May 23 – 30, 2018
Next we’re headed to “the Greenville everyone’s talking about” – Greenville, SC. Greenville was on our route last summer but was bypassed due to hurricane Irma. Since the distance between Destin and Greenville was more than we wanted to cover in a day with a new rig, we decided to leave Camp Gulf a day early and overnight in Auburn, Alabama. Bill found a great campground (Auburn RV Park at Leisure Time Campground) just off I-85. The park overlooks a softball complex and offers special packages during Auburn University football season should you be a fan.
We were on the road early the next morning for the second leg into the Greenville area. Late in the afternoon we checked into our site at Traveler’s Rest/N. Greenville KOA. The campground was delightfully wooded with sites that backed up to a small creek. Our premium site included a paved living area with deck, wooden furniture and fire pit. Unfortunately rainy weather prevented us from fully utilizing our outdoor space.
We found a great crêperie in Travelers Rest that we managed to visit a couple of times. Their Lumberjack savory and Blueberry Creme sweet crêpes were perfect for sharing.
Consuming all of those calories necessitated incorporating some exercise into our visit. Bill discovered the schedule for some pickle ball courts in nearby Greer and the folks there graciously permitted us to join them. These folks were really good but Bill held his own against them. I enjoyed playing with them and learned a lot but I’m nowhere near their level.
While in the area we had to check out Cherokee Valley Golf Club and the surrounding homes – beautiful homes, some with amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. From there we drove on to Campbell’s Covered Bridge – the only remaining covered bridge in South Carolina.
Now you may be thinking that we forgot about Greenville proper but I assure you that we didn’t. What’s special about Greenville? Greenville is one of the top 10 fastest growing cities in the U.S. (CNN Money), the 13th best city for young professionals (Forbes), and the 3rd best small city in the U.S. (Conde Nash 2017).
So why are folks flocking here?
- Greenville is located halfway between Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
- Greenville is a foodie’s paradise. (Right up our alley – right?). The Main Street area abounds in restaurants, breweries, and coffeehouses.
- Art, music, and entertainment opportunities are everywhere.
- Greenville has a lot of green space. How many other cities have a natural waterfall and surrounding park in the center of town? The Falls on the Reedy has been named one of the top 10 parks in the U.S. by TripAdvisor. The park provides beautiful lawns and flowerbeds plus a suspension bridge from which to view the falls. It is also part of the Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail – a 21 mile multi-use trail system that runs along the Reedy River.
- Greenville is adding even more green space. A new park about twice the size of Falls Park is expected to be started soon in west Greenville.
Unfortunately, due to the weather we really didn’t get to experience downtown Greenville as much as we would have liked. We did drive into Greenville one afternoon to walk around and take the West End Walking Tour with Greenville History Tours. The tour started at Falls Park and followed the river while our guide discussed the history of the region and showed photographs of the area through history.
At the conclusion of the tour we asked the guide for a dinner recommendation since there were so many choices. He told us that one of his favorites was Abanico Tapas Bar. So, off we went in search of some excellent wine and tapas.
By the time we finished our dinner, the rain had set in yet again so we scurried back to the truck and headed for the campground.
A few days later it was time to pack up and hit the road for our next destination. Where to next?
