Art and coffee? Add in some great sandwiches and that’s what you’ll find at the TReehoue Cafe and Art Studio in Travelers Rest. KAG’s Kristina Hernandez stopped by so she could tell our readers all about this unique cafe. Learn about the coffee, food and activities they offer in this review.
I love coffee, I love art, and I love it when my kids aren’t fighting with each other. So it was definitely love after two full hours of coloring, painting, playing, and eating grilled cheese sandwiches at the TRee House Café & Art Studio in beautiful Travelers Rest.
If you want to support a local small business in town, from my own personal experience with Kristen, the incredible owner, this is the place to do it. I cannot say enough good things about this woman and her love for the community and her guests. If I lived closer to TR, I’d seriously go here multiple times a week.
About TRee House Café & Art Studio
The café and art studio is located where Leopard Forest Coffee used to be (they moved down the street), two doors down from Sidewall Pizza, and right off the Swamp Rabbit Trail. The location is ideal but the true gem is once you walk through the doors.
I’ve been in lots of cafes but none as interesting as this one. There is an entire art bar down the center of the café, strewn with crayons, paint brushes, coloring books, paper, and brightly colored ornaments and painted rocks. There are checkers and a few Mr. Potato Heads. My kids made a beeline for the art bar as soon as we walked in and started coloring and drawing.
That made me happy.
On the far wall, there are shelves full of blank canvases ready for your inspired paintings, plus tons of paint and brushes. The table next to the shelves has been decorated to look like a painter’s palette, which I had to admit I was a bit jealous of because it was so cool. The owner, Kristen, told me she had it made years ago to remind her of her dream to open a café and art studio.
Opposite the shelves is a cozy nook with a fireplace, more buckets of crayons, and comfy chairs. It’s quite inviting. And of course, there is the food and drink part of the café. Gene runs the kitchen and he’s a culinary genius using pretty simple ingredients. I’ve never been disappointed with the food here.
I ordered a grilled cheese with chips for my two kids and I had the Chicken Pesto panini with chips and chamomile tea. The grilled cheese was enormous and plenty for my kids. It was a good size and very tasty, way better than I expected. They also sell bagels, pastries, and muffins.
So what in the world did we do for two hours? Not even everything the café had to offer (which means we are going back, yay!). We painted rocks – the ones that people hide at random places around town, we drew and colored, my kids colored parts of the cardboard house and played inside, they tried hula hooping, played with the Mr. Potato Heads, and I blissfully colored by number Van Gogh’s famous painting “The Starry Night”, which was beyond therapeutic.
The café sells canvases in various sizes that you can paint.
Kristen is an art teacher by trade and she was so engaged with not only my kids but the other kids who were there enjoying the café. She has a seemingly endless amount of patience and encouraged us to try anything we wanted to do. Their Facebook page is the best way to stay updated on what’s happening there, for special events and more.
The café also has wifi available, which I saw many patrons using as they tapped away on their laptops. I was almost unhappy I didn’t bring my laptop to do the same since my kids were so occupied but then I would not have been able to enjoy my own coloring adventure!
Want to go?
For up-to-date info on events and hours, follow the TRee House Café & Art Studio on their Facebook page.
TRee House Café & Art Studio
27 South Main Street
Travelers Rest, SC
864.610.2266
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 8 am to 5 pm.
Would your kids love a visit to TRee House Café & Art Studio?
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