Are you thinking about a move to Greenville, SC? Or maybe you’re already planning to relocate to Greenville. With many big companies and manufacturing facilities nearby, Greenville is growing fast! And there are lots of reasons to love living in Greenville. Just in case
A couple months ago I had a conversation where a friend mentioned that she might end up moving to Greenville. “Oh, you would find the area wonderful,” I told her. “It’s amazing. Everyone loves living there.” Her response wasn’t exactly what I expected though.
Everyone in Greenville is so enthusiastic about Greenville, she said. It’s just annoying.
I guess we need to watch out before we make the list of most annoying cities. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time Greenville has been featured. There’s the time that it made the list of Best Places to Live in 2019, and the times it was celebrated as a “best city” by travel magazines Conde Nast and National Geographic. And there is the other time that it was listed as one of the best places to live in the US, and the time that PBS featured Greenville. Actually, Greenville appears on tons of Top Ten lists. But, I digress.
Moving Made Easier.
Don’t miss our Ultimate Guide to Moving to Greenville. It is packed with information about home buying and all our reader-recommended lists for doctors, dentists, and even the best hair salons.
Love Where You Live!
Are you searching for a new home? Find out about the best towns and neighborhoods near Greenville in Why Our Readers Love Where They Live!
The Perfect Neighborhood.
Find the best neighborhoods near Greenville, SC that check off everything you want or need with local realtor Dan Hamilton’s Guide to Upstate Neighborhoods.
So, why are the people who make up Greenville so enthusiastic about Greenville? Surely, it can’t be that great, right? So, we asked our readers who we always find have the right answers, “What do you love about living in Greenville?”
Falls Park
I think that Falls Park deserves a good bit of the blame for the over-the-top cheerfulness around Greenville. With its landmark suspension bridge and towering falls, it never fails to attract a happy crowd filled with kids, couples, dogs, and even the occasional break dancer.
Other reasons why Falls Park gets a bad rap for making people love Greenville:
- Ice Cream is easily accessible.
- Free Classic Movie Series twice a year.
- A splash pad for the kids located ever so conveniently by Papi’s Tacos and O Cha Tea bar
- The annual Duck Derby when thousands of Ducks get dumped over the falls causing such excitement that everyone does the Duck Line Dance.
- “That root tree” that everyone takes a photo by.
- Of course, the landmark suspension bridge spanning the falls that appears not just in every Greenville promotional piece of material written but also in a good percentage of the local engagement, prom, and wedding photos.
Food in Greenville
It’s a common human experience that a good meal can make you feel downright happy. For this reason, we think that Greenville’s wide assortment of restaurants, food trucks, and food festivals needs to accept their fair share of responsibility for local happiness.
Need some proof, well here’s a start:
- Greenville’s List of Food Trucks
- Euphoria
- Greenville’s Culinary Tours
- Restaurant Week
- Swamp Rabbit Cafe
- Downtown Greenville Restaurants
- U-Pick Farms near Greenville
In addition to such an excellent restaurant scene in Greenville, the area is a prime location to find restaurants that source locally from farms within the Upstate. You can also easily access fresh local produce, meats, eggs, and almost anything you can imagine from a local farm.
- Where to Find Local Produce Near Greenville
- Where to Find Locally Raised Meat Near Greenville
- Where to Purchase Locally Raised Eggs Near Greenville
- Locally Sourced Restaurants
Greenville’s Prime Location
We admit, this geographic coincidence of amazing location can’t be fixed. The experience of being just an hour from the Blue Ridge Mountains and a mere three hours from the beach means that additional fun outside Greenville is only a day trip away. No wonder Greenville families always look like they are having fun.
- Hiking Trails Near Greenville
- Waterfalls Near Greenville
- Myrtle Beach
- Day Trips in Western NC
- 2-3 Day Itinerary to Charleston, SC
Greenville’s even pretty close to two large metros, Charlotte and Atlanta, making it an easy drive to enjoy the events and venues that bigger places can offer (without the daily traffic). Need more day trip or weekend getaway inspiration? Check out our carefully crafted list of nearby travel options!
Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville, SC
It’s only to be expected that 20 miles of paved trail would attract all sorts of happy bikers, pedestrians, and skaters. Then in turn, they attract unique cheery businesses such as the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Whistle Stop.
Libraries of Greenville
Sure, every town has its libraries but rarely the amount of free family programming for all ages found in the Greenville County Library system. In the summer, the children have a reading program that brings in all sorts of fun shows including magic shows, puppets, and even the occasional snake man. Even the smallest kids have a room full of imaginative toys at the Main Library. There are also dozens of tailored programming each month, with something free to enjoy daily.
Main Street, Greenville
Once the warm weather hits, the festivals on Main Street start in Greenville. It’s rare to head downtown without finding yourself in the middle of some sort of party. Two of the most popular annual festivals are Artisphere held every May, and Fall for Greenville every October.
Main Street also hosts a weekly Farmers Market each Saturday in the warmer months. This market not only features fresh local produce but also supports child entrepreneurs and offers monthly kid-friendly activities including an annual Touch-a-Truck event.
To top it off, you can even search for mice inspired by Goodnight Moon hidden throughout Main Street.
Greenville’s Amazing Parks
While Falls Park gets the most brochure space, families who live in Greenville know that it’s just one of many green spaces in Greenville. Downtown is also home to unique spots such as The Children’s Garden at Linky Stone Park, a free mini-golf course at McPherson Park, and the hidden Rock Quarry Garden near Cleveland Park.
Greenville is so full of amazing parks, we’ve assembled a guide dedicated just to these great spaces to play and enjoy nature. Located right downtown is one of the area’s newest parks, Unity Park, which has an innovative and expansive playground, splash pad, and a large area to exercise, run, and play! If you’re looking for the perfect park to visit, use our helpful Greenville Park Guide to narrow down your options.
Beyond downtown, there are a number of popular playgrounds including an aviation playground right next to an airport where kids can play while watching the planes land and take off.
Greenville even has the scenic Paris Mountain State Park where locals can boat, swim, hike, and camp just right outside their backdoor.
Entertainment
Greenville may not be the largest city in the southeast, but its residents have plenty of entertainment options.
- The Greenville Swamp Rabbits ice hockey team
- The Greenville Drive baseball with its Friday firework displays
- The Peace Center
- The Greenville Theatre
- The South Carolina Children’s Theatre
- The Warehouse Theatre
- The Bon Secours Wellness Arena
- Cafe and Then Some
- Free Summer Movies
- Free Concert Series
Fun Things to Do
It’s harder in Greenville to decide what to do than to find something to do, when your choices include:
- The Children’s Museum of the Upstate with its 80,000 square feet and 22 unique exhibits
- The Upcountry History Museum where local families enjoy free monthly community nights, family fun days, and an annual summer exhibit just for the kids
- Roper Mountain Science Center offers massive and affordable family programs on select Saturdays, a weekly Planetarium show, and a Butterfly Encounter exhibit in the summer.
- Take Off Mini-Golf from March through December where you can watch planes take off from the Greenville Downtown Airport while playing some golf.
- Flying Rabbit Adventures offers an aerial ropes course just outside of Downtown Greenville
- Group Therapy Pub & Playground is an excellent place to let out your inner child because it is perfect for kids and grownups to enjoy some indoor play!
- Our Kidding Around Greenville calendar is always packed with area events including many free options for each weekend.
Um, Everything
When we polled our readers, local mom Lindy Wilson piped up, “Um everything. It’s a perfect combination of big city amenities with a small town feel, and great weather to boot!” We think her sentiment captures perfectly the attitude that makes Greenville families a bit too enthusiastic about where they live. They just really like everything. It’s that good.
What do you love about Greenville? Tell us in the comments.
My family and I are moving from CA to Greenville in a few weeks. Our friends and family would definitely say we are annoyingly enthusiastic about Greenville. Thank you for providing this amazing site which makes me feel like we’re part of the city already!
I love that there is something for every age downtown is a place for everyone anytime. It’s so kid friendly if you need a cool park or neat place to have a play date and it has it’s charm for a date night with the hubby. The variety of food and shops is awesome too. I grew up in a town with only one park for kids. When I went to visit, there was nowhere cool to take my kids! How did I grow up there?! It helped me appreciate all that Greenville has to offer my family.
Everything! Outdoor activites of all sorts from backpacking to waterparks, downtown, entertainment, too much to list!
You know what REALLY makes Greenville so awesome? The people! It is so easy to find kind, caring residents on every street who genuinely care about the community and the people in it. This is by far the most invested, genuine, and actively involved community I’ve ever experienced. This isn’t a city where you get lost in the crowd, it’s a city where the staff at Publix knows your name, and the servers at Eggs Up Grill remember which color crayons your two year old prefers. THAT is what makes Greenville so awesome!