Bon Secours Wellness Arena from October to February. Brand new to the scene is the Greenville Triumph, the urban center's first professional soccer team, which launched in March 2019 and concludes its season in October, with local games at Legacy Early College. For the golfing gear up, Greenville's recently opened Topgolf takes the game to a whole new level, offer the national franchise's signature make of climate-controlled hitting bays, group games, and food and drinkable.

 In Greenville, athletic adventures abound, from kayaking on the Reedy River (top left) to professional sports including soccer (pinnacle right), hockey (middle right), and baseball game (bottom). Photographs (clockwise from top) courtesy of VisitGreenvilleSC/Green River Adventures; The Greenville Triumph; The Greenville Swamp Rabbits; Greenville Bulldoze

Greenville's revitalization hasn't just been profitable and scenic—it's also packed with (mostly free) options for locals and visitors to get out and get moving. The metropolis maintains several networks of greenways and trails in and around downtown, many of them bordering the tranquil Reedy River. For the hardy hiker or biker, the 22-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail is a well-maintained route that follows an one-time railroad corridor connecting Greenville with the town of Travelers Rest. (Take annotation: the trail has much shorter sections for those who don't want to traverse the whole thing.)

Greenville is a gold mine for active kids. Much of the greenway system is eminently family-friendly, notably Linky Stone Park, a complimentary children's garden and play place by the river. And while it's true that the metropolis can get a piddling steamy on summertime afternoons, Greenville County provides 3 splash-filled water parks—Discovery Island, Otter Creek, and 7th Inning Splash—each geared to a different age and style of fun in the water.

Greenville'south food and beverage scenes are booming, with offerings from the likes of Bacon Bros. Public House (top left), Yee-Haw Brewing Co. (peak right), and Soby's (bottom left); (Lesser right) The Swamp Rabbit Trail, cracking for walking, running, and biking, spans 22 miles, including primal stretches in downtown Greenville. Photographs (clockwise from top) courtesy of Bacon Brothers Food Grouping; Yee-Haw Brewing; courtesy of VisitGreenvilleSC/Firewater Photography/Kris Decker; VisitGreenvilleSC/Table 301

Dine & Drinkable

All that moving around is going to brand y'all hungry—and thirsty. Hither, Greenville can satisfy varying tastes besides. But last year, Travelzoo named Greenville one of its half dozen favorite food cities in the Us, praising the explosion of new independent restaurants and breweries and its food-truck smash.

To get the moving-picture show, visitors might desire to start at Upwardly on the ROOF, a eatery and bar on the rooftop of the Diplomatic mission Suites at Riverplace. In improver to its varied menu and award-winning wine list, it offers sweeping views of downtown and is a stunner at sunset.

Back on the footing, at that place are also many stellar eateries to mention them all here, but delectable choices include: Salary Bros. Public House in East Greenville, lauded for its farm-fresh food and house-cured meats, which y'all can view at the on-site curing room; Soby's, downtown on Main Street, which lives up to its promise of locally grown, seasonal cuisine; fellow Main Street mainstay Foxcroft Wine Co., which blends upscale pub fare with a bountiful vino list; and only-off-the-beaten-path Sidewall Pizza, which elevates pies with great service and ingredients in a tastefully minimalist setting. Anyone looking for lighter, on-the-go meals volition exist well served at Swamp Rabbit Café and Grocery, which also houses a whole-animal abattoir, pizza place, and bakery. And while you never know where you might bump into ane of Greenville'due south more than 30 food trucks, which dot the city, check out the comprehensive list at visitgreenvillesc.com.

This summer and fall nowadays a menu of events highlighting the food scene, including Greenville Restaurant Week (August eight-18), offering deals all over the metropolis; euphoria (September xix-22), a multifaceted bash of foodie events, concerts, and parties; and Fall for Greenville (Oct 11-13), the Upstate's biggest food and potable festival.

For beer lovers, Greenville and neighboring Spartanburg have risen their total to more than a dozen breweries, with more opening each year. One of the newcomers is Yee-Haw Brewing Co., which forged success with prior locations in Tennessee before reclaiming an abandoned building in downtown Greenville. The metropolis "is a model for a what a successful revitalization can bring to a community, and we wanted to be a part of that," says Yee-Haw brand manager Andrew Felty. Part taproom, role restaurant, role celebration of all things microbrew, Yee-Haw volition also be launching tours soon—and it participates in the Greenville Brews Cruise, an feel that allows you to select which parts of the urban center's craft-brew scene to cheque out during a guided circuit.

(Left) Greenville'due south biggest annual festival, Artisphere, takes place in May and draws more than than fourscore,000 people; (Right) The Westin Poinsett
Photographs (left) courtesy of VisitGreenvilleSC/Gabrielle Grace; (right) courtesy of VisitGreenvilleSC/The Westin Poinsett

Stay a While

To best experience Greenville in overnight comfort, consider these lodging options a safe bet: The highly rated Westin Poinsett, a Marriott hotel on Primary Street, couldn't exist more centrally located; downtown's newest hotel, a suites-merely Residence Inn, boasts all the comforts of dwelling; and the Hotel Domestique in nearby Traveler'south Rest serves as a luxurious launching indicate for taking in all Greenville has to offer.

Set to Go?
Cheque out visitgreenvillesc.com for insightful and upwardly-to-date tips on what'south happening in Greenville.

Resources:

Photographs Courtesy of (skyline) visitGreenvillesc/Chris Leyland Photography; (zoo) visitgreenvillesc/Chelsey Ashford Photography; (opposite) visitgreenvillesc/bendingwood studio arts/jeff gandy; (visitgreenvillesc/firewater photography/kris decker; visitgreenvillesc/gabrielle grace; visitgreenvillesc/mira photographs/michelle mogavero; visitgreenvillesc/gabrielle grace; visitgreenvillesc/dark-green river adventures; the Greenville Triumph; The Greenville Swamp Rabbits; Greenville Drive; visitgreenvillesc/firewater photography/kris decker; Bacon Brothers Nutrient Group; Yee-Haw Brewing Greenville; visitgreenvillesc/the westin poinsett greenville; visitgreenvillesc/table 301

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Source: https://wncmagazine.com/feature/going_upstate

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