Greenville, SC

We’ve been meaning to check Greenville, SC out for a while. We’ve heard good things. But somehow we just kept tootling past the place.

Not this time. This time we stopped. And stayed. For a week. In an ‘okay’ RV park, that was outside of the city, but as close as we could get.

Limited RV park options in the vicinity are one of the several reasons we hadn’t popped into the city before. On our inaugural trip to the little city, we felt the limitations that being a 15-minute drive into Greenville imposed.

We often feel the ‘ugh’ of the non-shouldered roads that are prevalent in much of the Southern United States. Southern SC roads were not an exception in our experience. Since there were no RV parks along the Swamp Rabbit trail (a riverside path that runs through Greenville), or in the city proper – we just had to deal with driving into the city if we wanted to run.

We did scout out the future ability to stay at Paris Mountain State Park, which is a big luscious park North of Greenville with tons of trails and what we think is a route to be able to run into the city. We didn’t snag a campsite here due to some research that indicated we might not have a great time, us being 40′ of glory and all. Our recon indicated that it would be a bit tight for our 40′ butt, but doable if we were strongly compelled. So, we might give it a go when we’re in the area again.

While at the park, we engaged in a run/hike jaunt through the mountain. It was lovely.

I do think residing at Paris Mountain would improve our future trips to Greenville, being that the ability to access areas on foot is important to our general lifestyle.

Which is not to say that we did not enjoy our week in Greenville!

We did.

We popped into the city for a day to explore by foot without any sense of what existed there before we stumbled upon it, which is one of our favorite things to do. The downtown area is extra cute and very clean. While we weren’t yet comfortable dining or drinking inside, we did enjoy a beer and some snack foods outside at Yee-Haw Brewing Co. They receive a thumbs up from us. There is also a neat container park – with Acai Bowls!! – right downtown, which provided for brunch style nourishment.

I definitely dug the M.Judson Bookstore, which is located in a historic downtown courthouse building and even has a little cafe inside. I made a note to return when COVID isn’t rampaging, I am vaccinated, and we are back in Greenville.

Greenville is also home to two (2!!) White Duck Taco Shops. White Duck Taco is a favorite of ours. We first devoured their delightful taco-based offerings while in Charleston, SC, and have since been on the lookout when in the general areas of North and South Carolina. Sadly, (and also idiotically!), Charleston’s White Duck Taco Shop closed its doors and you can no longer enjoy their delicious tacos when there. White Duck is our kind of place: grubby, creative, inexpensive, and counter service only.

We made time to drive to and then run along Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit trail, which is lovely and awesomely maintained. There are even a few opportunities for food/drink breaks along the path, which we sadly did not realize existed and therefore we did not pack cash/cards in our running shorts. We won’t be short-changed next visit.

Greenville seems centered around Falls Park. I’m not complaining. The city has built up an amazing outdoor community area featuring rolling acres of green space and a waterfall. I was so smitten with the area that I conned Jake into ‘having a rest’ in a sunny patch of green grass, which quickly turned into a nap. When I awoke, I found Jake playing chess on a bench while a trio of well-seasoned ladies (see: older) practiced TikTok dances nearby.

As per usual, when not exploring, we were likely working. Or sometimes just snuggling Lucy. Or a combo of both. A week is honestly too short a duration to get a decent feel for most places (most). Especially when much of your week requires you to work. And maintain a home (even if it is on wheels). The vibe we did get from Greenville tells us we like it. And we want to come back.

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