If you are planning on visiting Clemson or Furman in the next coming weeks as we approach college decisions, Greenville is the perfect day trip. There is such a variety of things to do and after a recent trip with friends, we have created the ideal itinerary for a day in the city. 

First of all, I know it’s hard, but plan on leaving Charleston early. Greenville is about 3 hours away more or less, so in order to make the most of your day, try to leave before 8 am. Grab a coffee at the nearest cafe to wake you up and get started on your journey to upstate South Carolina. Have a good breakfast as well. You are then going to get on I-385 and then just head on up to Greenville. If you have the time, I would recommend taking the backroads because it’s just a lot more scenic than various shades of concrete and potholes. It adds a little over an hour to your trip, but it’s really pretty right now in the spring and you might even come across some horsies.

Alright so you have arrived in downtown Greenville (a.k.a “Main” Street) and right now it’s about early morning and you might want a nice place to rest after your long drive. Look no further than Coffee Underground on Coffee Street; something about Greenville that you might notice is that they are very on-the-nose about things. For example, there is a big church on “Church” Street and a college on “University” Street- I appreciate that. Anyways, this place is too cool. As the name implies, you have to go underground to enter the cafe and it already somehow feels like you are in New York City?? Upon entering, you can already feel the coziness. The cafe is covered in fluffy couches and warm lighting that makes you want to spend hours in there. Which, you could, because they are open till 9 pm. I will NEVER stop reiterating that Charleston needs a place like this, every cafe here closes at like 3 pm. In the evening they even have entertainment. They have a huge menu of drinks, foods, and pastries, so there is something for everyone. We recommend the Ladybug, which is a raspberry chocolate mocha. Try their pink strawberry cake as well, and chill in one of the various cozy corners.

Once recharged, spend some time exploring the streets and heading over to Falls Park on the Reedy. Ok, pictures really don’t do this place justice. There are literally waterfalls in the middle of town! As you enter the park down these stairs, you see a little waterfall and some nature, but you would never expect what’s to come. The main waterfall is super big and you can hear it from afar. It is so beautiful in the spring- everything is bright green and there are tulips and ducks everywhere. You are also able to get super close to falls and walk along the water. According to the signs, swimming is “discouraged”, but hey you could if you wanted to. Ideally, on a chilly spring day, you would have your warm drink from the coffee stop earlier.

After spending some time exploring, it’s about midday and you are probably getting really hungry after all of that adventuring. There are SO many food options in downtown and Greenville is pretty walkable so it’s easy to reach most of them. If you are feeling like Middle Eastern food, try Aryana which serves up Afghani cuisine. Unfortunately, we did not get to try this as we went on a Sunday and they were closed. Don’t make the same mistake we did of starting a journey on a Sunday because a surprising amount of places were closed. Luckily, there are a slew of options anyways. For a hot bowl of soup, head to Menkoi Noodle House which has so many ramen, udon, and other Japanese dishes. The spicy ramen, chicken curry, kake soba, and sour plum onigiri were all delectable.

Ok, the best part of the entire trip is yet to come. Have you ever wanted to cuddle a cow? Particularly a fuzzy miniature cow? You are in luck! Moo Cow Farms in Simpsonville (which is only a 20-minute drive from downtown Greenville) has the most adorable miniature heifers that you can plan a visit with. They are fully booked through May and are super popular so make sure to check when they update their appointments because these fuzzy little ones are in high demand. You can feed, cuddle, brush, and hang out with the cows for as long as you want- well, till as long as the cows want because they have a forest sanctuary they can retire to. They currently have 4 cows, one who is a very playful youngster who likes to headbutt people for treats. His name is Patch and he is such a sweetheart. If I am being honest, no, we did not go on this trip for the responsible reason of planning our futures and checking out our college options- we solely went to see the cows. One of them, Lily, is very pregnant and is probably going to give birth any day, so there is a high possibility there could be a calf if you visit in the next few months. Depending on the health of the mother, bottle feeding is a possibility…… Also, they were a lot smaller than I was expecting. Apparently, however, a dairy cow can be taller than a human- gentle giants. These cows were super sweet and it was a lot of fun learning fun facts about them from the owner, Tiffany, while we were there too. Did you know that cows can run faster than a horse in mud due to their foot shape? Me neither! Also, we got to touch their udders which was a super interesting experience. They feel like fingers without bones FYI. After you run out of treats and the cows start to get tired, the sun is going down (and getting cold) and it’s probably time to head back home. You even have time to go get another drink if you wanted at Coffee Underground, because, again, they are open late unlike the coffee shops in Charleston…… Take a nap on the way home and dream of waterfalls, ladybug lattes, ramen, and fuzzy cows. 

Well, that’s a day in Greenville! I hope this shows that you don’t need to go too far to have a good time. It can be overwhelming planning a big trip and it’s not always easy to make them happen. But, if you need to get away from Charleston for a day or two, Greenville would be a great option.