Charming, accessible and affordable. [ON LOCATION]
We visited Greenville in South Carolina and found this small city to be picturesque and friendly with a walkable and treelined downtown complemented by Southern hospitality and a trendy vibe. “In addition to more than 100 meeting and event spaces for all sizes and budgets, Greenville’s accessibility via interstate highways and the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport—just 15 minutes from downtown—makes it an ideal central Southeast destination,”says Rebecca Mittleman, Director of Sales for VisitGreenvilleSC.
We stayed at the 327-room and -suite Hyatt Regency Greenville, conveniently located adjacent to the north end of downtown’s Main Street and with 35,000 sf of flexible meeting space. The rooms are modern and spacious, and we loved walking out of the hotel right onto the destination’s 10-block Main Street lined with locally owned restaurants and shops.
Other accommodations downtown include the newly built (in 2022), 187-room Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville, a Marriott Autograph Collection property overlooking the Reedy River. Here, the meeting space totals 4,000 sf, and the ballroom can seat up to 220 for dinner. There are also two indoor/outdoor bars and restaurants for gatherings. The hotel is designed like a lodge with a fireplace and really cool acrylic chandeliers that resemble antlers; it’s also known for its art collection, an art gallery. The Porch, which can host 120 for a reception, is another outdoor venue, located right off the lobby and facing the river. Other meeting properties on Main Street include The Westin Poinsett, Greenville, a historic building turned hotel that has been completely modernized and now features 10,000 sf of meeting space, as well as the AC Hotel Greenville, built a few years ago and featuring a rooftop space.
The downtown area is also home to the Peace Center, a performing arts complex currently undergoing a $35 million renovation. Groups will enjoy an array of Broadway shows and can also take advantage of several meeting and/or reception spaces. New to Greenville is the New Realm Brewing Co., located in the west end of town and housed in an old cigar factory. Groups can arrange for a beer tasting activity; a variety of beers that are aged and stored there as well as the New Realm’s own brand of spirits are also available. The upstairs Tap Room can accommodate 150 seated or 200 for a mix and mingle. The Cellar downstairs can hold 100 seated, 150 for receptions. The venue also has an outdoor patio area and lawn so with all spaces combined, they can host 1,000. The food menu is varied and includes wood grilled pizzas and Wagyu burgers. Groups can also try Gather, a collection of old shipping containers housing local food vendors, also located in the west end.
Continuing on the culinary front, we ate at two venues owned by the Table 301 restaurant group. Soby’s on south main street features contemporary Southern cuisine with dishes such as fried green tomatoes, crabcakes and shrimp and grits. The restaurant can host groups and also features an outdoor patio. They also own The Lazy Goat, where we were treated to a private gathering and a 6-course tasting menu paired with wines that included items such as foie gras/raspberry and cocoa and halibut /brioche/potato. The burst of flavors on each tasting was simply fantastic. This restaurant is on the Reedy River and can host up to 300 guests on a restaurant buyout.
“There are many large fortune 500 companies in Greenville like BMW, GE and Michelin, so we have a variety of people from abroad and restaurants reflecting different cultures, including the first Cambodian restaurant in South Carolina, to choose from,” says Mittleman.
Greenville Spartanburg International Airport has nonstop service to 27 cities from around the country including a new nonstop from Los Angeles and one from Orlando. —Laurel Herman
visitgreenvillesc.com