Want to go camping in Greenville, SC with kids? When it comes to hitting the Great Outdoors with your kiddos for an unforgettable camping adventure, there are lots of wonderful options for you to consider! Our area abounds with family-friendly campgrounds from the primitive to the RV type. Travel a little further for more wilderness or sandy beaches. Read on to learn more about some of our readers’ favorite spots!
For even more outdoor adventure ideas see our page: Things to Do Outside
Craving dinner at a steakhouse in Greenville, SC? Or maybe you’re looking for a nice restaurant for a date night? Sometimes there’s nothing better than a juicy, perfectly cooked steak. Luckily, there are several great steakhouse restaurants in the Greenville area for you to check out.
When you’re next craving that delicious steak dinner, try one of these great steakhouse restaurants near Greenville, SC.
36 Beacon Drive, Greenville
Make a Reservation: 864.286.8700
Chophouse ‘47, a New York-style steakhouse, has been in Greenville since 2001 and has been recognized as one of the “Top 10 Best Restaurants in Greenville” by USA Today and was awarded the Wine Spectator’s “Award of Excellence.” When you dine, you can enjoy USDA Grade Prime steaks and Live Maine Lobster.
615 Haywood Road, Greenville | 774 Spartan Blvd, Spartanburg
Greenville Reservations: 864.286.9018
Spartanburg Reservations: 864.327.3333
CityRange Steakhouse is a great choice for a special date night or a casual evening out. You can sit by the large stone fireplace or enjoy dinner out on the patio. The restaurant offers a good selection of cuts of beef including filet mignon, ribeye, and New York strip. You can also enjoy seafood and poultry options.
550 South Main Street, Greenville
Make a Reservation: 864.335.4200
With its origins set in Charleston, Halls Chophouse fits right in with the other downtown Greenville restaurants. The two-story glass windows overlook the Reedy River, setting the scene for a perfect romantic dinner. Their steaks are hand-selected and hand-cut to exact portion specifications. Try their filet mignon, dry-aged steaks, New York Strip Steaks, Ribeye Steaks, and Porterhouse Steaks. The restaurant also offers vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
318 South Main Street, Greenville
Make a Reservation: 864.467.9777
Larkin’s at Camperdown is now located in the heart of downtown Greenville in Camperdown Plaza. Known for their aged steaks, fresh fish, and award-winning wine collection, Larkin’s is a Greenville fine-dining staple. With impeccable service and a new modern interior, this is a great place to celebrate a special occasion or a date night.
2000 Poinsett Highway, Greenville
Make a Reservation: 864.235.7192
Peddler Steakhouse has been in Greenville since 1969 and is known for their steaks, cozy atmosphere, and exceptional service. The 100-year-old stone building makes your dining experience unique. They bring their steaks to the table so you can select your cut and portion size. They also have several other grilled specialties, and all entrees include the “Peddler Salad Bar”. Wine enthusiasts will enjoy their large selection of wines.
8595 Pelham Road, Greenville
Make a Reservation: 864.672.9040
Rick Erwin’s Eastside is a local favorite for fine dining and boasts of a beautiful and inviting dining room. As part of the Rick Erwin’s Dining Group, the restaurant is known for its steaks and wine. If you’re dining with someone who would rather enjoy a different entree, there are seafood and poultry options available.
648 South Main Street, Greenville
Make a Reservation: 864.232.8999
As Rick Erwin’s original restaurant in his group of Upstate restaurants, Rick Erwin’s West End Grille is a mainstay among other Greenville restaurants. The fine dining restaurant in Greenville’s West End district is known for its dry-aged beef and seafood options. The atmosphere is a favorite among locals and tourists alike and offers a perfect choice for date night or another special occasion.
Downtown Greenville Location:
250 Riverplace, Greenville
Make a Reservation: 864.242.2000
Roper Mountain Road & I-385 Location:
851 Congaree Road, Greenville
Make a Reservation: 864.248.1700
While Ruth’s Chris is famous for their steaks, they also offer high-quality and fresh seafood and cook with local produce whenever possible. With award-winning wine selections and a variety of hand-crafted cocktail options, you’re sure to sip on the best pairings to go with your dinner selections. There are two locations in Greenville for your convenience: downtown Greenville and at the Crowne Plaza Hotel off I-385 and Roper Mountain Road.
681 Halton Road, Greenville
Make a Reservation: 864.297.7244
Saskatoon is one of the most unique steakhouses on our list because the restaurant is known for its wild game like buffalo, elk, kangaroo, and antelope. The decor is a perfect replica of a Pacific Northwest hunting lodge. Tucked away in the woods on 9-acres of land, Saskatoon Lodge is a perfect choice for a night out with friends, a family night, or an event for two hundred people (they have an event space).
1025 Woodruff Road, Greenville
Make a Reservation: 864.704.1555
Firebirds Wood-Fired Grill is located off Woodruff Road near Cabela’s. They’re known for their fresh ingredients, welcoming atmosphere, and hand-cut, aged steaks. Their steaks are wood-fired and have delicious, bold flavors. They also have fresh seafood and offer an array of specialty cocktails, select wines, and beer. Their pricing is modest ($30-$40 per entree), so if you’re looking for something a little more casual (dress code is ‘smart casual’), check out Firebirds.
What’s your favorite steakhouse in Greenville, SC?
Still hungry?
Have you seen the Duck Derby in Greenville, SC? No, it’s not a giant bathtub with thousands of rubber duckies – it’s the 21st Annual Reedy River Duck Derby! Sponsored by the Rotary Club of the Reedy River Greenville, it is certainly a bucket list item if you live in the Greenville area. The 21st Annual Reedy River Duck Derby is set for Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 2:30 pm at the trumpet call. The entire event is from 11 am – 4 pm with the duck race starting at 2:30 pm.
The Duck Derby is not only a fantastic way to spend an afternoon but it’s also a great way to support wonderful charities.
(more…)Inside: Local parents share 15 different gardens you can explore near Greenville, SC.
Does your family love to visit botanical gardens in Greenville, SC, or are you looking for an opportunity to introduce your child to the wonders of a magical garden? Browse our list and find the best gardens in Greenville, SC to visit on a sunny afternoon.
Gardens are a wonderful way to spend time outdoors with your family. Kids love gardens–examining leaves and rocks, searching for fairies among the flowers, spotting insects and other wildlife.
601 S Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601
The most popular garden downtown is at the scenic and award-winning Falls Park on the Reedy. With beautiful flowerbeds, grassy knolls, and waterfalls, who doesn’t enjoy spending time down there? The 32-acre park is actually home to several beautiful public gardens all along the Reedy River and Vardry Creek.
Two of my family’s favorite spots in Falls Park are The Carolina Foothills Garden Club Sanctuary and Pedrick’s Garden at Falls Park.
Pedrick’s Garden is a sunflower-themed garden featuring a fountain and raised flower beds in the shapes of sunflower petals. The two-acre garden can be found behind the West End Market along Vardry Creek, (just behind the parking lot behind Mellow Mushroom).
Cross the Botanical Bridge at Pedrick’s Garden and visit the shady and serene Carolina Foothills Garden Club Sanctuary. (This route involves uneven stone steps. If you need a flatter, or stroller-friendly path, the sanctuary can be reached by following a path just behind the amphitheater stage in Falls Park.) This is a quiet, peaceful spot with old stone walls, a narrow waterfall, and a gentle creek.
Just below the Main Street entrance of Falls Park is the Frances Beattie Rockgarden. Downstream of the falls is Old Mill Garden. This lovely, landscaped area with an old stone wall and arbor, is a popular wedding spot.
Reedy View Drive, Greenville, SC 29601
The Children’s Garden at Linky Stone Park is another favorite downtown. My son loves the Storybook Garden featuring a gingerbread house and bear statues, and the Rainbow Garden. There is also an Alphabet Garden, a Five Senses Garden, which includes musical instruments for sound and herbs for the smell, and a History Garden. I love that it’s so shady, and there are plenty of places to sit.
Two smaller gardens near downtown are located at 200 and 300 East Camperdown Way: The Greenville Rose Society Garden and The Sue Simpson Garden. Peak blooming times can be experienced from May to September. Both are very pretty gardens, and the Sue Simpson has plenty of shade and paths, but they aren’t places I’d take small children. There is not much for them to see or do there and there is no street parking. I could only find parking in the surrounding businesses.
52 Cleveland Street, Greenville, SC
The Children’s Garden and Healing Garden are at Cancer Survivors Park. Both gardens represent those of all ages fighting cancer and inspire courage and serenity. The Children’s Garden showcases walkways lined with flowers, trees, plants, swings, human-made waterfalls, and a powerful bronze statue by Charles Pate Jr entitled “Fear Not”. The Healing Garden is tucked away in a secluded area, designed to invoke a sense of peace. The stone labyrinth within the garden is a gentle guide for those walking its path to explore the inward reflection of themselves.
East Washington and Cleveland Park Drive, Greenville, SC
Rock Quarry Garden was built on the site of a pre-Civil War era granite quarry and is a popular area for wedding and family photoshoots. With waterfalls, flower beds, grassy hills, and a stone bridge over a rocky stream, it is a gorgeous place to take family photos or have a picnic. Located in Cleveland Park, at the corner of McDaniel and Sherwood Street, the garden is easily accessible from the Swamp Rabbit Trail.
560 North Academy Street, Greenville, SC 29601
My kids and I love wandering around the gardens at Kilgore-Lewis House. There’s something old fashioned and whimsical about this place–and my son is positive fairies live there. Both natural and landscaped areas, grassy meadows, a pond, a creek and some picturesque bridges make for a beautiful place to walk around and enjoy nature. The gardens are considered a certified backyard habitat and there is plenty of wildlife to be seen, including chipmunks, squirrels and lots of birds. Both the house and garden are free to visit, and docents are available for tours.
402 Roper Mountain Road, Greenville, SC 29615
The Butterfly Garden at Roper Mountain Science Center is lush with flowers that attract butterflies. The garden is made up of host plants, such as Echinacea and Aster, and nectar plants like violets, hollyhock, and snapdragons. Several species of butterfly can be spotted in the garden including Monarchs, Tiger Swallowtail, and Red Admirals. Stone and dirt paths, benches, and statues complete this pretty area.
The Butterfly Garden is a certified National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitat. The garden is only open to the public during special events, including Afternoon Explorations from September-May, and during Summer Adventure from June-August.
RMSC also has a Herb and Heritage Garden at the Living History Farm. Visitors can see vegetables and herbs that were commonly grown in the 1800s, as well as composting bins and plants used in fiber dyeing.
3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613
The Janie Earle Furman Rose Garden features more than 700 rose bushes, brick pathways, a fountain, and a 19th-century Florentine gazebo. This beautiful spot is a popular place for photos. It can also be rented for small, standing-only weddings. The rose garden is just off the trail that circles the lake and close to the bookstore.
Further along the lake trail is the Furman University Asian Garden and Place of Peace. The garden has a pond with lily pads and koi fish, bamboo, uncut bonsais, Japanese Maple trees, and a Chinese Evergreen Oak. The Place of Peace, a traditional Japanese temple, is across the street from the garden and up a flight of steps.
While you’re there, be sure to check out the Susan Thomson Shi Garden, further around the lake just past the Bell Tower. It’s a sort of wild patch with flowers such as coneflowers and goldenrod.
Outside of the Townes Science Center, you can find a Rock and Botanical Garden, a greenhouse, and the Fiber/Dye Garden which grows cotton and lax, and 15 plants used to produce dyes. The plants are used in a variety of science courses.
832 John B White Sr Boulevard, Spartanburg, SC 29306
Hatcher Botanical Garden and Woodland Preserve is free to the public and a wonderful place for families to spend the day. With both paved and unpaved paths, wildflowers, waterfalls, ponds, observation decks, and several lovely places to picnic, Hatcher Gardens has a little bit of everything.
The trails are easy, each being about .25 miles. Within their 10 acres, you can find a butterfly garden, a medicinal garden, a native plant garden, and a hope and healing garden. They also offer group tours and educational programs. Hatcher Garden also has fun activities throughout the year including seasonal plant sales and workshops.
Spartanburg also has several arboretums that are free and open to the public. The spring flowers are stunning and the fall colors are also amazing.
107 Community College Drive, Spartanburg, SC 29303
Spartanburg Community College Arboretum has several unique gardens with trees, shrubs, and perennials. There is also an Outdoor Train Garden with a scale model train. The garden is used as an educational arena for the college’s horticulture students.
800 University Way
Spartanburg, SC 29301
The Susan Jacobs Arboretum, at the center of the University of South Carolina campus, is 12 acres of walkways and indigenous foliage. There is also a large amphitheater, a creek, and a bog garden.
429 N Church Street, Spartanburg, SC 29303
The entire campus of Wofford College is considered a designated arboretum with more than 4,000 trees over 150 acres. There are three different tours of the arboretum and the college provides guides at the start of each trail.
920 Milliken Rd, Spartanburg, SC 29303
The Milliken Arboretum, located at the headquarters of Milliken & Company, is a nationally recognized arboretum. Within the 600 acres are more than 3,000 trees, many of them rare to South Carolina. There are several ponds, decorative fountains, trails, and open green spaces.
Intersection of W. Main and N. Church Street in downtown Spartanburg
Not really a garden, but a lovely outdoor space, Morgan Square in downtown Spartanburg has several grassy areas, a bell tower, fountains, statues and brick pathways lined with a variety of plants and flowers. The square hosts several community events including Music on Main in the summer months, Flashback Fridays in April and May, and Skating on the Square from November through January.
150 Discovery Ln, Clemson, SC 29634
The South Carolina Botanical Gardens in Clemson makes for a great little day trip. While the main exhibits are the Heritage Garden and the Children’s Garden, there are 295 acres of natural landscapes, nature trails, ponds, and even a red caboose.
My kids love it there, and I see something new every time. This is a wonderful place to visit again and again. There are also educational programs and events for kids and adults all year long.
100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806
The North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville has garden exhibits, hiking, and biking trails, educational programs, and a cafe and gift shop. Some notable exhibits are the garden-scale model train that runs Saturdays and Sundays, a Stream Garden, a Quilt Garden, and a Bonsai Exhibit.
151 W .T. Weaver Boulevard, Asheville, NC 28804
Asheville Botanical Gardens are free, public gardens with a focus on plants native to Southern Appalachia. The garden’s 10 acres includes walking trails, streams, bridges, meadows, and woodland areas.
1 Lodge Street, Asheville, NC
You won’t find a more beautiful garden than the ones at the Biltmore Estate. They change out seasonally. The tulips and azaleas bloom in the spring, roses in late spring/early summer, sunflowers in late summer, and mums all throughout the fall. Tickets are either for just the gardens and grounds or both the grounds and the House. If you really love gardens, consider getting becoming a passholder so you can see the gardens in all their splendor all year.
408 Pearson Drive, Asheville, NC 28801
If you’re looking for a garden that’s a little different, check out Bountiful Cities in Asheville. This group maintains three edible gardens, as well as two more partner gardens around town.
Find more things to do in our Asheville, NC Guide.
Head over to Charlotte for a whole bunch more options! There are a lot of free gardens to wander! Gardens in Charlotte, NC
Do you know of a garden that we should add to our list? Share it in the comments!
Have you been to Takeoff Mini Golf in Greenville, SC yet? The only aviation-themed miniature golf course in the Upstate is located next to Runway Park near downtown Greenville. We’ve got all the details.
After a 20-year corporate career, Megan Mishler needed a change, something fun that would allow her time with her two little kids. Her husband, Anthony, has his small plane pilot’s license and after visiting Greenville’s Runway Park, they had their answer: they would open an aviation-themed miniature golf course right next to the park. The dream came true.
For more amazing things to do in Greenville, SC, don’t miss our guide to Things to Do in Upstate, SC.
When Megan and Anthony decided to go with the aviation theme for the mini-golf course, they went all in. Every detail was thoughtfully devised and the experience centers around having fun with your family and friends in a unique and adventurous way.
There are 19 holes (18 plus a bonus!) and each one is a bit longer in length than a standard mini-golf course so you have more space to get those coveted hole-in-ones, or just laugh at how bad you are at mini-golf (ahem, myself).
The lights that dot the course look like actual runway lights, the numbers of each hole look identical to the ones you would see on a runway, there are plane propellers on one of the holes, and the last hole has a real plane beacon that lights up and has a siren if you make a hole-in-one.
The course lights up like a runway at night even and like at next door Runway Park, you can watch small planes land and take off not 200 yards away at the airport.
My kids, ages 11 and 7, loved, loved, loved this place. They had such fun trying out the different holes and watching the golf ball bounce over the humps, through obstacles, and around boulders. They thought the hole where you needed to get the ball into a small water cascade so it could get to the hole was awesome. I mean, I thought it was awesome, too. They loved trying to hit the ball under a big boulder bridge and enjoyed trying to get a hole-in-one on the last, beacon hole.
For the enjoyment of the adults, they have holes that, while tracking with the plane theme, were designed to look like old school games like Plinko and Skee-ball. I freaked out here. Obviously. I love those games! The Plinko one has lights that all light up at night and look like runway lights, and the skeeball one – well, that was hard. I couldn’t get the ball through it where it would come out the other side but I had a blast. I love those thoughtful touches that Megan and Anthony did to make sure every guest, no matter their age, has a great experience.
During the hot summer months, you’ll appreciate the 32 flavors plus four house specialties of shaved ice in two sizes: coach and first-class. They also have hot and iced coffee, snacks, ice cream, water, soda, and yogurt drinks available.
Bathrooms are indoors at the café and a shaded pavilion has plenty of seating for guests.
If you’re already thinking Takeoff Mini Golf would be a great spot to host a birthday party, you’re right. They have three birthday packages available, starting at $250 that comes with 10 passes to play the course plus either a shaved ice or ice cream treat. Two of the packages offer total turnkey service that includes aviation-themed decorations.
One of those packages though is extra special. Included in this birthday package is the opportunity for the birthday child and two guests to take a Discovery Ride in a small plane with Greenville Aviation to see Greenville from the air, taking off and landing right there at the airport. That package includes 10 passes and ice cream treats, a gift for the birthday child, pavilion rental, decorations, and memories to last a lifetime. That fantastic birthday package costs $475.
Go to Takeoff Mini Golf for Glow Golf. You’ll play with glowing golf balls to a DJ cranking out some seriously good music. You must purchase tickets in advance at $15 per person.
2025 Glow Golf Dates
Takeoff Mini-Golf has putters for all ages and balls, which come with your mini-golf ticket. Ticket prices are $11.50/age 13+ and $9.50/age 4-12. Kids 3 and under play for free with golden plastic putters. Expect to spend about an hour and a half playing the course.
Hours are:
Monday-Thursday Closed
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – 10 am – 5:30 pm
Takeoff Mini Golf
28 Airport Road Ext, Greenville
864.263.3456
Are you looking for places that offer mental health care for moms? Feeling a little overwhelmed and searching for someone to help you take care of your mental health? With some research and suggestions from local moms, Kidding Around Contributors have compiled this list of mental health resources for moms in Greenville, SC, and online. Take care of yourselves, mom, so you have something left to take care of everyone else!
Looking for a CSA near Greenville, SC? Or maybe you’re curious about CSAs in general? In this article, you will learn how CSA farms work and the benefits of CSA programs for the farms and customers. And of course, where you can find a CSA in Greenville, SC.
The “farm to table” dining experience has taken the country by storm and indeed, it sounds divinely delicious: chefs are using fresh food straight from the farm, local ingredients to create tasty and (mostly) healthy meals. This type of cooking is spreading quickly, including Greenville, but eating out isn’t feasible every day so what about creating your own farm-to-table experience at home?
Enter Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, where families and individuals buy into a local farm for a certain number of weeks a year, sharing the risks and rewards of the crop, and get fresh ingredients either delivered to their door or made available for pickup every week. It is the perfect way to support local farms and eat the freshest and healthiest ingredients around.
CSAs work as a partnership between the member and the farmers. By buying into the farm itself, the family has its own share and reaps the seasonal harvest as they are grown. There are some inherent risks, however, as bad weather and pests can destroy part of a crop any given year although the farmers take great care to protect their harvests as best they can and many have agreements with other farms in nearby states to supplement their own harvests if need be.
One great benefit of getting farm fresh food from a CSA is that it’s so much healthier than conventional meat, eggs, and dairy products. And by buying a share in CSA, members get the option of cooking with lesser known ingredients that they may never have tried in the past.
Many CSAs will give their members recipes every week using the fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy products that are in that particular week’s share. So not only do you get to try new foods, you get to hone those cooking skills as well. Sautéed Swiss chard with parmesan? Yes please. Blueberry cobbler? I’ll take seconds.
Lastly, not only do you get the benefit of supporting a locally owned farm, but the costs can be comparable to shopping at grocery stores. Some CSAs will require payment for the entire season upfront or a deposit and prices vary widely and will also be dependent on whether the member wants a full or half share.
Members pick up their shares every week at the same time and place, either at the farm itself or somewhere convenient in Greenville, with reusable shopping bags. Some farms will deliver weekly shares to your door. Seasons run in blocks usually in spring through the summer and another from late summer through the end of fall although some farms will start in January.
Ready to buy into a CSA and start your own fresh food, farm-to-table experience? Here are a few available in the Greenville area:
Growing Green Family Farms, Anderson, SC
Delivery? Yes
Customizable? Yes
Type? Produce, herbs, microgreens, herbal drink
Feed & Seed Co.’s Harvest Box, Greenville, SC
Delivery? No
Customizable? No
Type? Produce
Horseshoe Farms, Travelers Rest, SC
Delivery? No
Customizable? No
Type? Produce
Bio-Way Farms, Ware Shoals, SC
Delivery? No
Customizable? No
Type? Produce
Mill Village Farms offers a Foodshare Box
Delivery? No
Customizable? No
Type? Produce
Sharecroppers Farm, Spartanburg, SC
Delivery? No
Customizable? No
Type? Produce, eggs
GrassFat Farms, Greenwood, SC with shipping available across SC (this is a meat CSA)
Delivery? No
Customizable? Yes – to pick your cuts
Type? Beef
Farmbox Carolina, serving the Upstate and Hendersonville/Asheville area, and delivering to your door.
Delivery? Yes
Customizable? Yes
Type? Produce, Meat, Dairy and other local pantry items
🥕 Want to find other local produce? We’ve rounded up the best spots for local produce and ingredients for you.
Love local food?
Here are some GREAT farm-to-table restaurants near Greenville, SC!
Have you ever joined a local CSA? We would love to hear what you thought of your experience?
Do you know about Cars and Coffee in Greenville, SC? This exciting event is back in 2025! This free monthly Greenville event features interesting local cars that kids can check out! Several of our Kidding Around Contributors, and their kids and teens, have visited Cars & Coffee in Greenville and they are sharing all the fun so you can plan your own trip to the next Cars and Coffee.
For 2025, there will two locations, find more details below.
On a cool, sunny Saturday morning, two of my boys eagerly climbed into the car to go see their first car show. They were excited to spend some time with Mommy. But, they also thought it sounded fun to see cool cars. I was concerned. What if every car owner went on red alert the moment they saw my 4 and 6-year-olds? What if my boys were bored after the first car? My fears were allayed as soon as we began walking around. Cars & Coffee is definitely something you need to plan to do!
We arrived with about 45 minutes left to the event. When we walked to the first car, I showed my boys under the hood. I know it may sound crazy, but they had never really looked under the hood of a car. They were amazed. From that point forward, they scanned for the next car that had its hood up. As they stood admiring a sports car, the owner offered to let them get in. They took turns sitting in the driver’s seat and pretending to drive. As they enjoyed their “ride,” I got to talk to the owner about his car. Perfect.
From VW buses to race cars and classics to specialty cars, there was so much to see. The car owners were eager to talk about what they had done to their cars and what races they were in. Folks walked around with their dogs, and it was a fun, relaxing way to spend a Saturday morning.
A free event, Cars & Coffee in collaboration with Obey the Crave occurs monthly at Bridgeway Station (except April and September) from March – November, 2025.
The April and September Cars & Coffee Car shows will be held at Michelin Headquarters off of the Parkway in Greenville near 85 and Pelham Road.
To see the most cars, aim to get there within the first 2 hours. There are a lot of great dining options at Bridgeway Station, plus the cool venue itself is sure to make it a special occasion.
Pro-tip: Be patient with parking. The event gets a lot of traffic of both people bringing in their cars to show, and people coming to spectate. Sometimes you have to drive around a bit, or park in a nearby lot and walk.
When is the next event? The first Cars & Coffee event of 2024 takes place on Saturday, March 22nd, 2025. If you are looking for more car show events, check out the Cars & Coffee Facebook page. They are regularly hosting car shows and fundraisers throughout the upstate!
Need to see more cars?
Things to do across the Carolinas for kids (and grown-ups) who really love cars.
Who will you take to Cars & Coffee?
Feed & Seed in Greenville, SC is a one-of-a-kind nonprofit dedicated to reducing food waste, producing high-quality products for consumers, and providing access to food for families in need. This innovative organization is making a significant impact on the community by addressing both sustainability and food insecurity.
Feed & Seed, located in Judson Mill right off the edge of downtown Greenville, is home to a fairly unique operation that opened in 2022. And they are in that exact location for a very good reason: because it’s a food desert.
Feed & Seed wears many hats and I’ll tell you why a visit to them is a delicious idea.
Feed & Seed is a nonprofit located in the middle of a food desert in Greenville. The USDA defines a food desert as, “A tract in which at least 100 households are located more than one-half mile from the nearest supermarket and have no vehicle access; or at least 500 people, or 33 percent of the population, live more than 20 miles from the nearest supermarket, regardless of vehicle availability.”
There are more than 6,500 of them in the United States, including 21 in 14 different counties in South Carolina, according to the USDA. However, Feed & Seed is not a food bank but they certainly have in mind people in low-income areas who are struggling with food insecurity. The nonprofit went through miles of bureaucratic red tape to allow the use of SNAP (food stamps) to be used to buy their products, including nine locations in Pickens and Oconee counties where people can purchase FoodShare boxes for $5 with SNAP.
They house a cafe where they sell local produce, meat, dairy, and their own housemade take-and-bake meals, as well as a cafe where you can order breakfast or lunch. I’ve had their Italian sub and wow, I’ve been dreaming of that deliciousness ever since.
They also work with local farmers to buy their produce and fruit, which is awesome because farmers often can only sell their goods on-site or during the farmers’ market season, which is only about a third of the year or even less sometimes. That’s a small window to stay in business.
Feed & Seed also hosts community events and has space for meetings, parties, or other gatherings.
Feed & Seed saw the need for fresh produce and local food and was founded to fill the gap between the people who need that and the people who provide it. That’s the reason for the location they chose and the idea took off from there.
The nonprofit partners with several local farms and others in the area who grow and produce that nourishing, healthy food that everyone needs but may not have access to. They do that by buying produce directly from farmers, processing it themselves, and selling it right at their store.
Feed & Seed also has a program for Oconee County and Pickens County called FoodShare where boxes of fresh produce are sold for $20 cash or $5 EBT. There are various pickup locations. These boxes are filled with 10-12 varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables. Anyone can order a FoodShare box. In Greenville, Foodshare Greenville is run by Mill Village Farms.
Feed & Seed often needs volunteers to fill these boxes. You can sign up here.
You know how you have this grand idea of buying three heads of kale that you plan to cook the following week for your family and then, two weeks later remember it’s there and it really doesn’t look all that great? Or maybe you bought a bunch of peaches, put them in your refrigerator and found them a month later all moldy? OK, please tell me I’m not alone here. Americans waste an enormous amount of food. It’s truly awful and after I toured Feed & Seed, I was determined to make smarter choices in menu planning and remembering what I’ve bought and how to use it.
Feed & Seed steps in to help make sure that food waste doesn’t happen by buying produce, veggies, and fruit directly from farms and immediately making use of it so it doesn’t go bad.
Food banks are a necessary part of the community in Greenville but even they have limitations. With food banks, they often cannot keep enough fresh produce because they don’t have the necessary refrigeration and storage. At Feed & Seed, they have massive refrigerators plus have come up with ways to reduce food waste by freeze-drying and dehydrating fresh fruits and vegetables, which give them long-lasting staying power and significantly reduce food waste.
They also offer rental refrigeration to farmers who need a place to store extra goods. This is a huge service to smaller farms especially.
Feed & Seed sells a huge variety of local goods from honey to jams to dairy to meat to produce to coffee. I could have spent a ton of money there!
I really like that the nonprofit has such a laser focus on local food. Honestly, it makes me feel good to buy something I know was grown or produced right here in the Upstate because it goes right back into our local community.
The one thing I didn’t try was their take-and-bake meals and soups. They looked so good and I saw some of the chefs preparing lasagna while I was there on a tour and it looked amazing. I did have an Italian sub and cookie and both were delicious. It’s obvious the chefs take pride in their dishes. You can even order online to save time.
For many families with single parents, making healthy meals is a huge challenge. It’s these families especially that Feed & Seed had in mind when they started to offer their ready-made meals that people can purchase and take home and heat up in the oven or microwave. They are nutrient-dense and provide a healthy alternative to fast food. SNAP benefits can be used to pay for these.
Feed & Seed also sells seasonal boxes with 100% local goods, produce, and fruit called a Harvest Box. This is like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and each season is six weeks long and you pick up the box once a week.
The team at Feed & Seed includes recipes in the boxes and you’re able to preview what is in it in the beginning of the week so you can menu plan. I absolutely love this feature plus purchasing these boxes is a fantastic way to support local farmers.
Check out more places you can find local produce in Greenville!
As you may imagine, this operation requires a lot of effort and Feed & Seed needs a lot of volunteers to make their vision a reality.
Volunteers are needed to assist in packing boxes for their FoodShareSC program to feed families in need. You can see current volunteer opportunities on their website or sign up for their email newsletter to get all the information right to your inbox.
Volunteers must be 14 years old to give of their time at Feed & Seed and those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult age 18+.
Besides the box packing, volunteers are needed on local farms that Feed & Seed works with, to help with tax preparation, and to assist with events.
Obviously, Feed & Seed has a lot on their plate (no pun intended) and have chosen to tackle some pretty massive issues in the community. They truly hit the ground running when they opened and have only expanded as they have continued to seek to bring fresh food to everyone. Plus, they’ve got a really great thing going at their cafe and market, which I highly recommend you visit.
They are open Monday – Friday 8 am – 5:30 pm. They serve breakfast those days from 8-11 am and then lunch is served 11 am – 2 pm.
Feed & Seed
701 Easley Bridge Road, Suite 6010, Greenville
864.412.4720
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