Peach Region around Spartanburg, Union, and Rock Hill, South Carolina - Spartanburg SC Off the Beaten Path

Preview: Many small cities boast of a renaissance in their downtown areas, but few have delivered on the claim like Greenville. It could be her sister-city relationship with Bergamo, Italy, that made the city planners take the concept as seriously as they have, but more than ten years of effort has made a difference that few could have imagined. The new downtown is a showpiece anchored by the restored Westin Poinsett Hotel, restaurants, coffee shops, sidewalk cafes, and lots of things to do and places to see—all in walking distance of one another. Feeling bookish? Or maybe you want to see an outstanding art exhibition? How about taking in a play? You can find what you want all in an area of two city blocks at Heritage Green, home to a new county library, the Greenville Little Theatre and the Greenville Museum of Art. The Greenville County Library is bright and spacious (designers have made exceptional use of glass throughout) and includes a coffee shop; a large video, books-on-tape, and CD center; and a noncirculating research collection of South Carolina history and culture. Next door to the library, the Little Theatre features regular first-rate productions (Joanne Woodward is an alumna, after all) and just one door from the theater is the Museum of Art, for years the home of the Wyeth Collection and still showing pieces by many nationally and world-renowned artists. A block away is the local favorite, Cafe and Then Some. One block up and a right turn (still walking) and you are on Main Street, at the hub of the downtown renewal. The other anchor of the area, The Hyatt Regency, invites you into a glass atrium, with restaurant and bar, the perfect start to an evening. Moving down Main Street, you will find eateries, bistros, tobacco and clothing stores, and gift shops. As you walk through Bergamo Square, you will find that many of the restored buildings are home to new residents of the downtown area, remodeled walk-up flats that are also just a walk away from the office. During the spring and summer months, as well as early fall, live bands give free concerts in the square every Thursday, and downtown festivals celebrating almost any occasion regularly turn the area into the upstate’s largest block party. Your next stop, only three blocks down from the square on Main Street, is The Peace Center, a gem of a concert hall that was built in 1989 and named after one of its primary benefactors. The center is a regular draw for touring Broadway musicals, concerts, and solo artists. It was also the site in 2004 for one of the nationally televised Democratic primary presidential debates; the moderator, NBC’s Tom Brokaw, was so impressed, the evening news for that night was anchored from the center. The Peace Center is also part of a pavilion that includes restaurants, banquet facilities, and an open-air forum for speakers, artists, and social functions. The above description is an excerpt from "South Carolina: Off the Beaten Path." Whether you're a visitor or a local looking for something different, this chapter from the Off the Beaten Path series will help you take the "road less traveled" and discover hidden attractions, unique finds, and unusual locales that most tourists miss.
© Copyright William Price Fox published by Insiders' Guide all rights reserved.


This travel guide comes from:
South Carolina Off the Beaten Path Guide Book