Greenville is a cute little growing city nestled in the northwest corner of South Carolina

GVL Tips: 

• I spend a lot of time in Greenville and it is a really nice city. It is kid friendly, dog friendly, pedestrian friendly and bike friendly.

• The city is pretty small, a weekend visit is the ideal amount of time!

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations: ​

• The Eighth State Brewing: My favorite brewery in the Greenville area and arguably the best in the entire state! They have delicious beers, frequent events, lots of non-beer options, and rotating in-house food.

• The Whale: A fantastic craft beer bar with something for every palate! They have 20 taps and a huge selection of cans and bottles.

• Swamp Rabbit Café: I HIGHLY recommend visiting this cute little restaurant, the food is incredible! Located right on the Swamp Rabbit Trail if you are biking/running/walking it is a great spot to stop for lunch. I recommend you get a sandwich because the stecca bread is superb!

• The Community Tap: A fun beer bar with some killer beers on tap and wine and beer for purchase. Dog friendly!

• Sully’s Steamers: A great spot for bagels right in the heart of downtown.

• Lewis Barbeque: This renowned Charleston-based BBQ restaurant is superb. The food is delicious, bar drinks are great, and patio is lovely. Don’t miss happy hour from 4-6pm!

• Other Lands: A brewery and coffee shop with a small food menu. They have solid beers, but dirty glassware. The patio is nice + they are dog-friendly.

• Fireforge Brewing: A ton of beer options, smell menu of snacks, comfy seating options, outside space, really friendly bartenders, and it’s located right downtown!

• The Trappe Door: A restaurant and beer bar specializing in Belgian food and drink. This unique spot is in a dark basement setting in the heart of downtown Greenville. They have a great Belgian beer selection and tasty food.

The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting: ​

• Falls Park on the Reedy: A pretty park with lots of places to sit and relax or wander around. The quintessential ‘Greenville’!

• Paris Mountain State Park: About a twenty minute drive from downtown Greenville but worth it! It is a $6 entrance fee for the State Park to gain access to all of the trails. Brissy Ridge was a good hike but didn’t have as exciting of views as I’d hoped. The Lake Placid Loop is a very chill walk around the lake where you can also see the dam. Sulphur Springs was nice but a little boring.

• The Commons: A ton of small local businesses under one roof! The food hall has The Community Tap (above), Methodical Coffee, SC Bake Room, Automatic Taco, Golden Brown and Delicious and more. Located on the Swamp Rabbit Trail too!

• Gather: Another food hall concept made out of old containers and fully outside. Pasta Addict is my favorite! Greenville Beer Exchange also has a space here.

• Swamp Rabbit Trail: A 22 mile trail running through Greenville along the Reedy River and through city parks. This trail connects GVL and Traveler’s Rest!

• Stay at the Hampton Inn downtown: This is actually a super nice hotel in a fantastic location at reasonable rates. Pro-tip you don’t have to valet or park in a garage, there is free street parking all around.

Other ideas:​​

• Liability Brewing: Tasty beers and lively atmosphere, especially when the weather is warm and the garage-style doors are open.

• Greenville Beer Exchange: A bottle shop and taproom with a wide selection of beers.

• Traveler’s Rest: A cute little town north of Greenville! An easy detour to explore.

  • Swamp Rabbit Brewing: Solid beers and small town vibes located in Traveler’s Rest

• Tetrad Brewing: An average brewery with chill vibes.

• Smoke on the Water: A nice spot for BBQ in the heart of downtown. The food here is delicious and they also have a nice outside area.

• Biscuit Head: A delicious breakfast spot out of Asheville. All things biscuit!

• Southernside Brewing Company: A solid brewery with a large outdoor space, full food menu and tasty beers. They are located across the river from The Commons.

• Grateful Brew: A cute 60’s vibes coffee shop and beer bar that is dog friendly.

• Fork and Plough: A farm to table restaurant with solid eats. They also are a market and butchery.

• Double Stamp Brewery: A solid brewery with a rooftop patio.

  • Home Team BBQ, the popular Charleston-based BBQ spot, is located right next door as well.

• Yee-Haw Brewing: The Greenville outpost of the Johnson City brewery. Half of the beers on tap are brewed in GVL, half in Johnson City. A cute outdoor space, while the inside has more restaurant-style vibes.

• Shoeless Brewing: A brewery in the homebrew supply store Grapes and Grains on the east side of the city. The beers here are solid and it is a popular local hangout.

• 13 Stripes Brewing: Located Northeast of the city inside the old Taylor’s Mill, giving the brewery warehouse-y vibes. They have a large selection of beers, but no flights as a heads up.

• Brewery 85: A fun brewery with many German-style beers that come in fun mason jar pint glasses. Frequent events and food trucks!

• Tipsy Taco: A Tex-Mex restaurant with several locations in the area.

Skip:

• Think Tank Brew Lab: A mediocre brewery near the downtown airport. They have large taproom and large outdoor space with a small food menu.

• Iron Hill Brewing: A chain brewery with a large menu of average beers.

• Spill The Beans: This is a coffee shop in downtown Greenville with bad coffee and worse service.

• Quest Brewing: A small little tap room with below average beers.

• Pangaea Brewing: A mediocre brewery in The Commons with a small food menu and average beers.