In need of an escape my husband and I packed a bag and drove south to Greenville, South Carolina. We had heard only wonderful things about the city and wanted to check it out for ourselves.

We planned to stay only one night so we limited our exploring to the immediate downtown area. Thankfully, there was more than enough to do! We arrived on Sunday for a late lunch. After parking in one of the many public parking garages we made our way down to the River Walk, which runs along the Reedy River. This area is truly the gem of downtown with the wide, paved path next to the scenic river with shops, restaurants, and parks all along the way.

After working our way through bicyclists, dog walkers, and children playing in the splash pad we stopped for lunch at Papi’s Tacos. They describe themselves as a “food truck without wheels” and it’s a perfect description. The tortas, tacos, salsas, and traditional Mexican beverages made for an excellent experience. I tried the shrimp tacos (YUM!) and my husband had the 3 taco special with carnitas, al pastor, and chicken & chorizo.

It wasn’t quite check-in time at our hotel so we walked off the tacos on the River Walk. A little further down from the lunch stop was the innovative Liberty Bridge, a curved, suspension, pedestrian bridge over the Reedy River. It crosses the river at Falls Park in order to give visitors the best view of the waterfall – breathtaking. Unfortunately, the weather was face-melting hot so we didn’t stay too long. Don’t worry, though, we explored further the next day!

We were more than ready to hang out in our cool hotel room and thankfully our room was ready early. The Holiday Inn Express on north Main Street was perfect for us. It was quiet and clean and within easy walking distance of downtown. We changed out of our sweaty clothes and enjoyed the cool before heading out to our next stop.

After resting for a couple hours we drove to the south end of Main Street to Fluor Field to watch the Greenville Drive Minor League baseball team (a Boston Red Sox affiliate) take on the Charleston RiverDogs. The stadium even has a mini-Green Monster in homage to the original one at Fenway Park. Tickets are very inexpensive and there is free parking at the county government complex a few blocks over with a free shuttle service.

Boy was it hot!! We had awesome seats right behind the home dugout but we were the only ones brave enough to sit there because we were in direct sunlight the whole time. At the top of the 7th inning we decided to watch from the shady concourse. At that point there was no score and a big storm was blowing in so we decided to go freshen up at the hotel and find a place for dinner.

After peeling off our sweaty clothes and changing for the second time we drove downtown (had enough of the heat!) for dinner at Takosushi where “far east meets southwest.” The restaurant is on Main Street but had a very intimate setting and great service. For a starter I had the miso soup – wow! I have tried a lot of miso soup over the years but none have tasted better than this. The flavor was strong but not overpowering – just perfect. I would have been happy with an endless bowl of soup but decided I better try something else, too. I had the Crazy Roll (shrimp, cucumber, crab, avocado, teriyaki glaze, and takosushi glaze) and Cecil had the Tako Burger – burrito style (yep, a burger wrapped in a tortilla with red and green chile sauce drizzled on top). We’ve decided that a restaurant concept like this is perfect for us – he can get his beloved tacos and I can get my favorite Asian dishes.

After another delicious meal we went for a stroll up Main Street to find an ice cream shop. No better way to end a hot and sweaty day than with a bowl of ice cream! We decided to check out the Crème Shack. What we didn’t realize is that they make ROLLED ice cream. Maybe you have seen that before but we had not. You can order off their pre-made list or choose your own creation. For the sake of time we chose off the pre-made list (me – Chocolate Lover’s Delight, Cecil – We Be Jammin’ with peanut butter and jam) and watched the Ice Cream Artisans get to work. Absolutely fascinating! The only way to understand it is to watch so click here to watch a video by Crème Shack.

The next day we slept in and enjoyed the cool hotel room as long as possible. Being an early riser I left Cecil sleeping while I walked a few blocks down Main Street for a cup of coffee. Methodical Coffee is tucked in the back of ONE City Plaza, a mixed-use development with offices, restaurants, and shops. I give my mocha a strong four out of five beans. The only reason I can’t give it a five is because they only offer one size. It was the size of a small but the price of a medium. Coffee was very good, though.

After breakfast at the hotel we packed up and parked downtown so we could finally explore Main Street and wander through more of Falls Park. Main Street is very walkable and its shade trees definitely help keep the heat down, but not the humidity.

We wandered through the Mast General Store, The Spice & Tea Exchange, and M. Judson Booksellers. M. Judson Booksellers is located in a gorgeous historic building. The bookstore takes up about two-thirds of the main floor and the Chocolate Moose Bakery is inside to the right. A wonderful place to wander and pick up a cupcake to go!

We ended our stroll back at the River Walk and Falls Park. With a few more clouds in the sky it wasn’t as blazing hot as the day before so we walked back across the Liberty Bridge and explored the park. Flowers were in bloom and the sound of the water rushing over the rocks was quite relaxing. We look forward to seeing it in the fall!

By this time we were ready for lunch and somewhere cool so walked back to the car and made our way to Smoke on the Water, a “saucy southern tavern” specializing in smoked items. We sat at the bar and enjoyed excellent service while we watched the Mexico vs. Brazil FIFA World Cup match. I ordered the pulled pork and Cecil had the beef brisket. We loved how they brought out five different homemade barbecue sauces to try with our meals. The bartender found out it was our first time to the city and their restaurant so she generously gave us a free dessert of our choice to share. I went with her favorite, the strawberry beignet. It did not disappoint!

With our bellies full and our feet tired, we got back in the car one last time and headed for home. We are so glad that we went. Even with the heat it was well worth the visit and we can’t wait to go back!

Happy travels!