Confession: I’m a sucker for a cute little town. For a small-town getaway combined with outdoor adventure, plan a trip to Greenville, South Carolina. It’s got all the goods: a unique in town park, walkable downtown lined with gorgeous oak trees, nearby camping and inviting dining options for the whole family.
Falls Park on the Reedy
Right in the center of town you can find Greenville’s signature steel cable Liberty Bridge which takes walkers and bikers over top Falls Park, an area of natural waterfalls, a creek and walking paths.
Hang out at Falls Park and read its history. Amazingly, until 2002, a highway bridge completely covered the falls. Kudos to the city planners who saw the potential of anchoring the downtown to this beautiful natural resource once again. Grab a cone or coffee at Spill the Beans and feed the ducks. For lunch with a view of the park, try Passerlle Bistro.
At the falls, you may have to tell (ahem, yell at) your children to GET OFF THE ROCKS because that’s what all the signs say, yet EVERYONE IS ON THE ROCKS (including the dads, of course). While worrying about whether my kids would fall in the water, I promptly stepped in a mud hole up to my shin. Karma. I aim to entertain at any expense.
Bike Town
From the park, we began our bike ride on the Swamp Rabbit Trail. With 20 miles of trails, you can ride all the way to Furman University, the zoo, restaurants and city parks. I was impressed to see new business development alongside the trail—think Atlanta Beltline. The mostly flat trails were great for the kids ages 8 – 11 we had in tow. Even younger kids could manage it, or you can simply walk…and push that stroller.
Don’t miss the 70-year-old Root Tree in Falls Park. My kids were amazed by the massive tree roots at eye level. (Pat yourself on the back for a mini science lesson).
Plan a pit stop on the bike route at the Swamp Rabbit Café & Grocery. Hello there adorable farmers market.
Grab some fresh produce, King of Pops or a grass fed burger cooked while you wait. If you need to rent bikes, start your trip here and rent bikes at the little store on site.
Around town
There’s nothing I love more than walking around a real downtown. In this category, Greenville delivers big time. Just start walking on Main Street in either direction and you’ll find ALL THE THINGS: guitar players, boutiques, people walking adorable dogs, kids’ shops, street side dining, juice bars, wine bars and more. (Ladies, there’s even an Anthro!).
One store that will please the entire family is the Mast General Store. You guys, this store has everything from Chaco sandals and Columbia fishing shirts to children’s books and fun home décor. Keep walking all the way to the back and find a candy section with all the sweets from your youth. I introduced my kids to Chick-O-Stick and a real Moon Pie.
If your kiddos need a little motivation to walk the downtown, introduce them to Mice on Main. Based on the popular children’s book Goodnight Moon, nine mice sculptures are hidden throughout Greenville’s downtown, providing a fun scavenger hunt mixed with some local history. Grab the free tour map at Mast General Store. You can also check out a children’s storybook about the nine mice for even more background on the characters.
Foodies and pleasing kids
When it comes to dining out, our kids’ taste buds are currently keeping us in the chicken tenders and fries club. Sigh. One day we’ll get to our goal of family dining at ethnic and fusion locales.
I’m happy to report we found some places that pleased everyone. Nestled inside the Westin Hotel, you’ll find Nose Dive. It’s a great spot for brunch or lunch with a nice street view of the downtown action. We tried the grits bar (with 15+ toppings!) and some mimosas during brunch—because when mama’s happy, everybody’s happy!
Split a few apps and a main dish to keep the cost down and still try a variety from the menu. The kids’ menu was reasonable and pleasing to our bunch. Another winner is The Lazy Goat. It’s right on the river and has one the best small plate collections I’ve tried! Do not miss the Crispy Brussel Sprouts.
Since my son is a bit of a donut connoisseur, we took a trip over to The Donut Experiment to check out their specialties. In this donut concept, as the hot donuts come out, your custom topping are added. Hot, fresh and just as you like them. The maple bacon was number one in our books.
Camping vs. hoteling
There are several lovely hotels right downtown. And, if I wasn’t on a budget trip, I would totally snag a walkable hotel. Don’t bother staying outside the city. If you are hoteling, you’ll want to spend the extra cash to stay right downtown.
We stayed in our camper/travel trailer at Paris Mountain State Park, about a 15 minute drive from Falls Park, the center of town. We’ve stayed in many state parks and I like South Carolina because you can reserve your exact spot, helpful when you are traveling with other families. However, this park wasn’t quite a home run—the sites were small for our camper and bath houses were lacking, but proximity was key and it offered some excellent mountain biking and hiking. It also featured a cute retro visitors’ center on a small lake with swimming and canoeing. At only $19 a night, we give it a thumbs up.
Camping also allowed us to eat dinner on a budget. One of the perks of camping is cooking together and chilling out after a day of exploring. The kids hung out in their “Eno village” and played tag.
We swapped ingredients with friends and came up with this winner of a dish: Grilled chicken marinated in teriyaki, sesame seeds and green onions served over sesame noodles (from Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All Easy Cookbook). Served with a side of Brussel sprouts sautéed in soy sauce, olive oil and sea salt. (I have a hard time believing Gwyneth when she says it’s ALL easy, but trust me, this recipe won’t stress you out.)
Plus, we got all the kids involved to make a USA-themed dessert together. They followed a recipe card from Raddish, a kid-friendly cooking subscription service, to make the treat on their own.
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