This is one of my favorite things to do in Greenville.  Biking The Swamp Rabbit Trail is one of the most popular activities for locals who love to get out in the nature.  The bike path begins just south of Downtown Greenville and ends around the Travelers Rest area.

My personal recommendation would be to begin biking at Swamp Rabbit Cafe (you can rent a bike there if you don’t have one) and head to the cute town of Travelers Rest.  Once you are there, you can grab a beer or even bite to eat at one of their restaurants, take a break, and head back.  It’s a great way to get active and explore another side of Greenville.

Spill The Beans is easily one of the best places to get ice cream in Greenville, SC.  It’s a local ice cream shop that just happens to be situated next to Greenville’s favorite park, Falls Park.   Particularly during the summer, you will find many people waiting in line for a Spill The Bean’s ice cream and then enjoying the pleasant scenery around Falls Park while they savor their treat.  There are other great ice cream parlors in downtown Greenville such as the Blueberryfrog and Luna Rosa Gelato Cafe, but Spill The Beans is the local favorite.

Not only does Greenville have a beautiful downtown, the city gives you tons of opportunities to enjoy it throughout the year, including hosting various outdoor concerts each week.  You can typically count on there being some type of music outdoors on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays during the summer months.  Some of the concerts will be down by the River in Falls Park, while others are located on the other side of Main Street, near the Hilton Hotel.  To get more details on these summer concerts, go to the Greenville City Website.

If you are wanting to know where to find some of Greenville’s best restaurants, look no further than Table 301.  This group of restaurants are not only known for their excellent food, but are also some of the most popular places to eat in Greenville.  Soby’s is a southern restaurant with a twist.  Eating at the Lazy Goat brings you back to the Mediterranean with it’s menu.  Nose Dive is always packed, and you can get some delicious, high quality Italian food at Jianna.

Las Vegas?  You mean Gvegas!  If you are going to go out in Greenville, Downtown Greenville is the place to be.  There are tons of great bars and a few small, but nice clubs right along Main Street.  There is so much nightlife in one location that it makes going out super convenient.  If you don’t like one bar, you can leave and easily be at the next one in less than five minutes.  Also, you don’t have to hassle with moving your car multiple times during the night, because you can walk everywhere downtown.  You can even take a trolley that just drives up and down Main Street.

When I went out in Greenville, I would probably stop by one or two bars before heading to a night club. One of my favorite bars was Barleys, and I loved to end my night at The Blu Martini. Some other great bars to go to are Rey’s for a younger crowd, Connolly’s for those who like Irish Bars, Jack n’ Diane’s piano bar, and Carolina Ale House for those who are looking for a good sports bar (there are many more!).

This may not happen if you took my “number 5” recommendation and were out bar hopping the Friday night before.  But, for you early birds, one of the best places to be Saturday morning is the Farmers market.  The natives (especially my mom!) love going and stocking up on fresh local fruits and vegetables for the week.  If you will be staying in Greenville for some time, you should definitely pick up some of these fruits and veggies.  They are delicious!

It’s not there yet, but it’s on it’s way.  I am predicting now that this up-and-coming arts district is going to be one of Greenville’s hot spots in the future.  The Village of West Greenville already has one of the city’s cutest coffee shops and a restaurant that’s so good, it’s even receiving national attention.

When it comes to Greenville, Falls Park and its Liberty Bridge have become iconic.  The park is usually the first thing you see when you type Greenville into Google, and the it’s is the main attraction downtown.  Just about every time I head downtown, I’ll make a pit stop at Falls Park, whether that’s after I’ve eaten, or if I’m just hanging out with friends and family.  It’s beautiful, and taking a stroll through the park is simply relaxing.

Whether you bike or drive, the charming town of Traveler’s Rest has become a favorite stop for hungry locals.  It’s Main Street is lined with well-known restaurants, an ice cream shop, a brewery, and a distillery.    A lot of people will even bike there from Greenville, just to have a beer and grab a bite to eat.

This is a great way to start a night out in Greenville.  There are quite a few rooftop bars sprawled across the city that provide will not only provide you with some delicious food and drinks, but also some beautiful views of the city.

Greenville is at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the locals love to take advantage of their proximity to those rolling hills.  If you do take a short trip to the mountains, you can find a variety of things to do there, such as kayaking, tubing, white water rafting, and hiking.  Also, for the people that shy away from sports, there are beautiful waterfalls to visit, charming mountain towns to explore, and the scenic Blue Ridge Highway that you can drive down.

Greenville is becoming more and more of a known culinary destination in the U.S., and if you want to sample food from some of the city’s best restaurants, then you’ll want to check out Fall for Greenville.  It’s the Upstates largest food and music festival that takes place over the course of a weekend in the fall.

Attending a Greenville Drive game is usually a must for locals during the summer months.  It’s a great opportunity to get together with friends and family and relax for a few hours in a baseball stadium that was molded after Fenway Park.

After the game, the younger crowd will usually head to bars in the West End such as Liberty Tap Room, Mac’s Speed Shop, and On the Roxx.  Families will often go to an ice cream parlor like Blueberry Frog or Spill the Beans, and then take a walk around Falls Park.

If you are from a different part of the country, you can’t leave Greenville without trying southern cuisine.  Food is an integral part of Southern culture, and, of course, it’s simply delicious.

As far as where to eat southern food in Greenville, I think it depends on what you are looking for.  Soby’s and Sassafras are two popular restaurants downtown that offer a more upscale version of Southern cuisine.  You’ll also find Smoke on the Water downtown, which is a popular BBQ restaurant.

If you are looking for that more traditional, hole-in-the wall type of restaurant that serves those southern classic dishes, you may have to venture outside of Downtown Greenville.  A few of my favorites are Bucky’s BBQ close to Woodruff Rd., Laurenda’s in Greer, and A Taste of Home in Laurens.

In May and September you can take a blanket and some snacks to Falls Park to watch movies during the evening.  It is a great activity for family or friends and a unique way to catch up on some old classic movies.

I love that Greenville does this, and I wish they would extend it a little longer during the winter.  The outdoor ice rink is adjacent to the Courtyard Marriott Hotel.  People of all ages enjoy skating there under the stars and lights. It is also accompanied by a hot chocolate stand, which in my opinio, is the best part of it all.

If you are visiting Greenville in the summer and you have some time to spare, you should make sure that one day is spent at Lake Jocassee.  It’s a lake with gorgeous views, waterfalls, hiking trails, and camping sites.

Personally, I think Lake Jocassee is best explored by boat, because it gives you the opportunity to easily reach the parts of the lake where you can go rock hopping up rivers, swim under waterfalls, and jump off cliffs into the water.  I can’t think of many other ways I would rather spend a summer day.

Greenville is not just a culinary destination.  The city’s art scene is up-and-coming as well, and the best place to experience it is at Greenville’s annual Artisphere festival that takes place in late spring.  You’ll find lots of artists showcasing their work, artists and performers in action on stage, and, of course, a never-ending amount of food to devour.

If you ask locals about their favorite football team, most of them will say Clemson.  The university is only a 45 minute drive from Greenville and has some of the most loyal fans in the country (as well as some good football as of late!).

If you are in Greenville during the football season, and have an opportunity to head down to Clemson for a game and some tailgating, you should definitely do it.  The entire town of Clemson turns into one big tailgate, and you’ll find Clemson fans everywhere, partying, grilling out, playing sports, or simply hanging out with friends and waiting for the game to start.  It’s really a fun experience.

Greenville’s best chocolate shop is one you probably wouldn’t find unless you have lived here long enough.  The Chocolate Shoppe has been my favorite chocolate store since I was a kid.  Without fail, I order my birthday brownie every year from this place, and the best chocolate covered cherries I have ever tried are sold there.  They also give you a free cookie when you walk in.  So, it never hurts to go in and have a look!

Greenville has this secret international food scene and awesome international restaurants that a lot of locals don’t even seem to know about.  You can try some mouthwatering arepas at the Columbian restaurant Sashas or eat authentic home-cooked Mexican food at Rosalindas.  Some of the best Vietnamese food I’ve ever had is found at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Saigon, and you can eat some delicious Afghan food at Aryana.  And these just happen to be a few of my favorites.

One of the most relaxing things you can do during the summer is to rent a tube and float down the Green River.  The nature is beautiful and it’s and it’s a fun activity that you can do with either family or friends.

If you are looking to explore the more southern side of Greenville, then head to the Blind Horse for some line dancing.  You can take line dancing lessons there on Wednesdays, and party with the cowboys on Saturdays.

Greenville always seems to have a great show running at the Peace Center.  Locals love checking out the shows that come to town.  So, if you are into theater, music, and comedy, and are looking to experience something a little more cultural, the Peace Center may be more up your alley.  You can even combine a show with a fantastic dinner at one of Greenville’s many awesome restaurants.

Bike Night in the summer months is another interesting experience you can have.  There’s music, food, and of course, lots of Harleys.

I’ve been around the world, but the first time I heard about Kava was at Greenville’s Kava Konnection.  It’s a bar where you won’t find alcohol, but rather Kava, an earthy drink which originated in the Pacific Islands.  The purpose of drinking Kava is to become more relaxed.  Kava tastes a bit earthy, but if you can get over that, it is suppose to relax you.  Oh, and it may make your tongue turn numb, which is a fun side effect.