Two-Day Family Adventure in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina is a city full of beauty, art, a waterfall and a river, unique hotels, great restaurants, historic homes and buildings, and tons of adventure. This January, we went to Greenville for the first time to visit my dear cousin, Paula, who lives there now with her husband, Steve. We all grew up in New Jersey, and Paula has always been more like my sister than a cousin. She used to babysit me when I was little and is in basically all of my childhood memories growing up in NJ. Paula’s mom, Lucille, was my dad’s sister ~ the Aunt Lucille who our oldest daughter, Luci, is named after and whose Ricotta Cookies recipe is in The Kindred Life. (check out this post for more)
It’s wonderful to see Paula and Steve feeling at home there, and we always feel completely at home with them. What a gift to take a quick getaway and explore a new city!
Greenville is on the smaller side as far as cities go, so we definitely experienced a lot in just two days of adventuring. I can’t wait to return to see so much more, especially when it’s not raining and flowers are blooming!
The night we arrived, it was like coming home. Even though I hadn’t yet been to my cousin’s hosue in South Carolina, the dinner she so lovingly prepared for us was comfort food at its best - tender short ribs (Steven’s favorite), roasted veggies, fresh-baked bread (she uses my Easiest Bread Recipe Ever from The Kindred Life!), and the perfect crunch green salad just like my Aunt Lucille used to make it with a variety of lettuces including escarole, generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, lots of sea salt, cracked pepper, a splash of balsamic, and lots of garlic powder.
Norah wanted to take a photo with this produce display on her counter, because she said it was all of our favorite foods in one place. ☺️
And after dinner, out came the espresso with Sambuca, just the way it was always served at the big communal tables with my Italian family growing up. And an entire platter of homemade biscotti Paula made. It was so special and sentimental to have so many foods we grew up on together.
Day 1
For breakfast, we headed to Maple Street Biscuit Company, which I also loved when we did a family adventure in Chattanooga. I got “The Farmer” again (couldn’t resist): “Flaky biscuit, all-natural fried chicken, pecanwood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese topped with fresh house-made apple butter.” Yum.
Me and my girls with Paula. She and I don’t look alike or anything.
After that was a walk around downtown Greenville, which I was super excited about! My friend Tara-Leigh lived there for quite awhile and still sings its praises! We set out on a walk towards downtown and about an hour later had only gotten about 100 feet down the street because we stopped in every shop. 😂 But we finally made it to Falls Park which is on the Reedy River. This is the quintessential view of Greenville, and it was a beautiful park. Paula and Steve told us about the Rubber Duck Derby they have here each spring - sounds hilarious!
We kept strolling on to the Grand Bohemian Lodge, which was unlike any hotel I’ve ever seen. It was full of gigantic geodes and Native American art in every nook and cranny. Absolutely stunning. Even the door handles to the restrooms were full circle brass handles that were art in and of themselves. So much attention to detail…like the feather curtains and fabric. I could have sat in this library room allllll day. We ended up grabbing a drink at the hotel bar and sitting out by their firepit for a little break.
On our way back through downtown, we stopped into the delightful local bookstore, M. Judson Booksellers, and I immediately noticed the counter made with stacked books, exactly like our beloved Duck River Books here in Columbia, TN!
My girls quickly scattered to explore, and I found Norah like this in the children’s section…
Next was our appointment for a pottery mug-making class for the girls (me, both my daughters, and my cousin Paula) at Hollowed Earth! Making pottery from scratch has been on my bucket list for a looooong time. It’s definitely a someday dream of mine to make my own pottery mugs and bowls and all the things. They provided us with a rectangle piece of raw clay and a round piece for the base, and the rest was up to us.
All of us loved it! Luci made a bookish themed mug, Norah made a detective themed mug, Paula made a pig, and I made a sunflower mug. Of course. 🌻
At the end I decided to add a little secret 🤍 inside. Here’s how the mug turned out!
After that, we stopped by Methodical Coffee for a warm drink and then headed back to Paula’s house to chill, make some more art, and get ready for dinner. I tried my hand at watercoloring a Cosmos flower, the flower of harmony. I really liked this wet-on-wet technique and letting the color bleed past the drawn lines…
Then, we were off to dinner at Urban Wren, a wine bar with an extensive menu of unique South-Carolina inspired provisions. Highlights: their Chicken and Burnt Ends, the Convoluted Curry, and their homemade focaccia with a duck fat candle! Incredible! We also had a late birthday celebration for Norah, and she was thrilled that they offered her a kids’ mocktail in a fancy glass!
We ended the night at Clare’s Creamery. I loved their branding and that they had unique flavors featuring a lot of local ingredients.
DAY TWO
After breakfast at Paula’s house and several hours doing all kinds of art in her studio and at the kitchen table, we headed to Swamp Rabbit Cafe for their famous stecca bread. This was one of the top 4 places Tara Leigh told me to visit in Greenville, so it had to be done! Even though it was rainy and there are so many fun outside hangout areas at Swamp Rabbit, we still caught the vibe of the place! It reminded me so much of our old beloved business in Dallas, Urban Acres, with all the curated local foods, fun artisan gifts, local meats, and fresh baked breads. And we all loved the stecca bread!
The next thing we did, which was perfect for a rainy afternoon, was go to an escape room! Our family had never done this before, and I admit, visions of claustrophobia were dancing in my head. But Paula assured me it wouldn’t be scary, I would not be locked in a small space, and I could get out if I wanted to. Phew. So we headed to Escape Artist and solved Dr. Fratelli’s Cabin, which was SO MUCH FUN! I had no idea. Finding and solving the clues was challenging, but it was also something that everyone from our 9-year-old daughter to the adults could collaborate on. I’m just gonna pretend we won, because we literally solved the code and unlocked the door 10 seconds after the 1-hour buzzer! There will definitely be more escape rooms in our future.
For our last night, Paula sent Steven and I out on a fun date to a speak-easy called The Press Room! I love anytime Steven and I get the time and space to just sit and chat and be and dream. Seriously love him.
The morning we left, we went to Le Petit Croissant for some absolutely perfect petits croissants au chocolat and then took a stroll around the neighborhood before heading out. I was so sad to leave! What a wonderful few days in an incredible city. And there’s nothing like being with family with whom you feel fully known.
I’ll be back soon, Greenville! 🫶🏽
