Until recently, for one of those inexplicable reasons, Greenville was one of those places I always wanted to go but never did. As ridiculous as it sounds, perhaps it was because it seemed WAY up north to me. For the record, it is just over two hours from Aiken. Side note: one of the great things about our state is that even traveling from Charleston (another fantastic city of ours) to Greenville only takes about three hours. I am very disappointed I waited as long as I did. On my first visit, I instantly fell in love with the great city, and it was everything I was told it was.
One of the first things I was struck by was its proximity to the mountains and how it almost has a mountain town vibe to it. Anyone who has visited places like Boone, Asheville, or Highlands will understand what I mean.
As we mentioned last month, at some point we will dive back into the particulars of each city to explore specific aspects such as entertainment and the food scene. For now we are just touching on the highlights as we introduce this series.
On our last visit to Greenville to deliver the latest issue of Bella Magazine, my partner and I took advantage of the loosening restrictions to explore the city a bit. We found it interesting that she had never really explored south of the river and I never really north. I have long been a fan of Falls Park, Liberty Bridge, and Swamp Rabbit Trail, but I am now additionally impressed with the vibrant and interesting downtown scene just on the other side of the river. The downtown area finds a way to be touristy in all the right ways while still managing to be charming. Greenville does a fantastic job of combining the aspects you look for in a large city while maintaining an almost unbelievable amount of green space. As someone who loves the mountain trails but is also a fan of things a big city has to offer, Greenville is top of my list for a close-to-home destination. I look forward to getting to know this city and what it has to offer even better as we continue to grow Bella’s presence there.
Tad Jones
When we started thinking of growing Bella Magazine from our little town of Aiken into a state-wide Palmetto Bella Magazine, the first city we considered was Charleston. And so began the travel column “Our Experiences,” with our first look at the city of Charleston and why we love it. If you missed it in the June issue, please find it online at AikenBellaMagazine.com. Then we decided to expand to Greenville. And so marks the second in the “Our Experiences” series of articles. Greenville is an interesting story for my partner and me.
I had been to Greenville on a number of occasions with my daughters. A co-worker had suggested that I check out the cast iron wares at Mast General Store in downtown Greenville. It did not disappoint. We spent the day roaming around downtown in and out of stores like O.P. Taylor’s, Anthropologie, and Southern Tide. We only had time for a 15 minute visit to Falls Park on the Reedy River before we had to head home, with a promise to return for more.
I home schooled my second youngest for a few years, and we made trips to see Greenville’s Peace Center, the Hughes Library, and the Children’s Museum of the Upstate. All three facilities were outstanding, and fantastic places to take kids. We filled the days on the north side of the river, again with only a few minutes to dip into Falls Park.
It was on a recent trip to Greenville to deliver Bella Magazines that I was finally able to explore south of the Reedy River. It was quite odd because my partner had always stayed on the south side of the river and I had always stayed on the north. We had a great time sharing the two halves of the city with each other, experiencing new things as well as revisiting old favorites. The City of Greenville has done an outstanding job of having something for everyone, from great shopping and food to expansive outdoor areas. There is always something new to explore. I look forward to seeing what new things we uncover as we return each month and continue to expand our presence in Greenville.
Ladonna Armstrong
